Employee Engagement Specialist

JOB PERFORMANCE STANDARD

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS :

Creates, implements and measures the success of Hawthorne’s employee engagement programs, initiatives, and strategies to support and optimize the ongoing engagement and retention goals of the company.

Working closely with Senior Leadership and Talent Acquisition, you will maintain, implement and develop programs and strategies to cultivate Hawthorne’s Live It culture, company-wide.

This role requires a high-achieving self-starter with exceptional people skills and the ability to communicate and collaborate with team members at all levels within the organization.

Responsibilities require excellent verbal and interpersonal skills along with an outstanding ability to be empathetic to employee needs, while maintaining the integrity of Hawthorne’s Culture and company goals.

SUMMARY OF FUNCTIONS :

The Employee Engagement Specialist participates in the support, development, delivery and communication of programs, policies and practices related to employee engagement initiatives.

Employee Engagement Programs :

• Manage and maintain current employee engagement programs; including but not limited to employee milestones, birthdays, growth and development goals, and career paths.
• Identify improvements in current processes, developing and presenting solutions to leadership.
• Utilize project management skills for the creation and tracking of employee engagement programs.

Employee Engagement Surveys :

• Review, create, design and utilize sophisticated survey platform based on needs, including but not limited to Annual Engagement Survey, Employee Pulse Surveys and Exit Survey Data.
• Must exhibit the ability to evaluate and extrapolate survey data, communicate to leaders as needed, and find scalable solutions to ensure increased employee engagement across all areas of the organization.

Employee Site Visits and In-Person Interaction :

Visit properties across the portfolio as needed and directed, connecting with employees during visits, listening to teams, and overcoming any concerns.

Complete any follow-up calls and notes with leaders as needed on action items.

• Foster a sense of trust, respect and community through interactions while maintaining confidentiality.
• Partner with the Talent Acquisition Department to attend hiring fairs as needed, interacting and meeting current employees.

In addition, attend company events as needed.

Interdepartmental Collaboration :

• Actively partner with other departments such as Human Resources, Training, Regional Leaderships to meet and exceed companywide Engagement and Retention goals.
• Consider and evaluate both Corporate and Site level impact for any implemented programs, obtaining buy in and support of various departments as needed.

Special Projects and Administrative Duties (Corporate and Property Level) :

• Process requests for various special recurring and one-off projects for individual properties and the home office.
• Responsible for handling administrative tasks, such as chargebacks and report building to track and share data.

Education / Experience and Technical Requirements :

• Business related undergraduate degree or equivalent required.
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in an Employee Engagement and / or HR role.
• Minimum of 4 years’ experience in a Corporate position.
• Experience at a company with 500+ employees required.
• Proven experience in project management and organization.
• Relevant property management and industry knowledge is a plus.
• SHRM or PHR certification is a plus.
• High degree of proficiency in PowerPoint, MS Word, and Excel.

Required Qualifications :

• Demonstrated people leadership and collaboration experience required.
• Displays superior interpersonal skills; ability to get along with a variety of personality profiles.
• Have ability to be diplomatic, flexible and sympathetic while handling challenging situations.
• Ability to motivate employee, encourage their growth and development and track career paths.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to present in large groups
• Strong business acumen with the ability to make decisions in the best interest of the business at all times.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data and use data for presenting and concluding results for enhancing people experience.
• Administrative skills and attention to detail is required.
• Be resourceful and well-organized.
• Strong execution, organization, and critical thinking skills are a must.
• Superior attention to detail, ability to meet tight deadlines, and manage multiple priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data and use data for presenting and concluding results for enhancing people experience.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS : The position reports directly to the Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Employee Engagement with interaction and direction provided by the President / Principal, Director of Talent Acquisition, Regional Vice Presidents and Regional Managers when working with properties in their portfolio.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS : This position is exempt from overtime and may entail working hours as needed to perform the position requirements satisfactorily.

Overnight travel will be required.

TRANSPORTATION : Must have a reliable vehicle to fulfill all the job’s functions. Must have proof of liability insurance for same.

Bondable and valid driver’s license required.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS : This position may require monthly travel, up to 50%. Must be able to travel to apartment communities across Hawthorne’s full portfolio to meet and engage with employees, attend company events / trainings, organize company employee engagement events, etc.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES : No, possible oversight of employees as role progresses.

FLSA STATUS : Exempt.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS : Must be able to perform the physical functions of the position, which may include but are not limited to : Must be able to see, hear, talk, sit, stand, walk, reach, climb, stoop, kneel and crouch.

Must be able to lift a minimum of 60 needed.

COMMUNICATION : Must be able to communicate effectively both verbally and in written form with Senior Leadership team, Regional Managers, corporate team members, and outside vendors, etc.

LANGUAGE SKILLS : Ability to read, write and verbally communicate in English.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT : The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE : Bachelor’s degree in business or any related field from an accredited institution. Employee Engagement / Human Resources experience required.

Demonstrates commitment to deliver outstanding customer service.

SKILLS : The position requires the ability to deal well with people and exhibit strong organizational skills. Evidence of leadership qualities must be exhibited with the on-site teams, the company and / or the industry.

Knowledge and experience working within a corporate environment in an Employee Engagement or HR best practices are required.

Intermediate MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook skills required.

REASONING ABILITY : Must be able to apply principles of logical thinking to define problems, collect pertinent data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions and initiate appropriate course of action.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS : The position requires the ability to perform advanced business mathematical functions.

COMPUTER SKILLS : Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Yardi Voyager knowledge preferred.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTING : Successfully complete pre-employment behavioral and basic skills assessment, including interest patterns.

Pass drug test and background check requirements.

PERSONAL APPEARANCE : Dress, grooming and personal cleanliness standards contributes to the business image of Hawthorne Residential Partners.

During business hours or when representing the company, you are expected to present a clean, neat and tasteful appearance.

Refer to Employee Handbook for complete Personal Appearance Guidelines.