Executive Director of Human Resources

Description

Our client, Gannon University is a four-year Catholic university providing a liberal arts education integrated with professional skills and faith-based learning. Located in the heart of Erie, Pennsylvania’s fourth-largest city, Gannon is consistently ranked as a top-tier university by U.S. News & World Report. Nearly 1,000 full-time faculty and staff members are dedicated to the service of more than 4,700 students. Gannon has campuses in Erie and Ruskin, Florida.

On behalf of our client, Decision Associates is looking for a seasoned human resources executive with a successful track record of transformational human resources leadership and strategic management. Serving as a strategic advisor to the Vice President for Finance and Campus Operations as well as the President’s Leadership Team, the Executive Director of HR will establish and promote a vision and strategy that attracts, develops, retains, and supports a diverse workforce of human resource professionals who will advance the organization’s mission, with an inclusive and welcoming culture focused on measurable results and continuous improvement.

This is an outstanding leadership opportunity that requires an innovative, transformational, engaging, highly driven executive who is well versed in developing a customer-centric, results-driven human resource function. The ideal candidate will have strategic human resource leadership experience, and a proven ability to collaborate, engage, and connect with executives and staff while maintaining a sense of humor and calmness under pressure. The successful candidate will, in addition to being an important member of the Gannon University team, receive a comprehensive package of benefits including but not limited to free tuition for the employee and their dependents.

General Position Overview of the Executive Director of Human Resources:

Reporting directly to the Vice President for Finance and Campus Operations, the Executive Director of Human Resources will serve as the chief Human Resources officer and have university-wide accountability for human resources strategies, policies, and practices. The Executive Director is responsible for developing and executing human resource strategies in support of the overall University plan and strategic direction of the University, specifically in the areas of succession planning, talent management, change management, organizational development, human resource development, compensation/benefits, and employee engagement. This role provides strategic leadership by articulating Human Resources needs and plans to the President’s Leadership Team, and key internal constituents.

The Executive Director takes a leadership role in developing a culture that engages and enables employees to perform at their highest level to meet the University’s key objectives and goals including advancing organizational health and transforming lives.

Essential Functions:

• Establishes and implements Human Resource efforts that effectively communicate and support the University’s vision as well as operational and strategic plans.
• Develops Human Resources plans and strategies to support the achievement of the overall University operations objectives.
• Functions as a strategic business advisor to the executive/senior management of each division regarding key organizational and management issues.
• Works with the President’s Leadership Team to establish a sound plan of management succession that corresponds to the strategy and objectives of the University.
• Develops comprehensive strategic talent acquisition and retention plans to meet the human capital needs of strategic goals.
• Steers collaborative effort of establishing and carrying out compensation and benefit strategies that align with university philosophy and goals. Develops and implements comprehensive compensation and benefits practices and plans that meet University goals such as competitiveness, retention, wellness, and cost efficiency.
• Provides overall leadership and guidance to the Human Resources function by overseeing technology/data integrity, talent acquisition, career development, succession planning, retention, training, leadership development, compensation, and benefits.
• Leads the development and reinforcement of a culture that is inclusive, diverse, engaged, and reflects the Mission, service standards and values of the University, and the community. Builds upon existing Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion initiative and GU+ initiative.
• Leads the employee relations process for the University on all employee-related issues. Provide advice and guidance regarding the handling of employee-related issues. Mitigates liability of the University.

Requirements: Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required in Human Resources, Industrial Organizational Psychology, Organizational Design, or related field.
• Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development or another relevant field is preferred
• Suitable candidate will preferably have SPHR or SHRM-SCP certification

Experience:

• At least 10 years of progressive working experience in a senior Human Resources position with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role
• Experience as Director of HR, Senior HR Business Partner, Director of Training and Development, or Chief Administration Officer preferable
• Higher education experience is preferred
• Proven and successful experience establishing or transforming a HR function through the delivery of innovative HR programs within a fast paced, evolving, multi-site organizational setting with direct HR functional leadership oversight of a large employee base of 1,000+ employees
• Has had success developing and managing a team of HR professionals from HR strategy development all the way to attainment of objectives
• Demonstrated ability and experience advising and influencing executives, providing insights that lead to key decision making within the business
• Has experience in policy formulating, development, and implementation of key HR strategies and procedures
• Demonstrates strong business acumen and general management experience and capabilities that enable them to effectively assess the internal business environment and deliver transformative change where necessary

