Human Resources Consultant, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

The UTIA Human Resources Consultant serves as a senior, internally facing HR consultant and generalist who partners with leaders across a large, decentralized academic enterprise. You will diagnose workforce and organizational needs, apply policy and precedent, and frame evidence-based options (not decisions) that strengthen leadership decision-making. The portfolio includes complex employee relations, HR projects/continuous improvement, HRIS-enabled reporting and data interpretation, compensation partnership, and organizational effectiveness support (e.g., role clarity and change navigation). This position is one of five peer HR Consultant roles that work closely as a team—sharing expertise, ideating together, and providing backup support—and reports to the Director of Human Resources for UTIA.

Key Responsibilities:

• Advise and coach leaders on workforce and organizational matters—diagnosing issues, applying policy/precedent, and framing evidence-based options.
• Manage complex, sensitive employee relations matters from intake through resolution with timely, well-documented case handling and defensible rationale; coordinate escalation and partner engagement when appropriate.
• Lead HR projects and continuous-improvement workstreams—aligning stakeholders, defining deliverables, and driving implementation.
• Partner with UTK HR centers of expertise to coordinate employee lifecycle transactions and position management; use HRIS reporting and workforce data to provide decision-ready insights; contribute to peer-team knowledge sharing and backup coverage.
• Recommend and assess workforce changes that enable individual and organizational success, including adoption of new technologies, culture initiatives, and employee engagement strategies.