People Operations Manager

Taylor University’s mission is to cultivate servant-leaders with a passion for sharing Christ’s redemptive love, grace, and truth with a world in need. As a community, faculty, staff, and students are dedicated to living out Christ’s love and truth in every aspect of life, worshiping together, serving one another, and growing in faith—whether in the classroom, on the field, in chapel, or anywhere we engage in Life Together. This commitment fosters a culture defined by servant leadership, purpose, joy, hospitality, and excellence.

Position Summary
The People Operations team at Taylor University fulfills three core roles:

• Serve People by providing an attentive and helpful spirit, timely responses, and meaningful solutions to employees throughout the employee lifecycle: Selection, Welcoming, Developing, and Transitioning.
• Execute Effective People Processes by ensuring smooth, consistent, and compliant operations across the employee lifecycle, including compensation, benefits, and payroll.
• Develop People & Strengthen Culture by building operating rhythms that foster a thriving, mission-driven organization. These rhythms include strengthening the leadership team, implementing a talent cycle, establishing a management standard, measuring organizational health, and creating learning journeys. Together, these efforts help develop a strong pipeline of leaders, managers, contributors, and teams equipped to fulfill Taylor’s mission now and into the future.

Employee Lifecycle Leadership

• Design, document, and continuously improve the employee lifecycle processes (Selection, Welcoming, Developing, Transitioning) in partnership with departments and senior leadership.
• Serve as a strategic partner to hiring managers and department heads by guiding role design, recruitment strategies, interview processes, onboarding, and internal transitions.
• Develop and maintain employee lifecycle tools, templates, and training to ensure consistency and clarity in processes across campus.
• Lead institutional onboarding and orientation efforts, ensuring a cohesive, mission-driven employee experience.
• Partner with leadership to identify and address trends and gaps in development, performance, or retention.

• Provide coaching and support to supervisors and managers on performance management, conflict resolution, and team dynamics.
• Conduct and document employee relations conversations, including performance concerns, policy violations, or workplace climate issues, ensuring professionalism and consistency.
• Collaborate with managers and employees to resolve issues in a way that aligns with institutional values, policy, and legal requirements.
• Coordinate investigation and resolution of employee complaints and grievances in a fair and timely manner.

• Serve as the department lead for legal and regulatory compliance related to employment, including FLSA, FMLA, ADA, Title VII, and other federal/state laws.
• Oversee the review, development, and communication of policies and procedures that promote compliance, clarity, and fairness.
• Partner with legal counsel as needed for complex employee relations matters, policy development, or documentation needs.
• Equip managers and campus leaders with training and resources to ensure understanding and adherence to employment laws and institutional policies.

• Contribute to strategic People Operations initiatives such as the Best Christian Workplaces engagement survey, performance management cycle, and compensation planning.
• Lead or co-lead assigned projects and cross-functional initiatives; manage scope, timeline, and deliverables.
• Serve as a key collaborator and thought partner to the Chief People Officer on people-related strategies and planning.
• Cross-train in payroll and student employment processes to provide support during absences or peak periods.
• Participate in institutional working groups and committees to represent People Operations and advance organizational goals.

Required

• Testify to personal experience of salvation in Jesus Christ, affirm belief in the University’s Statement of Faith, abide by and practice our Life Together Covenant, and both personally agree with and support the Foundational Documents of Taylor University.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, or related field
• 5–7 years of progressive experience in human resources or people operations
• Demonstrated experience managing employee relations, HR compliance, and organizational development initiatives
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to coach leaders and build trust across diverse teams
• Sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive matters
• Experience leading or significantly contributing to HR projects, policy development, or change management efforts
• Proficiency with HRIS and applicant tracking systems, with a preference for NeoEd

• Master’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Leadership, or a related field
• Experience in higher education or nonprofit settings
• Certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR