HR Generalist, Employee Service Center
ZillowAbout the team
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.
About the role
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.
Who you are
A judgment-forward HR generalist who is comfortable living in the gray space between process and strategy, and who enjoys untangling ambiguous requests into clear next steps.
Energized by supporting managers directly, coaching them through people issues, and helping them navigate HR processes in a way that balances employee experience, fairness, and risk.
Systems- and data-aware: you’re comfortable working in Workday, ServiceNow, and core HR systems, using data to spot patterns, tell a story, and propose practical improvements.
Organized and execution-focused, able to juggle multiple inquiries and projects, keep stakeholders informed, and close the loop with clean documentation and follow-through.
A strong collaborator who builds trust across HRBPs, ESC teammates, TA, COEs, and People Legal, and who is comfortable working both through tickets and through real-time HR-to-HR collaboration (Slack, Zoom, working sessions).
Highly discrete and reliable when working with sensitive or confidential information related to performance, employee relations, or organizational changes.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
HR experience in shared services, employee service centers, HR operations, or HR generalist roles supporting managers and/or employees; typically:
P1: ~1–2 years relevant experience
P2: ~2–4+ years relevant experience, including more complex manager coaching and case ownership
Demonstrated experience in at least two of the following domains, with working knowledge across several others: performance management, annual review/talent processes, reporting & analytics for HR, Talent Acquisition support, org or job changes, benefits/leave intersections.
Proficiency with Workday (or similar HRIS) and ServiceNow (or similar case management/ticketing tools) for transactions, reporting, and case tracking.
Demonstrated ability to triage and route work based on complexity, risk, and business context—not just category labels—and to document decisions clearly.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create clear manager guidance, email templates, and light documentation/playbooks.
Proven track record of handling confidential HR information with discretion and sound judgment.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working in or closely with HR Business Partner teams, supporting managers across multiple business groups or functions.
Prior experience in an HR shared services / tiered support model (Tier 1/2/3) or similar model where routing, SLAs, and escalation accuracy are core to success.
Comfort creating or iterating on SOPs, playbooks, and triage rules based on case pattern analysis and partner feedback.
Experience supporting organizational change, re-leveling, or job profile work as a project contributor (project management, documentation, stakeholder prep) alongside HRBPs and COEs.
Familiarity with key ESC / HRSD metrics (e.g., time-to-resolution, escalation rate, CSAT) and using data to make recommendations.
Get to know us
At Zillow, we’re reimagining how people move—through the real estate market and through their careers. As the most-visited real estate platform in the U.S., we help customers navigate buying, selling, financing and renting with greater ease and confidence. Whether you're working in tech, sales, operations, or design, you’ll be part of a company that's reshaping an industry and helping more people make home a reality.
Zillow is honored to be recognized among the best workplaces in the country. Zillow was named one of FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2025, and included on the PEOPLE Companies That Care® 2025 list, reflecting our commitment to creating an innovative, inclusive, and engaging culture where employees are empowered to grow.
No matter where you sit in the organization, your work will help drive innovation, support our customers, and move the industry—and your career—forward, together.
Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact your recruiter directly.
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable state and local law.
Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.