HR Director Partner Services, Operations

The responsibilities below describe the primary work of the position, including senior-level HR advising, day-to-day HR generalist support, supervision of HR staff and coordination with campus partners.

Executive Consultation and Strategic HR Advising

• Serve as a senior HR advisor to executive and unit leaders on complex workforce, organizational, employee and compliance matters.
• Translate divisional priorities and operational goals into integrated workforce, talent, and HR plans, processes and recommendations.
• Advise leaders on sensitive personnel issues, leadership staffing decisions, talent risks, policy interpretation, employee relations concerns, succession, organizational change and workforce continuity.
• Work with central HR (Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition, Organizational and Employee Development), Legal, and other subject-matter experts to ensure recommendations are coordinated, compliant and consistent with university practice.
• Use workforce data, HR analytics, professional judgment and knowledge of the organization to support leaders' decision-making.

• Provide direct leadership and supervision for the HR team supporting Operations units by establishing priorities and service expectations, assigning and reviewing work, coaching staff and building team capacity.
• Serve as the divisional escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-risk HR matters requiring senior-level judgment, coordinated review, or executive awareness.
• Review HR team deliverables, communications, and recommendations for accuracy, consistency and alignment with university practices and the Senior Vice Chancellor for Operations' vision.
• Provide direct supervision, performance guidance, training, coaching, and development for HR team members to strengthen generalist skills, compliance knowledge, sound judgment and consistent service delivery.
• Evaluate and improve unit-level HR programs, workflows and processes.

• Advise executive and unit leaders on workforce planning, staffing models, organizational structure, leadership capacity, succession planning, recruitment priorities and talent risks.
• Assess current and future workforce needs and recommend talent acquisition, development, retention, succession, or organizational approaches that support operational priorities and continuity.
• Support organizational design, reporting-line changes, reorganizations and growth planning with unit leaders and campus partners.
• Facilitate succession planning, development planning, and strategies to retain and grow high-potential employees; partner with Talent Acquisition and unit leaders to define and execute recruiting strategies for critical, specialized and leadership roles.

• Advise leaders on complex employee grievances, performance concerns, disciplinary actions, investigations, workplace conflict and sensitive employee matters.
• Coordinate with Employee Relations, Legal, the Senior Executive Aide to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Operations, and other subject-matter experts on matters requiring specialized review, executive awareness, or escalation.
• Help leaders make sound, well-documented decisions that account for employee impact, policy requirements, operational needs and legal or reputational risk.
• Provide guidance to leaders on employee relations practices, performance documentation, workplace expectations and when to escalate concerns.

• Advise leaders on compensation considerations, including pay equity, market alignment, compression, range of penetration, length of service and internal consistency.
• Oversee unit compensation review and assignment in partnership with central HR and compensation experts.
• Review the staff's annual merit roster process and support consistent, well-documented compensation decisions.
• Use compensation data to identify issues, develop recommendations and support consistent decision-making.

• Oversee the staff performance management cycle, including communications, leader guidance, documentation expectations and unit-level calibration sessions.
• Advise leaders on performance concerns, corrective action, goal setting, accountability and use of performance tools and processes.
• Support performance management approaches for units that do not use Cornerstone or have different performance systems.
• Partner with leaders and Employee Relations to ensure performance concerns are addressed consistently and fairly.

• Advise leaders on employee engagement strategies that support retention, culture, operational effectiveness and employee experience.
• Serve as a unit Engagement Champion by supporting survey communication, action planning, assessment and follow-through.
• Help leaders interpret engagement data, identify themes and develop practical recommendations.
• Support employee listening strategies and culture-building efforts across Operations units.

HR Reporting and Technology

• Develop and interpret HR reports, workforce data and HR analytics for divisional and unit leadership, as necessary.
• Use data to identify trends, inform workforce recommendations, evaluate HR processes, and support leaders' decision-making.
• Support unit leaders and HR staff through HR technology implementations, including communication, training, adoption and change management.
• Oversee learning and training related to HR technologies and related processes.

