Associate VP for People and Culture

• Develop and advance a comprehensive People and Culture strategy aligned with the College’s mission, strategic plan, workforce needs, and institutional priorities.

• Serve as a strategic advisor to College leadership regarding workforce planning, organizational structure, staffing, compensation, employee engagement, workplace culture, and organizational effectiveness.

• Translate institutional priorities, workforce trends, and data into effective People and Culture strategies, recommendations, and initiatives.

• Provide leadership and direction for People and Culture policies, programs, practices, systems, and services across the institution.

• Identify opportunities to strengthen organizational effectiveness, consistency, transparency, employee experience, and institutional sustainability.

• Advance institutional priorities related to belonging and connection, collective equity, employee engagement, recognition, professional growth, and organizational well-being.

• Maintain a visible and accessible presence across campus and develop strong relationships with faculty, staff, students, and College leadership.

• Provide strategic leadership for the College’s human resources information systems, technology platforms, data infrastructure, and People and Culture operations.

• Lead the continued implementation, optimization, and integration of ADP and related HR technologies and workflows.

• Leverage technology to streamline processes, enhance the employee and manager experience, improve data integrity, and strengthen transparency and consistency.

• Establish and advance effective processes, policies, procedures, controls, and service standards for People and Culture operations.

• Develop and utilize workforce metrics, analytics, and reporting to inform institutional decisions related to staffing, compensation, retention, employee development, and workforce planning.

• Lead continuous improvement and change-management efforts related to People and Culture systems, programs, services, and processes.

• Ensure technology investments and operational practices effectively support institutional and workforce priorities.

• Provide strategic leadership for the College’s compensation, classification, and workforce planning programs.

• Develop and maintain compensation and classification practices that support market competitiveness, internal equity, transparency, consistency, and responsible stewardship of institutional resources.

• Guide institutional approaches to market analysis, position classification, salary structures, advancement opportunities, promotions, and compensation decisions.

• Partner with College leadership to evaluate organizational structures, staffing models, workforce capacity, and emerging workforce needs.

• Advance clear and consistent approaches to career development, advancement pathways, and promotion criteria.

• Ensure compensation, staffing, and workload discussions are informed by relevant market data, internal equity, workforce information, institutional priorities, and available resources.

• Develop clear, data-informed recommendations regarding workforce investments and institutional People and Culture priorities.

• Provide strategic leadership and counsel regarding complex employee relations matters, workplace concerns, performance issues, conflict resolution, and organizational change.

• Advise College leadership, managers, and supervisors on employee relations, performance management, workplace expectations, accountability, and employee development.

• Provide strategic leadership for labor relations and the College’s relationships with represented employee groups.

• Partner with institutional leaders and legal counsel, as appropriate, regarding collective bargaining, contract administration, grievances, employment matters, and labor strategy.

• Promote constructive labor-management relationships and effective communication among employees, supervisors, College leadership, and represented groups.

• Ensure employee and labor relations matters are addressed with consistency, sound judgment, discretion, fairness, and appropriate documentation.

• Provide strategic leadership for performance management, employee development, learning, coaching, recognition, and engagement initiatives.

• Advance and continuously improve the College’s performance assessment process and related resources for employees, managers, and supervisors.

• Provide leadership for new-employee orientation, learning and development programming, supervisory development, and other professional growth initiatives.

• Utilize employee engagement surveys, campus listening strategies, workforce trends, and institutional data to identify opportunities and develop responsive strategies.

• Strengthen institutional capacity for effective supervision, coaching, feedback, accountability, employee development, and change management.

• Advance strategies that support employee engagement, retention, recognition, professional growth, and sustainable workloads.

• Foster a culture that encourages continuous learning, accountability, collaboration, and professional development.

• Provide strategic leadership for employee benefits, retirement, wellness, leave, and related programs.

• Evaluate programs for competitiveness, effectiveness, compliance, utilization, employee needs, and financial sustainability.

• Partner with People and Culture staff, consultants, vendors, and College leadership to develop and administer competitive and responsible benefit programs.

• Ensure employees have clear, accessible, and timely information regarding benefits and other People and Culture programs.

• Monitor emerging benefit and workforce trends and recommend strategies that support employee well-being, recruitment, retention, and institutional sustainability.

• Partner closely with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and other institutional stakeholders to integrate equity into employment policies, practices, programs, systems, and decision-making.

• Provide leadership and support for assigned civil rights-related responsibilities and employment compliance matters.

• Promote equitable, consistent, accessible, and transparent People and Culture practices across the institution.

• Ensure employment policies and practices are administered consistently and in accordance with applicable federal and state laws, regulations, College policies, and collective bargaining agreements.

