DESCRIPTION

The School of Biological Sciences is a large and complex school within Academic Affairs and is overseen by the Dean of Biological Sciences with the assistance of an Associate and Assistant Dean and the School Chief Operations Officer. BioSci has four academic departments, Cell and Developmental Biology, Ecology Behavior and Evolution, Molecular Biology and Neurobiology with a Shared Services Administration unit supporting the the Dean, the School and the four Departments. Each department is headed by a Chair who works individually to represent their section, and works collaboratively as a member of the School's Council of Chairs (COC) on the school's concerns which cross the boundaries of section governance. BioSci reflects broad foci in faculty research and in the academic programs offered by the School.

The School has over 100 faculty FTE, 17 teaching professors, ~50 professional researchers, ~150 postdoctoral scholars, ~55 adjuncts, ~20 Unit 18s, ~145 staff in career/casual titles, and ~425 student workers and volunteers and involves members of ~9 bargaining units. There are approximately ~5,500 undergraduate students enrolled in 8 majors, with annual enrollments of ~28,000 students (~9300 per term); ~350 graduate students with annual enrollments of ~2,400; more than $34 million per annum in extramural funding, and approximately ~$65 million in total annual expenditures. The school occupies space in 10 buildings, totaling 302,000 SF, including class laboratories and instructional support space, research labs, and recharge facilities.

Our mission is to advance knowledge of basic biological sciences and apply our research discoveries in ways that improve human health, protect our environment and enrich our economy. We fulfill our mission every day by educating and preparing the next generation of scientists, physicians, medical researchers and educators for 21st century careers, and by increasing public understanding of biology and encouraging scientific discovery among K12 teachers and school children.

To learn more about this vibrant center of scientific discovery refer to the school’s webpage at www.biology.ucsd.edu.

The Human Resources Generalist in the School of Biological Sciences provides a full range of personnel and payroll support to the entire School's population of career and limited/casual staff, postdoctoral scholars, visiting graduate students, and visiting scholars.

Under the supervision of the Staff HR Supervisor, the HR Generalist has independent analytical and administrative responsibility in the coordination of the day-to-day operations of the School's personnel, payroll and benefits functions for staff, postdoctoral scholars, visiting graduate students, and visiting scholars. Conduct orientation and payroll processing for new Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs) in BioSci.

Responsible for analyzing HR issues and providing expert advice, training, and policy interpretation to Biological Sciences management and staff in these areas. Analyze, research and execute policy involving classification, appointments, compensation, all aspects of recruitment and employment, performance evaluations, grievance/disciplinary actions, Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action, benefits administration, separation/layoffs, leaves of absence, staff merit, visa applications/renewals, payroll and occupational health issues. Assist Staff HR Supervisor in the areas of employee and labor relations. Actively participate in long and short-term planning, and development of department personnel and payroll procedures, programs and systems. Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of human resources policies and programs, and how they affect other organizational policies and procedures.

• Knowledge of a human resources management system (HRMS), and/or other related business software programs and systems. Experience with on-line payroll/HR systems and ability to use data processing software and relational database systems to process full range of personnel actions (recruitment, timekeeping, merit increases, funding changes, etc.).

• Experience working with a broad scope of complex personnel and related functions, such as recruitment/selection, compensation, employee relations, reviews/evaluations, benefits administration, and termination/layoffs.

• Experience performing job analysis and creating job descriptions; knowledge of appropriate classification and compensation levels for research, technical, professional, administrative, clerical, and labor positions.

• Analytical skills to conduct analysis and develop recommendations; demonstrates organizational skills and problem-solving skills. Has working knowledge of other areas of HR.

• Knowledge of organizational policies and procedures and knowledge of functional area. Proven ability to evaluate, interpret, and implement policies and procedures relevant to payroll and employment, for represented and non-represented employees.

• Proficient in communicating clearly and effectively verbally and in writing and in integrating information in the completion of assignments. Excellent written communication skills with a demonstrated ability to write concisely, persuasively, and to clearly summarize information. Excellent skill proofreading documents for accuracy, clarity, grammar, syntax, and continuity.

• Demonstrated ability to handle difficult or volatile situations / individuals effectively. Skills in problem-solving and conflict resolution.

• Strong organization, problem solving, and communication skills. Ability to prioritize, follow through on tasks, pay attention to detail, handle multiple priorities, and complete work in a timely manner. Ability to respond to urgent requests and function well in a high volume environment with frequent interruptions.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with a diverse group of individuals, using tact, diplomacy, and sensitivity; ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with employees, faculty, managers, supervisors and campus administrators.

• Experience with processing visas and ability to independently manage full scope of immigration issues.

• Experience with leave administration (FML, PDL, Workers' Comp, Disability, etc.)

• Strong computer skills in a PC environment using various business software programs (spreadsheets, word-processing, and databases) with ability to update and increase skills and knowledge as needed.

• Knowledge of unit academic culture and educational goals of discipline(s) served.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

• Employment contingent upon satisfactory background check.