HR Special Programs Team Lead

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story'

Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.

Overview/Description:

HDR is seeking an HR Special Programs Team Lead to provide leadership and operational oversight for the HR Special Programs function within the corporate Human Resources department. This role is intended for an HR professional who can lead people, manage day to day operations, and ensure consistent, high-quality execution of HR administrative and system-enabled processes. The HR Special Programs Team Lead serves as the primary point of accountability for HR administrative operations, HR system workflows, compliance activities, and team performance. This role balances hands-on involvement with people leadership, providing direction, coaching, and workload management for the HR administrative team while partnering with HR leadership on continuous improvement, system enhancements, and program-level initiatives.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

• Provide day-to-day leadership and oversight of the HR administrative team, including task assignment, workload prioritization, coaching, onboarding, training, and performance feedback.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex or sensitive HR administrative and system-related issues, ensuring timely resolution and appropriate risk management.
• Oversee HR administrative operations and system-enabled processes to ensure accuracy, timeliness, consistency, compliance, and continuity of service through effective backup and coverage planning.
• Act as the primary owner for HR system workflows and transactions (e.g., EBS and future cloud-based HCM workflows), including monitoring, troubleshooting, approval routing, and audit readiness.
• Establish, maintain, and enforce standard operating procedures, internal controls, and documentation for HR administrative and compliance processes.
• Lead HR compliance monitoring and audit activities, including I-9 administration, employment verifications, internal reviews, and coordination with Legal and Compliance partners as needed.
• Review and analyze HR operational metrics, compliance trends, and workload indicators to identify risks, improvement opportunities, and process efficiencies.
• Lead or support HR system upgrades, implementations, change management efforts, and cross-functional HR projects, including testing, documentation, and user readiness.
• Maintain and govern HR knowledge resources (e.g., SharePoint sites, templates, job aids, training materials) and support the planning and execution of HR-sponsored events and special initiatives.

Preferred Experience:

• Associate degree or an equivalent combination of education and three (3) or more years of professional experience related to Human Resources.
• Strong working knowledge of HR systems, workflows, and compliance-driven processes.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, including intermediate to advanced Excel skills (e.g., formulas, reporting, analysis).
• Proven ability to prioritize work, manage competing deadlines, and lead others in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to coach, influence, and provide clear direction.
• Demonstrated sound judgment and ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive information appropriately.
• Prior experience in a team lead, supervisory, or people management role, including comfort leading teams in a technology-enabled, self-service HR environment.
• Hands-on experience administering HRIS workflows or systems (e.g., EBS, Oracle Cloud HCM, or similar platforms).
• Experience leading or supporting HR audits, compliance reviews, process governance initiatives, or large-scale system or process changes.
• Experience working in a corporate or professional services environment; professional HR certification (e.g., PHR, SHRM CP) preferred.

Required Qualifications

• A minimum of 3 years related experience
• Proficiency with MS Office including Outlook, Word and Excel
• Excellent verbal and written communication and strong client service ability
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships
• Ability to facilitate employee training a plus
• Strong organizational and follow-up skills
• Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks and various managers in a fast-paced environment
• Self-motivated, well-organized and detail-oriented
• Ability to handle confidential information
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

What We Believe HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.