| JOB SUMMARY: |
NORC at the University of Chicago is seeking an HR Business Partner I to join our NORC People team and provide human resources consultation and support to our survey operations departments. This role will be based onsite in our Wichita, Kansas call center (at least 3 days a week in office.)
The HR Business Partner I will align people strategy with l business goals, assist with employee relations, talent acquisition, offboarding, and retention initiatives in a high-volume environment. HR Business Partners act as trusted advisors to our Telephone Survey and Support Operations (TSSO) and Field Operations leaders, driving initiatives like upskilling, coaching managers on feedback, and addressing day‑to‑day and emerging HR needs.
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| DEPARTMENT: NORC People |
The NORC People department supports NORC's mission and values by collaborating with research, operations, and administrative departments to recruit, develop, and retain top staff. Because NORC is a government contractor, the NORC People team plays a large role ensuring that all staff information and systems remain secure and that our organization is fully compliant with our policies. NORC People is responsible for talent acquisition, hiring, benefits administration, employee relations matters, and performance evaluation programs to ensure our organization is maintaining compliance while keeping employees’ best interests in mind.
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| RESPONSIBILITIES: |
Talent & Workforce Support
- Partner with Telephone Survey and Support Operations (TSSO) and Field Operations leaders nationwide to support workforce planning and high-volume hiring needs.
- Assist in developing and executing recruitment strategies, including sourcing, candidate engagement, and utilization of tools such as PageUp (ATS), career sites, referrals, community outreach, and targeted advertising.
- Support onboarding, offboarding, and internal mobility initiatives to ensure a positive employee experience and alignment with operational goals and budget guidelines.
Manager Partnership & Employee Relations
- Serve as a trusted advisor to managers, providing guidance on performance management, employee relations, policy interpretation, and employment law to ensure fairness and consistency.
- Coach leaders on delivering effective feedback, addressing HR matters, and strengthening team engagement and retention.
- Build strong relationships with operational leaders to understand business priorities and deliver proactive, practical HR solutions.
HR Collaboration & Compliance
- Partner with HR Centers of Excellence (COEs) to implement integrated people solutions across talent acquisition, development, and compliance.
- Ensure HR practices align with organizational policies, legal requirements, and government contractor compliance standards.
Culture
- Exemplify NORC culture and values.
- Actively develop and foster a positive employee relations climate, high employee engagement, team effectiveness and integration, and employer of choice status.
- Actively participate in department leadership meetings and strategy sessions.
- Identify, communicate and problem-solve employee relations issues.
- In coordination with other HR Business Partners and Generalists, assist managers and supervisors with record keeping and documentation on employee relations issues and corrective action steps in disciplinary issues.
- Provide training and communication on HR programs, benefits and processes.
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| REQUIRED SKILLS: |
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field required.
- 3 years of previous HR experience, preferably in HR Business Partner roles.
- Strong understanding of HR laws, regulations, and best practices.
- Proven success in talent acquisition, employee relations, and offboarding.
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
- Strong business acumen.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to adapt, change quickly, and succeed in a rapidly changing, ambiguous environment.
- Ability to build strong relationships at all levels.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
VALUED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Experience working at a call center or high volume hiring environment.
- Experience working with ADP and ATS programs/systems.
- HR Certifications, such as PHR and SHRM-CP.
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| SALARY AND BENEFITS: |
The pay range for this position is $67,000-$80,000.
This position is classified as regular. Regular staff are eligible for NORC’s comprehensive benefits program. Benefits include, but are not limited to:
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Generously subsidized health insurance, effective on the first day of employment
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Dental and vision insurance
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A defined contribution retirement program, along with a separate voluntary 403(b) retirement program
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Group life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance
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Benefits that promote work/life balance, including generous paid time off, holidays; paid parental leave, bereavement leave, tuition assistance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
NORC’s Approach to Equity and Transparency
Pay and benefits transparency helps to reduce wage gaps. As part of our commitment to pay equity and salary transparency, NORC includes a salary range for each job opening along with information about eligible benefit offerings. At NORC, we take a comprehensive approach to setting salary ranges and reviewing raises and promotions, which is overseen by a formal Salary Review Committee (SRC).
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| WHAT WE DO: |
NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.
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| WHO WE ARE: |
For over 80 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we’re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.
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| EEO STATEMENT: |
NORC is an equal opportunity employer. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, sexual orientation, and other legally protected characteristics.
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