Human Resources (HR) Roles & Responsibilities

Overall Role & Responsibility

Human Resources partners with principal investigators, GCMs, and departments to recruit, hire, appoint, and compensate the people who carry out sponsored research — staff, postdoctoral scholars, and temporary employees — in compliance with University employment policy and sponsor requirements. HR administers the appointment, classification, compensation, onboarding, and separation processes that turn budgeted personnel into active project staff, and advises on employment matters that affect effort, benefits, and pay charged to awards.

For detailed lists of specific responsibilities, please click to expand the sections below.

Recruitment and Hiring

• Receive and process staff hiring requests submitted by PIs and GCMs; post positions once the award is received and the account is established (positions cannot be posted before the account is set up).
• Advise PIs and GCMs on position classification, job descriptions, and the appropriate employment category (regular, temporary, full- or part-time) for grant-funded roles.
• Administer recruitment, offer letters, background checks, and immigration/visa processing for research staff and postdoctoral scholars, including international hires.
• Coordinate with GCMs, who provide faculty with instructions for working with HR to hire staff and postdocs.

Appointments and Compensation

• Establish and maintain appointments, salary, and pay rates for research staff and postdocs in Workday, consistent with University compensation guidelines.
• Advise on fringe-benefit eligibility and the rates applicable to staff and faculty salaries charged to grants.
• Process salary changes, additional compensation, and pay actions in coordination with GCMs and Grants Accounting.

Onboarding, Employee Relations and Separation

• Onboard new research employees, including benefits enrollment and required employment documentation.
• Advise PIs and supervisors on employee relations, performance, leave, and accommodation matters for research personnel.
• Process terminations and separations, coordinating with GCMs, who notify HR of upcoming staff terminations/separations affecting awards.

Compliance

• Ensure hiring and employment practices comply with federal and state employment law and University policy, including equal-opportunity and immigration requirements.
• Maintain the employment records needed for effort reporting, payroll certification, and audit.