Director - Human Resources

Report to Senior Vice President of Institutional Administration

Department Human Resources

FLSA Status Salary, Exempt

JOB PURPOSE

To oversee the full employee lifecycle by stewarding recruitment, development, benefits, and compliance processes, ensuring both legal integrity and alignment with Midwestern Seminary’s mission and values.

ABOUT MIDWESTERN SEMINARY

For more than 60 years, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been serving the church by biblically educating God-called men and women to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, we offer a vibrant, mission-focused community for our students and employees. Our vision is to be the most faithful and effective seminary in North America for the local church.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Personnel

• Talent Management: Spearhead the full employee journey by managing recruitment, creating effective onboarding and training programs, and supporting performance management processes.
• Employee Relations: Act as a trusted advisor to employees and managers, providing guidance on policies, resolving grievances, and supporting disciplinary processes to foster a fair and positive workplace.
• HR Operations & Compliance: Maintain the integrity of our HR systems by managing personnel policies, overseeing employee benefits like tuition and time off, and ensuring compliance with labor laws.
• Employee Separations: Ensure smooth and respectful transitions by managing all aspects of offboarding, including the accurate processing of final benefits and COBRA.

Health & Welfare

• Benefits Strategy & Management: Oversee the design and implementation of all employee benefit plans (medical, dental, retirement, etc.) while managing relationships with brokers, carriers, and other vendors.
• Employee Support & Advocacy: Serve as the go-to expert for employees, answering complex questions about coverage and claims, and assisting with worker's compensation filings when needed.
• Administration & Auditing: Manage the annual open enrollment process and ensure the accuracy of all benefit-related billing and payroll deductions through regular audits and system reviews.

Payroll Support

• Payroll Audit & Partnership: Serve as the critical link between HR and Financial Services, ensuring payroll accuracy by reviewing all employee changes (promotions, terminations, benefit elections) before each pay run.
• Processing & Support: Act as the main point of contact for employee payroll inquiries and process miscellaneous payments, such as reimbursements and stipends, for inclusion in the payroll.
• Reporting & Analysis: Prepare and distribute key payroll data to relevant departments after each pay cycle and provide financial analysis of personnel costs as needed.

Compliance & Reporting

• Data Management & Reporting: Manage all HR data and reporting, from maintaining legally compliant employee records (EEO) to preparing key reports on employee population and payroll for accrediting and governmental agencies (ATS, IPEDS, NCA).
• Compliance & Auditing: Ensure institutional compliance by reviewing and submitting critical annual filings (Form 5500, 1095-c) and proactively auditing employment conditions and practices to mitigate risk.

QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS

Character and Personality

• Christian faith
• Strong and growing relationship with Christ demonstrated through Christ-like character and active participation in a local Christian congregation
• Joyful commitment to MBTS mission, values, confessional statements, and other documents of institutional governance
• Desire to serve employees and maintain positive relationships with vendors
• Positive attitude, with a desire to learn and adapt
• Thrive in demanding, fast-paced environments

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field
• Additional training in human resources including SHRM, preferred

Professional Experience

• Seven (7) or more years of experience in human resources, with demonstrated expertise across the full employee lifecycle (talent management, benefits, and compliance)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Subject matter expertise in human resources, including thorough understanding of labor laws and knowledge of Health and Welfare plans
• Sound professional judgement
• High-level attention to detail
• Strong organizational and administrative skills, including the ability to multi-task, set priorities, and solve complex problems under pressure, with limited direction
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong process orientation and ability to create efficiencies through application of technology
• Proficiency in use of HR-specific and general office software
• Effective oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality in all areas

Must be eligible to work in the United States and able to pass background screening, including driving record

BENEFIT PACKAGE

Full-Time employees are offered a comprehensive benefit package including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Telehealth
• Health Savings Account
• Flexible Spending Accounts for Medical and Dependent Care
• Employer Paid Life & AD/D for the employee as well as dependents
• Voluntary Life & AD/D
• Employer Paid Long Term Disability
• Voluntary Short Term Disability
• Voluntary Supplemental Benefits from AFLAC
• 403(b) Retirement
• Paid Sick Leave and PTO
• MBTS / Spurgeon College Tuition Reimbursement for employee and dependents
• Food service benefit at campus cafeteria and coffee shop
• Access to on campus gymnasium, exercise facilities, etc.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM
• Work outside office hours may be required to support stakeholders and meet deadlines

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Frequently required to sit or stand for periods of time at desk or computer station
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms
• Able lift and/or move up to 25 pounds

This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties or skills required for the position.

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability so they may perform the essential functions of a job unless doing so causes a direct threat to these individuals or others in the workplace and the threat cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation or if the accommodation creates an undue hardship to the institution. Contact human resources (HR) with any questions or requests for accommodation.