HR Generalist - Talent & Recruitment

University of Wisconsin–Madison; Madison (WI); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous paid time off

Health/dental/vision insurance

Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS)

Job summary

University Recreation & Wellbeing (Rec Well) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison seeks a collaborative, dependable HR Generalist to deliver comprehensive HR services across the department. You will lead recruitment for ~100 full-time staff, 1200 student employees, and many temporaries, from position development to onboarding, ensuring a smooth experience.

You will process HR transactions, advise managers, and mentor student hourly staff.

Qualifications

• Minimum of two years of HR experience.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel).
• Experience interpreting HR policies and procedures.
• Excellent verbal and written communication.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Experience recruiting/hiring processes.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates with hiring managers to deliver effective recruitment strategies.
• Executes and audits HR transactions to meet deadlines.
• Supports full-cycle recruiting including search, interviewing, assessments, and references.
• Provides analytics and maintains personnel files and communications.
• Responds to employee questions and issues.
• Represents the unit at workshops and training sessions.
• Contributes to HR policy development and implementation.

Skills

HR policy interpretation

Microsoft Office (Outlook Word Excel)

Attention to detail

Verbal and written communication

Independent and team work

Confidentiality

Recruitment experience

Recruitment analytics

Education

Bachelor's Degree preferred

Tools

Workday HRIS

Job description

• JR10016735
• Hybrid
• Madison, Wisconsin
• Human Resources
• Full time
• Closing at: Nov 29 2026 - 11:00pm CST

Job Category

Academic Staff

Employment Type

Regular

Job Profile

HR Generalist

Job Summary

Recreation & Wellbeing (Rec Well) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is seeking a collaborative, dependable, and engaging professional to serve as a Human Resources Generalist. Reporting to the Associate Director of Human Resources, the HR Generalist serves as a key partner in delivering comprehensive HR services and support across Rec Well. This position leads recruitment and hiring efforts for approximately 100 full-time professional staff, 1200 student employees, and numerous temporary employees ensuring an effective hiring experience from position development through onboarding for all employment categories.

The HR Generalist is responsible for processing and coordinating a wide range of human resources transactions, including new hires, employee onboarding, position and employment changes, end jobs/separations, and offboarding activities. The position plays a critical role in maintaining efficient HR operations, ensuring compliance with university policies and procedures, and providing exceptional support to employees and supervisors. Additionally, this role will have the opportunity to supervise and mentor student hourly HR staff in a variety of core HR responsibilities and processes including I-9 compliance and student hourly hiring workflows.

The HR Generalist is expected to communicate and interpret human resources policies and practices, provide guidance to managers and employees, and identify opportunities to streamline and improve HR processes. The HR Generalist will have the opportunity to contribute to strategic HR initiatives, support divisional priorities and organizational goals, and engage in ongoing professional development opportunities to enhance expertise and foster career growth. Success in this role requires a high level of accuracy, discretion, and customer service, along with the ability to manage multiple priorities, build collaborative relationships, and proactively identify solutions that support both employees and organizational needs.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Collaborates with and provides guidance to unit representatives and hiring managers to deliver effective and efficient strategies that identify, attract, and lead to hiring high-quality talent
• Executes and audits work transactions and changes adhering to established policies and procedures to meet anticipated deadlines
• Supports the full cycle of the recruiting process including search strategy creation, recruiting, interviewing, assessments, and referencing
• Provides consultation, performs analytics, and/or maintains personnel files, communications, and materials for work unit through various mediums
• Receives, responds to, and resolves employee questions and problems
• Represents unit/program at institutional workshops, informational meetings, and training sessions
• Contributes to the development, implementation, interpretation, and revision of work unit Human Resources policies and procedures according to institutional and legal rules and regulations

Department

Recreation & Wellbeing - Human Resources

University Recreation & Wellbeing

At University Recreation & Wellbeing (Rec Well), we move Badgers to play hard, get fit, and live well. We create opportunities for students and the campus community to be active, build connections, develop healthy habits, and support their overall wellbeing through our facilities, programs, services, and people. We believe recreation is a gateway to wellbeing and that our work is about more than recreation alone. As one of UW–Madison’s largest student employers, we also provide opportunities for students to develop skills, grow as leaders, and gain experiences that extend beyond their time on campus.

Rec Well is part of Student Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Our staff is dedicated to serving students and to helping them succeed in and out of the classroom in areas including health and wellbeing, student success and belonging, student leadership and community engagement, and student advocacy.

Compensation

The minimum salary for this position is $60,000 annually. The expected salary ranges from $65,000 to $75,000 annually.

In addition to salary, this position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally-recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. For a summary of benefits, please see:

https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of two years of relevant human resources experience
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word & Excel
• Experience interpreting and applying HR policies and procedures
• Strong attention to detail and decision-making abilities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively interact with students, staff, and supervisors
• Ability to establish priorities, organize varied and complex tasks and workload
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information with tact and discretion

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a human resources role working in recruitment
• Experience with Workday HRIS
• Experience working in higher education
• Ability to communicate in English and Spanish, verbally and in writing

Additional Details

• Typical working hours between 8:00am - 4:30pm. Actual schedule to be determined upon hire.
• This position is eligible for up to the equivalent of two work days remote.

Education

Bachelor's Degree preferred

Contact Information

Jenni Regan

Email: [e-mail]

Institutional Statement on Diversity

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.