Manager, Human Resources

SUMMARY

This position reports to the Director, Human Resources & Benefit Plans and provides administration, guidance, and support for all human resource functions at WELS Center for Mission and Ministry (CMM) and its subsidiaries, including employment, compensation, employee relations, resource development, personnel policies, and compliance with WELS policies and procedures. This role ensures that personnel practices reflect WELS’s mission and theology while maintaining compliance with applicable federal and state regulations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following.

• Provides administration, guidance, and support for all human resource functions at the CMM, including employment, compensation, employee relations, personnel policies, and compliance.
• Serves as the primary resource for CMM employees on day-to-day HR matters, including policy questions, documentation, employee concerns, and performance management.
• Implements and communicates CMM personnel policies and procedures and assists with their development; ensures consistency with WELS theology and alignment with federal and state employment laws and regulations.
• Serves as the HR subject matter expert of the Human Resources Information System (HRIS). Manages the HRIS and HR data to meet current and future needs of the CMM, its subsidiaries, and WELS ministerial education schools; works with employees and vendors to ensure the effective delivery of HRIS applications; promotes proactive approaches for using HRIS to solve organizational needs and issues while also enhancing the understanding and acceptance of the HRIS capabilities.
• Maintains, communicates, and tracks acknowledgement of HR policies applicable to CMM employees and to members of boards, commissions, and committees appointed by the Synodical Council.
• Maintains personnel files in compliance with applicable legal requirements. Keeps employee records up to date by processing employee status changes in timely fashion.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable employment laws, regulatory requirements, WELS policies, and reporting obligations.
• Manages recruitment, selection, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and retention of CMM lay employees; assists with the filling of called worker positions.
• Assists with administration of the vicar and district president assistant programs.
• Assists with employee compensation and performance review matters.
• Assists with the development of the compensation components of the synod’s ministry financial plan.
• Works in close collaboration with the WELS Benefits Plan Office and vendors to administer benefit programs, including enrollment and termination processing, claims resolution, change reporting, and processing invoices for payment. Communicates employee benefits offered to CMM staff. Performs ACA reporting and compliance requirements for CMM and assists the four ministerial education schools in this effort.
• Oversees activities and programs that are designed to promote a healthy, engaged organizational culture and high employee morale among CMM staff.
• Manages and maintains HR systems and information, including HRIS records, personnel files, payroll and benefit data, and digital HR resources to ensure accuracy and integrity.
• Collaborates with Financial Services to ensure accurate payroll processing.
• Ensures human resources information found at wels.net and the CMM intranet is accurate, current, and accessible.
• Serves as a resource to WELS congregations, schools, and affiliated ministries regarding personnel practices, employment law compliance, compensation, benefits, policy interpretation, and risk management.
• Facilitates training and development programs for supervisors, managers, and staff across WELS entities; provides ongoing education on personnel policies, supervisory skills, employment law, and HR best practices.
• Coordinates the vetting and documentation process for nominees to synod boards, commissions, and committees appointed by the Synodical Council; maintains centralized records of nominee data and vacancies.
• Performs background checks for volunteers serving at synod-sponsored events to support safety and risk-management practices.
• Serves as a member of the CMM Safety Committee to support safe working conditions and compliance with workplace safety standards.
• Performs other duties as assigned in support of the mission and ministry of WELS.

These requirements are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the knowledge, skill, and ability required to perform this job. Other duties may be assigned.