Leave and System Policies

• Serve as a senior resource on CU System and campus policies, federal and state employment requirements, and HR best practices.
• Lead leave, reasonable accommodation, and related employer processes for supported units in coordination with campus and system partners.
• Advise leaders on policy interpretation, documentation, process consistency, and risk considerations.
• Work with Human Resources, Legal, ADA, and other offices to support consistent application of policies and processes.

Learning and Organizational Development

• Partner with Organizational and Employee Development on learning, leadership development, team effectiveness, and organizational development needs.
• Identify learning and development gaps and recommend programs, resources, or interventions.
• Advise leaders on change management, onboarding, leadership transitions, organizational culture, and team development.
• Support development of individual-contributors, managers and executive onboarding approaches.

Continuous Improvement

• Improve HR processes, workflows, service delivery and leader-facing HR guidance.
• Identify opportunities to clarify roles, improve coordination, reduce duplication and strengthen consistency across supported units.
• Support organizational change, operational transitions and evolving workforce needs by helping leaders design practical HR solutions.
• Maintain knowledge of HR trends, best practices, higher education HR guidelines, public- and private-sector practices and emerging compliance issues.

Position Context and Scope

This position supports a complex group of Operations units with different structures, compliance needs, employee populations, schedules, and work environments. The HR Director must provide practical, senior-level HR guidance, involve specialized partners when needed and help ensure unit decisions are consistent with university, campus, system, state, federal and regulatory requirements.

Employee Types Supported

• Classified Staff
• Graduate Appointments
• Retirees
• Student Employees and Stipend Employees
• Temporary Staff
• University Staff

Scope of Support

• Support internal employee survey processes, including survey development, communication, interpretation of results and division-specific recommendations.
• Coordinate Global Professional Employer Organization employee logistics, including procurement, contracts, onboarding, compliance and stakeholder coordination.
• Support workforce development, organizational planning and change management for growing or evolving Operations functions.
• Maintain and interpret compensation data, including length of service, range of penetration, compression, equity and market adjustment considerations.
• Support compliance with partnership agreements and State Personnel Board Rules for classified staff.
• Coordinate with central HR and Public Safety's Internal Affairs team on employee relations matters requiring specialized review or escalation.
• Support the distinct cultural, operational, and HR needs of Public Safety employees and leaders.
• Support the development of individual- contributors, managers and executive onboarding programs.
• Support employees and leaders in units with non-standard schedules, varied work environments and operational coverage needs.
• Provide oversight for student employee populations, including Employee Health and Well-being, OIT and Public Safety student employees.

At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County's largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one of Forbes' America's Best Large Employers, ranking #4 among large employers in Colorado and #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

• Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, Organizational Development, Public Administration, or related fields.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible HR leadership experience, including experience leading HR teams and partnering with senior executives.
• Experience as a senior HR generalist or HR business partner in a complex, decentralized, matrixed, public-sector, higher education, public safety, technology, or similarly complex organization.
• Experience advising executive leaders on workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, complex personnel matters, risk mitigation and change management.
• Experience supporting multiple employee groups common to higher education, including classified staff, university staff, temporary employees, student employees, retirees, graduate appointments, or stipend employees.
• Experience leading organizational change initiatives, including reorganizations, workforce planning, succession planning, organizational design, culture and engagement initiatives, or new HR process implementation.
• Knowledge of higher education employment laws, state personnel systems, public-sector HR practices, partnership agreements and university policies and procedures.
• Expertise in employee and labor relations, including investigations, grievances, disciplinary actions, performance management, documentation, partnership agreements, and collaboration with legal counsel.
• Experience using HR data, analytics and compensation information to advise leaders and support consistent decision-making.
• Professional HR certification, such as SHRM-SCP, SHRM-CP, SPHR, or IPMA-HR certification.