HR Onboarding Supervisor

University of Kentucky; Lexington (KY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Kentucky is seeking an HR Onboarding Supervisor to lead our centralized onboarding function across the university and UK HealthCare. You will oversee day-one readiness, service delivery, governance, and compliance in a high-volume environment, driving improvements and coordinating with Talent Acquisition, Payroll, and HR leaders.

You will supervise onboarding specialists, build a culture of excellent service, and advance technology adoption to ensure a welcoming and efficient

Qualifications

• Experience leading onboarding, HR operations, or shared services.
• Proven supervisory experience in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and confidentiality skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead centralized onboarding operations from offer to day-one readiness.
• Supervise and develop onboarding specialists with high-quality service.
• Oversee workflow governance, workload, escalations, and SLAs.
• Coordinate onboarding activities with Talent Acquisition, PAR Processing, Payroll, and departments.
• Lead compliance-sensitive onboarding functions (I-9, background checks, screenings).
• Drive process improvements to enhance efficiency and consistency.
• Monitor KPIs and provide insights to leadership.
• Support tech adoption across onboarding workflows and systems.

Skills

Onboarding leadership

HR operations

Talent acquisition operations

Customer-focused service

Supervising employees

Tools

HR systems

Applicant tracking systems

Onboarding platforms

Job description

Required License/Registration/Certification

None

Physical Requirements

The essential job functions of this position requires the ability to communicate and build working relationships with staff, faculty and candidates from various backgrounds; abide by University guidelines; maintain confidentiality; prioritize and manage work effectively; provide exceptional customer service and positively represent the university; ensure work is detailed, accurate and completed in a timely manner; perform work in a sedentary position; interact with individuals from various levels throughout the university and work successfully in a team as well as independently.

Shift

Monday – Friday 7:30 am – 4:30 pm (40 hours/week).

Job Summary

The University of Kentucky is seeking a HR Onboarding Supervisorto lead our centralized onboarding function and ensure a seamless, compliant, and welcoming experience for new hires across the university and UK HealthCare. This role provides leadership for onboarding operations from offer acceptance through day-one readiness, overseeing service delivery, workflow governance, compliance requirements, and continuous process improvement in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
The HR Onboarding Supervisor leads a team of onboarding professionals, manages day-to-day operations, and partners closely with Talent Acquisition, PAR Processing, Payroll, HR Operations, hiring managers, and institutional stakeholders to ensure new employees are prepared for success from day one. This position plays a key role in modernizing onboarding processes, driving technology adoption, and maintaining operational excellence across the enterprise.
What You’ll Do

• Lead centralized onboarding operations from offer acceptance through day-one readiness across campus and UK HealthCare
• Supervise, coach, and develop a team of onboarding specialists while ensuring high-quality service delivery and accountability
• Oversee onboarding workflow governance, workload management, escalations, and service-level performance
• Partner with Talent Acquisition, PAR Processing, Payroll, and departmental leaders to coordinate onboarding activities and remove barriers to successful start dates
• Lead compliance-sensitive onboarding functions including Form I-9, background checks, pre-employment screenings, documentation controls, and audit readiness activities
• Drive process improvement initiatives that strengthen operational efficiency, consistency, and the new hire experience
• Monitor key performance metrics, identify trends, and provide operational insights and recommendations to leadership
• Support technology adoption and optimization across onboarding workflows, systems, and processes

What You’ll Bring

• Experience leading onboarding, HR operations, talent acquisition operations, shared services, or similar customer-focused functions
• Demonstrated success supervising and developing employees in a fast-paced environment
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and operational deadlines
• Experience navigating compliance-sensitive processes and maintaining high standards of accuracy and confidentiality
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills
• A continuous improvement mindset with the ability to identify opportunities, implement solutions, and drive change
• Experience using HR systems, applicant tracking systems, onboarding platforms, or related technologies

What’s In It for You

• Opportunity to lead a newly centralized onboarding function with enterprise-wide impact
• Ability to shape onboarding strategy, service delivery standards, and operational workflows
• Meaningful partnerships with HR leaders, recruiters, hiring managers, and institutional stakeholders
• A collaborative environment focused on innovation, service excellence, and continuous improvement
• Competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for professional growth and advancement

Why Now?

The University of Kentucky is transforming the way we support new employees by creating a centralized onboarding model designed to improve consistency, efficiency, compliance, and the employee experience. This role offers a unique opportunity to help build and lead that future-state function while making a lasting impact on how employees begin their careers at UK.

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities

Computers, Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook), applicant tracking or onboarding systems

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities?

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? Yes

Preferred Education/Experience

Previous experience in human resources, leadership, workload management, escalation resolution, and process improvement

Deadline to Apply

Deadline to Apply 10/05/2026

Our University Community

We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.
The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status or whether the person is a smoker or nonsmoker, as long as the person complies with University regulation concerning smoking.
Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.