Human Resources Careers in Tucson, AZ
Tucson has about 2,060 human resources specialists and 390 HR managers, by federal wage counts, working at hospitals, aerospace companies and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Current HR openings are below, followed by who is hiring, what the work pays and how to get started.
Current Human Resources Openings in Tucson, AZ
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Human Resources Work in Tucson
HR work in Tucson follows the big employers. The hospital systems run their own HR offices: Carondelet St. Joseph's Hospital on North Wilmot Road, on the east side, posts HR coordinators who process transfers, promotions and separations and keep the HR information system current. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on the southeast side has its own civilian HR office for the Air Force's nonappropriated fund workforce, which runs on a separate NF pay scale. Roche Tissue Diagnostics, headquartered in Oro Valley, lists Human Resources among its Tucson job families.
Aerospace adds senior roles. World View, the Tucson balloon and aerospace company, has posted talent acquisition and talent development jobs that can be based in Tucson, one of them at $150,000 to $180,000 a year. The field is wide as well as tall: TucsonHIRED's HR guides cover generalists, recruiters, payroll, benefits, training and HR business partners, and many local HR careers start in a front-office or administrative job.
Top Tucson Employers Hiring Human Resources Staff
These Tucson employers have posted HR roles on their own careers sites:
- Carondelet Health Network - a full-time Human Resources Coordinator at Carondelet St. Joseph's Hospital, asking for three years of HR support experience.
- World View - a Talent, Performance and Learning Specialist and a Talent Acquisition and Onboarding Director, based in Tucson or Irvine, California.
- Davis-Monthan Air Force Base - the Air Force NAF Human Resources Office has posted a Supervisory Human Resources Specialist at $30 to $33 an hour and an HR assistant.
- Roche Tissue Diagnostics - its Tucson careers page lists Human Resources within its Finance, HR, Legal and Compliance job family.
Human Resources Salaries in Tucson
- Entry level (HR assistant or coordinator): roughly $18 to $24 an hour.
- Experienced (HR specialist or generalist): roughly $52,000 to $72,000 a year.
- Senior (HR manager or director): roughly $90,000 to $140,000 a year.
These are estimates that vary by employer and experience. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for Tucson put HR assistants at a $22.98 mean hourly wage (May 2024), and HR specialists at a $28.99 median and HR managers at a $60.86 median (May 2023). Specializing in benefits, compensation or recruiting moves pay up, and senior talent roles at aerospace firms pay the most: World View posted its Talent, Performance and Learning Specialist at $150,000 to $180,000.
How to Become a Human Resources Professional in Tucson
Arizona does not license human resources professionals. Entry jobs ask for experience more than a degree: Carondelet's HR coordinator posting asks for a high school diploma plus three years in an HR support role. Pima Community College offers a fully online Human Resources Certificate that takes about a year full time, and specialist and manager jobs usually prefer a bachelor's degree in business, human resources or a related field. National credentials such as SHRM-CP and PHR are voluntary; none of the Tucson postings checked requires one.
What the Job Involves
HR staff move people through an employer: posting jobs and screening applicants, running onboarding and new-hire paperwork, entering transfers, promotions, pay changes and separations into the HR information system, answering benefits and leave questions, keeping personnel files confidential and current, and pulling reports for managers. Senior staff add policy, employee relations, succession planning and training programs.
Skills Employers Look For
- Accuracy with HR transactions, personnel files and data entry
- HRIS and payroll system experience
- Working knowledge of federal employment law and leave rules
- Discretion with confidential information
- Excel, Word and PowerPoint for reports and presentations
- Clear communication with employees, managers and applicants
Career Path and Advancement
In Tucson, HR careers often start as an HR assistant or coordinator, sometimes after a few years in front-office work, then move to generalist, recruiter or benefits specialist, then HR manager or business partner. Davis-Monthan's NAF office shows the spread in one place, from a $15.50-an-hour HR assistant to supervisory specialists at $30 to $33, and World View's senior talent jobs show where the top of the local ladder sits.
Related Careers in Tucson
These Tucson guides cover the main HR specialties:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to work in human resources in Arizona?
No. Arizona has no state license for HR assistants, generalists, recruiters or managers. Employers judge you on experience, and some prefer a degree or a voluntary national credential such as SHRM-CP or PHR.
How much do HR jobs pay in Tucson?
Entry HR assistants and coordinators earn roughly $18 to $24 an hour, specialists and generalists about $52,000 to $72,000 a year, and managers about $90,000 to $140,000. BLS data put Tucson's median HR specialist at $28.99 an hour (May 2023). These are estimates that vary by employer and experience.
Which Tucson employers hire HR staff?
Carondelet Health Network, World View, the Air Force's NAF Human Resources Office at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Roche Tissue Diagnostics have posted or listed HR roles on their own careers sites.
How do you get an entry-level HR job in Tucson?
Most people start as an HR assistant or coordinator after time in an office or customer-facing job; Carondelet's HR coordinator posting asks for three years of HR support experience. Pima Community College's online Human Resources Certificate, about a year full time, is a local way to add HR coursework.
Is SHRM or PHR certification required for HR jobs in Tucson?
No. SHRM-CP and PHR are voluntary national credentials, and none of the Tucson HR postings checked for this guide requires one. They can help when you compete for generalist and manager roles.
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