Summary

Job Summary

The Department of Academic Affairs encourages applications for the Human Resources Director position! The Provost's Office is the face of the Division of Academic Affairs, as such the work unit is oriented toward providing service that supports the institution's academic role and mission. The Division of Academic Affairs is led by the Provost, and exists to nurture, foster and support the development of outstanding academic, research, and instructional programs on the University of Colorado Boulder campus to ensure our students are offered academic excellence in their undergraduate and graduate education.

The Human Resources (HR) Director serves as a strategic partner, providing high-level HR guidance. They work closely with leadership to align HR practices with organizational goals, ensuring compliance and fostering a strong workplace culture. The HR Director advises on organizational effectiveness, business strategy, personnel management and human resource matters for the Office of the Provost and core units (Academic Planning and Assessment, Academic Resource Management, Office of Faculty Affairs, Graduate School, Academic and Learning Innovation, Undergraduate Education, Enrollment Management, and Ombuds). The position works collaboratively with the HR senior leadership in the Division of Academic Affairs and Office of Human Resources. The HR Director is responsible for advising officers and their leadership on policy, procedures, and standard processes with the goal of providing a positive employee experience for all. This includes creating and implementing a vision to attract, develop, motivate and retain a diverse and highly effective workforce capable of advancing the academic mission. The HR Director works closely with the Provost’s executive leadership team on leading special projects that have organizational impacts.

The workforce of the Office of the Provost and core units is composed of faculty, staff, temporary employees, and student employees. This position is responsible for supporting, training, and supervision of unit employees involved in personnel management and human resources activities across 8 directorates reporting to the provost. This position provides leadership for VCAA Human Resource shared services, including oversight of the HR team, supporting 26 departments, and is responsible for ensuring the success and deliverables of day-to-day operations. The HR Director partners with officers and their leadership teams to create and implement unit specific employee engagement initiatives and training relevant to employees.

This position reports directly to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Budget & Finance and supports the provost and core unit officers.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The Division of Academic Affairs is responsible for meeting the mission of the University of Colorado Boulder to serve as the state’s comprehensive graduate research university with selective admission standards, offering a comprehensive array of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs. We accomplish that mission through the vision that the University of Colorado Boulder be an authority in identifying and addressing the humanitarian, social and technological challenges of the 21st century.

Within the division, the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment engages in academic planning, accreditation and assessment and supervises student success initiatives. The Office of Academic Resource Management develops academic resource strategy and analysis in support of the university’s mission. Central to the support of the academic mission is the recruitment, retention and development of faculty, a process run by the Office of Faculty Affairs.

The Research and Innovation Office creates global impact in research, innovation, scholarship and creative work by encouraging and supporting collaboration, transformation and leadership, and the Division of Student Affairs provides the programs, services and resources that support student well-being and academic and co-curricular success.

Our colleges and schools offer a wide range of extraordinary academic and enrichment opportunities, and The Graduate School works to promote academic excellence, advocates on behalf of graduate students, and fosters community across all graduate programs. The Office of Undergraduate Education supervises the academic undergraduate experience and collaborates with other units to ensure that students have access to the resources they need to succeed.