• Monitor changes in employment law, regulatory requirements, and emerging People and Culture practices and recommend appropriate institutional responses.

• Identify and address systemic barriers within employment practices and processes and advance strategies that support equitable access, opportunity, development, and advancement.

• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, students, senior leadership, governance groups, and other institutional stakeholders.

• Navigate effectively within the College’s shared-governance environment and recognize the distinct roles, responsibilities, and perspectives of faculty, staff, students, and represented employees.

• Communicate complex workforce and People and Culture matters clearly and effectively to varied audiences.

• Participate in institutional committees, working groups, planning efforts, and strategic initiatives as assigned.

• Represent People and Culture in institutional discussions and decision-making.

• Develop clear, fact-based recommendations and effectively communicate the rationale for People and Culture strategies, policies, practices, and decisions.

• Balance institutional consistency and accountability with the collaborative and relational culture of a residential liberal arts college.

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, organizational leadership, higher education administration, or a related field.

• Significant progressively responsible leadership experience in human resources, People and Culture, organizational effectiveness, or a related field, including responsibility for multiple functional areas.

• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing organizational people strategies and translating institutional priorities into effective programs, policies, and practices.

• Substantial experience with HRIS implementation, optimization, workflow design, and technology-enabled process improvement.

• Demonstrated experience in compensation and classification, performance management, employee relations, organizational development, and workforce planning.

• Experience managing complex labor and employee relations matters.

• Demonstrated knowledge of employment laws, regulations, compliance requirements, and contemporary People and Culture practices.

• Experience developing and implementing equitable, transparent, and consistent employment policies and practices.

• Demonstrated experience leading organizational change and building effective relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.

• Master’s degree in human resources, organizational development, business administration, higher education administration, or a related field.

• Senior-level People and Culture or human resources leadership experience in higher education or another complex, mission-driven organization.

• Experience within a residential liberal arts college or similarly relational, multi-stakeholder environment.

• Experience working with represented employees and collective bargaining agreements.

• Experience with ADP or comparable enterprise human resources technology platforms.

• Senior-level professional certification such as SHRM-SCP or SPHR.

• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively as both a strategic institutional leader and an experienced People and Culture professional.

• Comprehensive knowledge of contemporary People and Culture principles, employment practices, systems, and regulatory requirements.

• Ability to analyze complex organizational and workforce issues and develop practical, data-informed strategies and recommendations.

• Strong business and financial acumen related to compensation, benefits, staffing, workforce planning, and institutional investments.

• Demonstrated ability to use workforce data, market information, and institutional context to support strategic decision-making.

• Exceptional judgment, discretion, integrity, and ability to manage highly sensitive and confidential matters.

• Ability to navigate complex employee and labor relations matters with consistency, fairness, and sound judgment.

• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish credibility and trust with faculty, staff, students, College leadership, and represented employees.

• Ability to communicate complex or sensitive information with candor, clarity, humility, and appropriate discretion.

• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, facilitate collaboration, and build consensus in a shared-governance environment.

• Strong change-management, project-management, strategic-planning, and organizational skills.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and support People and Culture professionals while establishing clear expectations for accountability and service.

• Commitment to visible, accessible, responsive, and collaborative leadership.

Typical Office Setting: Work is primarily performed in a professional office and campus environment. The position requires regular interaction and collaboration with individuals and groups throughout the College and may occasionally require work outside normal business hours to address institutional needs, attend meetings, or participate in campus activities.

The skills, abilities, and physical requirements outlined in this job description reflect the essential job functions necessary to perform this position, with or without reasonable accommodation. Employees who may need workplace accommodation should contact the Office of Human Resources so appropriate resources and support may be discussed.

Computer/Technology Skills: Advanced ability to use human resources information systems, workforce analytics and reporting tools, standard office technology, electronic communications, and related enterprise systems.

Communication and Analytical Requirements:

• Communicate and present complex or sensitive information effectively, verbally and in writing, to individuals and groups.

• Analyze, interpret, synthesize, and communicate complex workforce and organizational information and data.

• Exercise independent judgment and make decisions involving confidential, sensitive, and high-impact matters.

• Develop effective working relationships across multiple levels and constituencies of the College.

Physical Requirements: Primarily sedentary work with regular movement between offices, meetings, buildings, and other campus locations. Ability to perform standard office functions and participate in meetings and campus activities with or without reasonable accommodation.

The AVPPC provides strategic leadership and direction for the People and Culture function and directly or indirectly supervises professional and administrative staff responsible for assigned programs and services.

The AVPPC establishes departmental priorities, expectations, and service standards; develops and supports staff; evaluates performance; promotes professional growth; and fosters a collaborative, accountable, responsive, and service-oriented People and Culture team.