Senior HR Partner, USC Athletics

University of Southern California; California; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Southern California is seeking a Senior HR Partner to serve as a trusted advisor to USC Athletics. You will build relationships with coaches, staff, and leaders, guiding workforce planning, employee relations, and talent development in a high-visibility environment.

Working with USC HR Centers of Expertise, you will provide strategic HR guidance, coach leaders through complex decisions, and ensure compliance with laws while upholding USC's culture and priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, psychology, HR, or a related field.
• Seven+ years of experience in HR or human capital management.
• Experience across HR domains including total rewards, labor relations, talent management, change management, learning and development.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to USC Athletics, understanding business, people, culture, and goals.
• Provide proactive HR consultation, coaching, and guidance to leaders at all levels.
• Advise on workforce planning, change management, succession planning, performance management, and organizational development.
• Manage employee and labor relations matters, including investigations and sensitive issues.
• Collaborate with USC HR Centers of Expertise to deliver solutions across Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, HR systems and analytics, learning and development.
• Utilize workforce data and insights to support hiring, promotion, compensation, and development decisions.

Skills

HR leadership

Employee relations

Workforce planning

Change management

Talent management

Performance management

Learning & development

HR analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, psychology, human resources, industrial relations or related field

Job description

Position Overview

USC Human Resources, Ethics, and Compliance (HREC) is seeking an experienced Senior HR Partner to serve as a trusted strategic advisor to USC Athletics.

USC Athletics is a dynamic and highly visible organization with a unique operating environment spanning coaches, contract and non-contract employees, and staff across its programs and operations. The Senior HR Partner will work closely with Athletics leaders to understand the organization, build trusted relationships, and provide strategic HR guidance across complex people and organizational needs.

This position is part of University Human Resources' Client Services, reports to a Director, and is assigned to USC Athletics to provide dedicated HR partnership while collaborating with USC's HR Centers of Expertise.

Learn more about USC Athletics: https://usctrojans.com/

The Opportunity

The Senior HR Partner will join a complex, hands-on client environment where responsiveness, sound judgment, and understanding how decisions impact the broader organization will be essential to success.

The role requires someone who can confidently coach and consult with leaders and drive people strategies that build a culture aligned with organizational goals and priorities. The role requires the ability to navigate difficult conversations, manage employee relations matters and workplace investigations. The Senior HR Partner also provides guidance to HR Partners and Associate HR Partners.

This opportunity is well suited for an experienced HR professional who is approachable, resourceful, and comfortable advising executive leaders. The successful candidate will be able to work with autonomy, know when to escape or involve the appropriate HR subject matter experts, and balance responsive client service with thoughtful HR guidance.

Key Accountabilities

• Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to the assigned client organization, developing a strong understanding of its business, people, culture, priorities, and long-term goals.
• Build relationships with employees and leaders at all levels, providing proactive HR consultation, coaching, and guidance.
• Participate in strategic planning and advise leaders on workforce planning, change management, succession planning, performance management, talent development, and organizational effectiveness strategies.
• Manage and resolve employee and labor relations matters, including workplace investigations, performance concerns, disciplinary actions, and other sensitive employee matters.
• Coach leaders through complex people decisions and provide thoughtful HR guidance, including appropriately challenging assumptions when needed.
• Partner with USC HR Centers of Expertise to deliver solutions across Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, HR systems and analytics, learning and organizational development, and other HR functions.
• Leverage workforce data, employee feedback, and organizational insights to support hiring, promotion, compensation, professional development, succession planning and other talent decisions.
• Communicate complex HR policies, practices, and employment requirements in ways that enable leaders and employees to understand and act.
• Manage competing priorities and changing business needs with sound judgment, discretion, responsiveness, and follow-through.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and guidance to HR Partners and Associate HR Partners and contribute to a collaborative HR environment.
• Maintain current knowledge of HR leading practices and applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Work Schedule & Work Arrangement

The regular work schedule for this position is Monday through Friday. This position follows a hybrid-fixed work arrangement with an expectation of working onsite at least three days per week and remotely two days per week. Additional onsite days will be required during onboarding and to meet client needs.

Onsite days will be spent within the assigned client organization. Travel between USC locations is required based on client and business needs.

The university reserves the right to modify work schedules and arrangements based on business.

Minimum Requirements

The candidate for the position of Senior HR Partner must meet the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business, psychology, human resources, industrial relations or related field.
• Seven or more years of experience in human resources or human capital management.
• In-depth understanding of and experience working in a broad spectrum of HR domains including total rewards (including compensation), employee and labor relations, talent management (including performance management, learning and development), continuous process improvement, change management, training, community and inclusion, workforce planning, and organizational development and design.
• Demonstrated success in c