HR Advisor & Employee Relations Specialist – Billerica, MA, Greensboro, NC, or Phoenix, AZ

Job description

At Curriculum Associates, we believe in the potential of every child and are changing the face of education technology with award-winning learning programs like i-Ready that serve a third of the nation’s K–8 students. For more than 50 years, our commitment to making classrooms better places, serving educators, and supporting accessible learning experiences for all students has driven the continuous improvement of our innovative programs. Our team of more than 2,500 employees is composed of lifelong learners who stand behind this mission, working tirelessly to serve the educational community with world-class programs and support every day. The HR Advisor plays a critical role in Curriculum Associates’ HR support model, serving as the primary point of contact for managers and employees on day-to-day people matters. This role provides hands-on HR guidance, owns a broad range of employee relations cases, and ensures consistent execution of HR processes in close partnership with HR Business Partners, HR Operations, and HR Centers of Excellence. HR Advisors deliver high-quality, timely, and consistent HR support; coach managers through performance and employee relations issues; and enable HR Business Partners to focus on strategic, forward-looking work. This role is central to strengthening manager capability, improving operational rigor, and enhancing the overall employee experience. Essential Duties & Responsibilities: Employee Relations Own a broad range of employee relations matters, including intake, fact-finding, risk assessment, documentation, and resolution. Coach managers through performance, behavior, conflict, and policy-related issues to ensure alignment with CA’s Values and Strategic Priorities. Inform and/or escalate all matters—especially those high-risk, complex, or sensitive—to HR Business Partners in accordance with established escalation protocols. Maintain thorough, accurate, and compliant case documentation aligned with ER standards. Support the development and consistent application of ER practices across the organization. Conduct initial investigations and assess severity, risk, and appropriate next steps using defined frameworks. Manager Coaching & Support Proactively coach managers on performance management, feedback delivery, employee behavior, and conflict resolution. Support managers in preparing for difficult conversations and navigating people decisions with confidence. Advise managers on the consistent application of company policies and practices. Build manager capability and accountability through clear guidance, tools, and coaching. Partner with hiring managers on crafting updated and relevant job descriptions focused on aligning high-quality talent with current and future business needs. HR Operations & Case Management Own end-to-end case management for assigned HR matters, including triage, prioritization, resolution, and closure within defined SLAs. Partner closely with HR Operations to audit and ensure seamless execution of transactional HR work. Identify recurring issues, trends, or process gaps and elevate insights to HR Business Partners and HR Centers of Excellence. Collect and summarize key HR metrics such as attrition and engagement scores. Maintain and contribute to SOPs, knowledge articles, templates, and documentation standards. Support core HR processes such as onboarding, offboarding, performance management, and job changes in partnership with HR Business Partners and HR Centers of Excellence, responsibly leveraging AI when and where appropriate. Process Execution & Consistency Ensure consistent application of HR policies, processes, and standards across teams and functions. Support recurring people processes (goal setting, performance cycles, talent reviews, compensation planning) and other programs and initiatives alongside HR Business Partners and HR Centers of Excellence. Assist managers with documentation related to performance improvement, corrective action, or behavior management. Provide feedback to HR leadership on process effectiveness, employee experience trends, and opportunities for improvement. Collaboration & Partnership Partner closely with HR Business Partners to deliver a cohesive, aligned HR support experience. Partner with legal and other cross-functional stakeholders to achieve appropriate solutions to employee issues. Collaborate with HR Operations to ensure effective case routing, ticket management, and process adherence. Own and/or contribute to cross-functional initiatives across HR and within aligned function. Uphold and reinforce a “One Team” mindset across regions, functions, and HR teams. What You’ll Bring 3–5 years of experience in HR, employee relations, HR operations, or a related role. Demonstrated experience handling employee relations cases—including investigations—with sound judgment, fairness, and strong documentation practices. Ability to coach managers through performance, behavior, conflict, and policy matters, including delivering difficult messages clearly and professionally. Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment law and HR risk management; multi-state experience a plus. Strong operational rigor: high attention to detail, ability to manage multiple cases, prioritize effectively, and meet SLAs. Experience with HR systems (Workday preferred) and case/ticketing platforms such as ServiceNow. Ability to work cross-functionally within HR and across business units, with a strong commitment to consistency, standardization, and confidentiality. Understanding of how business goals, team structures, and operating models shape people decisions and employee behavior. Ability to collect, summarize, and communicate HR data and trends to inform decision-making. Experience supporting employees and managers in a remote or hybrid, geographically distributed environment preferred. Exposure to process improvement, SOP development, or change management initiatives a plus. HR certification(s) a plus. Travel/In-Office Expectations Ability to be in the Billerica, MA office following company in-office day schedule Ability to travel to other offices only as needed (1-2x a year) Role Success Indicators Consistent and timely ownership and support that enables HR Business Partners to focus on strategic priorities. Consistent, accurate, and timely handling of ER cases. Positive employee impact and experience. Improved manager capability and confidence in handling people matters proactively and to an appropriate resolution. Strong adherence to SLAs, documentation, and escalation standards. Effective partnership across HR Business Partners, Shared Services, and HR Centers of Excellence. Contribution to consistent HR practices and improved employee experience. Salary range for this role $69,250 - $118,250 The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that Curriculum Associates considers in making compensation decisions based on our Compensation Philosophy. Actual base pay within that range will vary based upon several factors including, but not limited to, prior experience and relevant skill sets. At Curriculum Associates, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances for each case. This role is also eligible to participate in the company bonus plan. The Company recognizes that minimum wage varies by location and will ensure all compensation decisions comply with applicable state and local laws. Benefits – Benefit eligible employees (and their families) are covered by medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance. Employees can enroll in our company’s 401k plan and receive an employer match. Employees have access to a flexible vacation and sick policy in addition to twelve paid holidays and a winter office closure between Christmas and New Year's, as well as a number of additional perks and benefits.