Senior HR Generalist, People, Place & Culture

About the role:

The Senior HR Generalist is a hands-on individual contributor who provides broad day-to-day human resources support with particular depth in employee and labor relations. Reporting to the Managing Director, People, Place & Culture, this role serves as a trusted resource to employees and managers on workplace matters and supports consistent, equitable, and legally compliant people practices across the organization.

The Generalist will have primary responsibility for employee and labor relations intake and coordination, including workplace concerns, investigations support, performance management, corrective action, accommodations, and day-to-day administration of the collective bargaining agreement. The role will also provide generalist support across benefits and leave administration, HR operations, compliance, onboarding and offboarding, and other employee lifecycle processes.

This role works collaboratively across the People, Place & Culture (PPC) team and partners closely with the Compensation & Benefits function to support benefits administration. The role does not own Vera’s Total Rewards strategy; rather, it provides operational support and additional capacity across core HR services.

1. Employee & Labor Relations

• Serve as a first point of contact for employee relations concerns, conducting intake, triage, documentation, and initial assessment of complaints, grievances, workplace conflicts, and other employee concerns.
• Support and, where appropriate, lead workplace investigations, including fact gathering, interviewing parties, maintaining chain-of-custody documentation, preparing investigation summaries, and coordinating with the Managing Director and Legal.
• Administer day-to-day aspects of the collective bargaining agreement, including tracking grievances and timelines, maintaining seniority and job-classification records, coordinating labor-management meeting logistics, and supporting implementation of negotiated provisions.
• Advise managers on performance management, coaching, corrective action, conflict resolution, and consistent application of workplace policies and the CBA.
• Coordinate accommodation and leave-related employee relations matters in partnership with the appropriate PPC team member and Legal, as needed.
• Partner with Vera's Legal and Race, Equity, and Inclusion (REI) teams on anti-harassment, anti-discrimination, retaliation, and other sensitive workplace matters, ensuring consistent and equitable application of policy.

2. Core HR Operations & Employee Lifecycle

• Provide day-to-day HR operational support across employee lifecycle processes, including employee records, status changes, reporting, and data integrity.
• Partner with the Compensation & Benefits function to support benefits administration, including employee questions, enrollments, qualifying life events, vendor coordination, and routine benefits processes.
• Provide operational support for leave administration, including FMLA, ADA, state/local leave, disability and other applicable leave programs, coordinating with employees, managers, carriers and vendors as appropriate.
• Serve as additional PPC capacity and backup for core benefits and leave processes to support continuity of service.
• Respond to employee questions regarding policies, pay, benefits, PTO and HR procedures, escalating complex compensation, benefits or Total Rewards matters to the appropriate PPC team member.
• Maintain accurate HRIS and personnel records and support routine audits and reporting.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and improve recurring HR processes and escalate operational gaps or trends to the Managing Director.

3. Benefits & Leave Administration

• Partner closely with the Compensation & Benefits function to support the day-to-day administration of Vera’s employee benefits programs and continuity of employee support.
• Respond to routine employee benefits questions and support enrollments, qualifying life events, benefit changes, and other benefits-related transactions.
• Support leave administration, including FMLA, ADA, state and local leave, disability, and other applicable leave programs, coordinating with employees, managers, carriers, and vendors as appropriate.
• Maintain accurate benefits and leave records and support required documentation, tracking, reporting, and employee communications.
• Coordinate with benefits vendors and internal partners to resolve routine employee issues and ensure timely service.
• Serve as additional PPC capacity and operational backup for benefits and leave administration, escalating matters involving benefits strategy, plan design, compensation, or broader Total Rewards decisions to the appropriate PPC functional lead.

4. Compliance, Records & HR Projects

• Conduct routine audits of personnel files, I-9s, and required trainings to ensure federal, state, and local compliance.
• Track and support mandatory training completion (e.g., anti-harassment, code of conduct) and maintain accurate compliance records.
• Contribute to HR projects engagement surveys, policy rollouts, HRIS improvements, and total-rewards cycles as assigned.
• Generate metrics and dashboards on ER/LR case volume, hiring, and turnover to inform decision-making.

What qualifications are we looking for?

Required:

• Bachelor's degree and 5 plus years of relevant HR experience. In lieu of a bachelor's degree, applicable work or life experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience across multiple HR functions (e.g., benefits, HRIS, recruitment, compliance) as a generalist.
• Direct experience handling employee relations matters, including intake, documentation, and handling of workplace investigations from start to finish.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment law (e.g., Title VII, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, NLRA).

Preferred:

• SHRM-CP, PHR, or other HR-related certification.
• Direct experience administering a collective bargaining agreement and supporting labor relations alongside legal counsel.
• Experience in a unionized and/or nonprofit/mission-driven environment.
• You are committed to Vera's mission to end the overcriminalization and mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people experiencing poverty.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities you'll bring:

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (or similar) and comfortable working within an HRIS/ATS.
• Sound judgment and discretion; able to handle confidential and sensitive matters with integrity and impartiality.
• Strong written and verbal communication, including clear, objective investigation and case documentation.
• Flexible and able to multi-task, prioritize, and manage multiple activities in a fast-paced environment.
• Solutions-oriented problem solver who works well with people both inside and outside the organization.

Location:

Please note this role will report to our Brooklyn, NY office. Vera employees adhere to a hybrid schedule and are in-office on an alternating schedule that generally amounts to 10 days per month.

Compensation and Benefits:

The compensation range for this position is $125,000 - $130,000. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to experience and performance. The salary range listed is just one component of Vera Institute’s total compensation package for employees. As an employer of choice in our field, supporting Vera staff - both personally and professionally - is a priority. To do this, we invest in the well-being of our staff through other rewards including merit pay, generous paid time off, a comprehensive health insurance plan, student loan repayment benefits, professional development training opportunities and up to $2,000 annual for education costs and fees relevant to Vera work, employer-funded retirement plan, and flexible time. To learn more about Vera’s benefits offerings, click here.

Applications may also be faxed to:

ATTN: People, Place, and Culture / [JOBTITLE]
Vera Institute of Justice
34 35th St, Suite 4-2A, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Fax: (212) 941-9407
Please use only one method (online, mail or fax) of submission.
No phone calls, please. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted.

Vera is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, or caregiver status.

Vera works to advance justice, particularly racial justice, in an increasingly multicultural country and globally connected world. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact, and depend on a diverse staff to carry out our mission.

For more information about Vera, please visit www.vera.org.