HR Generalist, Employee Service Center

About the role

Zillow is growing in both size and complexity as we work toward fulfilling our mission to give people the power to unlock life's next chapter. Our People Org is evolving to support this growth, and the Employee Service Center (ESC) is a critical part of how we deliver fast, accurate, and scalable HR support to a distributed workforce. The ESC supports HR processes across the organization, ensuring data integrity and compliance, supporting manual transactions, and partnering with People Product and HR COEs to enable digital solutions that scale employee lifecycle service at Zillow. Within the ESC, Tier 3 is a new function designed to own routine but nuanced HR work: inquiries and projects that are too complex for Tier 2 but do not require full HRBP ownership. This work often involves nuanced judgment, manager coaching, data interpretation, and cross-functional coordination across the People Org to support cyclical processes such as annual review, performance management, and recruiting. The HR Generalist, Employee Service Center (Tier 3) serves an important role for the organization as a link between ESC operations and HR Business Partners (HRBPs). You will: Provide advanced manager coaching, case coordination, and project support across annual review, performance management, talent acquisition, and other management functions Partner closely with HRBPs to execute people and talent strategies Own intake, triage, and resolution for a large share of routine but nuanced HRBP work-where judgment and HR fluency are required, but a senior HRBP is not. Log and track work in ServiceNow to create visibility into patterns, escalation accuracy, and opportunities to push work down to Tier 1/2 with clear SOPs over time. You Will Get To: Manager & HRBP Partnership Serve as a primary point of contact for mid-level managers for complex but non-strategic HR questions, providing clear guidance rooted in policy, practice, and risk awareness. Partner with HRBPs to execute people and talent strategies , including performance, annual review, and org health efforts, ensuring operational details are managed end-to-end. Provide manager coaching on topics such as performance conversations, documentation expectations, leave intersections, and change adoption, escalating to HRBP when business strategy, senior leader relationships, or high risk are involved. Participate in HRBP team meetings, talent forums, and relevant syncs to stay current on business context and bring insights back into ESC operations. Tier 3 Case Work, Triage & Routing Handle a broad portfolio of Tier 3-aligned work - volume and mix shift seasonally based on HR cycles, so not all of this is active at once. Examples include: Reporting & Analytics : adhoc manager and HRBP reports; custom data pulls that require interpretation and narrative for stakeholders. Annual Review : calibration support, tracking and reminders, nominations coordination, documentation prep, and manager guidance on processes and timelines. Performance Management : performance plan logistics, documentation support, case tracking, and manager coaching on process, with clear handoffs to HRBP for high-risk or deeply consultative items. Talent Acquisition Coordination : offer support, complex offer questions, escalation support, and manager updates on pipeline, in partnership with TA and HRBPs. Miscellaneous Requests that require HR judgment and pattern recognition; log and classify these to inform future triage rules and SOP opportunities Apply clear triage rules to determine when work belongs in Tier 1/2, Tier 3, or HRBP; document decisions and escalate appropriately when business strategy, senior leader relationships, or elevated risk are present. Program & Cyclical Support Support annual and cyclical HR programs (e.g., annual review, org changes, performance cycles, engagement follow-up) by coordinating tasks, tracking progress, enabling managers with templates and guidance, and surfacing risks to HRBPs early. Partner with HRBPs and COEs on re-leveling, job profile creation, and reorg documentation , focusing on project management, documentation, and stakeholder prep (while HRBPs retain strategic ownership and decision-making). Coordinate with ESC Tier 1/2, Talent Acquisition, Benefits, and other partners to ensure end-to-end case completeness and smooth employee and manager experience across tiers. Governance, Standards & Continuous Improvement Uphold and contribute to Tier 3 operating norms , including weekly pod standups, monthly calibration with HRBPs, and quarterly development/alignment reviews. Support governance for "miscellaneous" work , ensuring Tier 3 remains a judgment-and-intake layer rather than a catch-all; proactively identify emerging categories that warrant new SOPs or routing rules. Maintain the highest level of confidentiality and handle sensitive employee and manager information with discretion and integrity. This role has been ca

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