Responsibilities

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Create a direction for organizational strategy including personnel management and human resources operations for the Office of the Provost and its core units.
Provide leadership and strategic direction for all HR positions supporting the unit, including oversight of the HR team functions.
Supervise, support, and train the HR team; this includes accountability for all responsibilities, tasks, and deliverables.
Collaborate with Provost’s Office leadership and core units to develop and refine strategy and tactics related to employee development, organizational effectiveness, succession planning, compensation, classification, and talent acquisition.
Advise, counsel and assist Vice Chancellors, AVC’s and leaders on personnel management, human resources matters, and overall workforce strategy.
Create a direction for organizational strategy for human resources operations; serve as a strategic business partner, providing consultation and guidance pertaining to current and future people's needs.
Oversee employee grievances and disciplinary actions in partnership with Employee Relations and Faculty Relations and other campus subject matter offices.
Support the ongoing review of compensation equity and analysis by employee type.
Responsible for the performance management cycle for all employee types for the Office of the Provost and core units. This includes the performance review and goal setting process for staff, ensuring that all are reviewed on time, receive thoughtful coaching and evaluations, and are given effective feedback and facilitation of unit-level calibration sessions for performance evaluations.
Responsible for creating recommendations, and implementing agreed suggestions, of initiatives to enhance culture and further align organizational practices, processes and behaviors with CU’s mission, vision and values; including employee engagement initiatives within units.
Conduct HR review of the annual compensation and merit roster process.
Act as a unit engagement champion to drive action planning and assessment and figure out success of change initiatives through data analysis to track and measure effectiveness.
Interpret and facilitate HR reports and analytics for unit leadership, participate in efforts to ensure data is current and accurate, taking corrective actions as needed.
Evaluate and conduct assessment of current organizational structures, operations, processes, and update as appropriate and define areas for optimization.
Serve as a strategic partner, providing consultation and guidance to the provost, unit leaders, and managers on personnel management and human resources items that need attention or direction.
Serve as the subject matter authority, and support compliance of CU system and campus policies, federal and state law, and HR standards.
Liaise with Human Resources, and other applicable CU System and campus offices on leading unit level HR functions.
Assist unit and HR staff with new HR technology implementations and ensure the tools, products and services for personnel management are deployed, understood and applied.
Lead continuous improvement strategies as they relate to organizational structure, processes and workflows.
Maintain up-to-date understanding of industry trends and standard processes pertaining to HR trends and guidelines including those specific to Higher Education.
Review and implement training programs based on identified gaps within the unit and enhance employee knowledge, abilities, skills and performance connected to the organizational objectives.
Oversee HR functions for faculty, staff, and student employment processes; talent acquisition, employee onboarding and offboarding, retention, discipline, compensation, performance management, employee relations, organizational development, employment practices and development and administration of policies.
Oversee and support executive (Dean, Vice Chancellor, Associate/Assistant Vice Chancellor level) searches and hiring processes and assist in required administrator appraisals. including oversight of the Dean reappointment process.
Provide communication on an ongoing basis to all supervisors and employees as a way of ensuring openness, transparency, and alignment of the mission, values and strategic goals for academic affairs.
Periodically review business processes for VCAA shared services to ensure efficiency and effectiveness; this includes organization of work to ensure appropriate prioritization and timely deliverables of the VCAA shared services team.
Provide staff with professional and personal growth and development.
Ad hoc other duties as assigned.

What You Should Know

This position offers a hybrid work modality.

What We Can Offer

The annual salary range for this full-time position is $140,000-$155,000. There is a recruitment incentive offered within departmental guidelines.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits , including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder .

Be Statements

Be ambitious. Be groundbreaking. Be Boulder.

What We Require

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
Equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute for the degree.
6+ years of experience in organizational effectiveness, human resources, and/or job related functions.
5+ years of experience as a supervisor.

What You Will Need

Passion for supporting others to perform their roles to the best of their ability.
Desire to help employees develop and reach their maximum potential.
Working knowledge of performance management philosophy, employee development, and progressive discipline.
Success supporting organizational effectiveness initiatives.
Approachable and customer service-oriented work ethic.
Anticipate, interpret, and respond to a variety of constituents and issues with minimum direction, and the highest level of discretion and judgment.
Demonstrated effectiveness in strong written and oral communications.
Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to collaborate and quickly build rapport with a variety of partners.
Demonstrated experience and success creating and implementing people strategies.
Confident to take initiative and problem-solve.
Demonstrated ability to synthesize and translate complex subject matter into concise and compelling messages for differing audiences.
Ability to influence and persuade various audiences.
Attention to detail and ability to multi-task in order to meet deliverables.
Ability to handle multiple tasks at once, balance interruptions, and adapt priorities based on changing needs.
Extensive knowledge of human resources standard methodologies and processes.
High degree of professionalism and ability to maintain confidentiality.
Sensitivity to and appreciation of cultural, political, and geographical differences, with ability to work well with faculty, staff, and individuals from around the world.
Expertise in Microsoft Office Suite software, primarily Word and Excel.

What We Would Like You To Have

Experience working in higher education.
10+ years of experience in organizational effectiveness, personnel management, operational strategy.
8+ years of experience as a supervisor.
PHR/SPHR/GPHR/SHRM Certification.

Special Instructions

To Apply, Please Submit The Following Materials

A current resume.
A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.

We may request references at a later time.

Please apply by September 8th, 2025 for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs .

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

University of Colorado Boulder

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