Desired Attributes:

• A broad, visionary HR executive who is capable of seeing the big picture while ensuring that the day-to-day HR functions are successfully executed; prior work experience in the nonprofit sector would be a major plus.
• A strong HR executive with a proven track record of significantly elevating the HR function within a dynamic organization through transformational shifting of pre-existing infrastructure, and the development of a strong team of HR professionals who are subject matter experts in their respective area of expertise.
• A seasoned executive who can help lead a team to make tough decisions, carry out the heavy lifting, think differently on a dime, leverage a digital revolution within HR operations, maximize Gannon’s organizational culture, and deliver a solid strategic mindset.

• A communication guru with a superior verbal/written/non-verbal communication skillset and the ability to communicate HR’s contributions to the organization. They will know exactly how to position and prove the function’s critical value by fully participating and contributing towards Gannon’s high-level goals GU+ and JEDI initiative and making sure everyone knows how they can rely upon HR as their partner to reach the highest levels of excellence.

• An operational expert who has a deep portfolio of experience demonstrating an intimate understanding of the business side of human resources. They will be aware of how trends and tools within the HR function can be utilized to ensure they are driving results.
• A HR executive with a solid understanding of all operational aspects of a complex organization such as finance and operations. They must have an impressive history of high-level exposure to and decision making with knowledge, experience, and insight to the overall operations of an organization where they’ve had to develop clever HR strategies that fulfill the organization’s goals from a larger perspective.
• A change driver who is thoughtful in their approach, with a history of tapping into their skillset as an expert change agent who can drive small and large-scale change in a way that communicates to and influences every internal stakeholder who will look forward to the change and view it in a positive way.

Leadership/Coaching Skills: The candidate for this position will oversee a team of six Human Resource professionals and must also have exceptional leadership skills, coaching and mentoring skills, and have an ability to influence the highest-ranking executives. They must demonstrate an ability to lead a large group in a unified direction. They will be an approachable, likable, and relatable individual who will earn the trust of junior HR management and that of senior executives and stakeholders.

Communication Skills: Exemplary communication skills are imperative for this position, in both written and verbal form. The Executive Director of Human Resources will need these skills to ensure that there is effective conveyance of information and instructions throughout all internal stakeholder groups, locations, departments, and across the human resource function. The clarity of their communications will significantly determine the effectiveness and performance of the entire HR function and, therefore, the performance and effectiveness of all other departments in the organization.

A relatable disposition and confident communication skills will also be necessary for effective liaison between the Executive Director of Human Resources and other business executives and stakeholders. They will also be required to forward analysis findings in the form of reports to these executives and stakeholders to provide insights that will lead to informed decision-making and strategy formation across the business. These reports must, therefore, be clear, concise, unambiguous, highly convincing, and easy to understand. An ability to analyze complex data and trends to draw conclusions and develop operational practices is a must.

Analytical Skills: A candidate for this position must also demonstrate exceptionally strong analytical skills, having an ability to analyze, refine, summarize, and clearly present data and information. The candidate must also demonstrate an ability to conceptualize unstructured/raw data and information and derive actionable solutions and strategies that improve the performance of various HR functions and strategies, leading to the ultimate performance of all business departments.

Computer Skills/MS Office: A suitable candidate will also demonstrate superior computer skills and be highly proficient in the use of MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, and HRIS platforms which will all be necessary for the creation of visually and verbally engaging reports for the business’s HR executives and key stakeholders. Additionally, the ideal candidate will have experience in change management as it relates to HRIS system implementation.

Interpersonal Skills: The Executive Director of Human Resources will need to have certain attributes that will make them more suited for the position. The candidate for the position will have a passion for service, be self-motivated needing minimal supervision, have naturally persuasive abilities, have excellent negotiation skills, a relatable disposition, team player with an executive presence, and have excellent problem-solving skills.

They must also be proactive going beyond the call of duty, work comfortably with high-ranking executives, have an ability to handle multiple tasks, have an ability to prioritize and meet tight deadlines, be comfortable working in a fast-paced and constantly evolving environment, be welcoming to change, and demonstrate composure during times of uncertainty and stress.

University Mission: The Executive Director must be able to support, promote, and contribute to the University’s Mission and the University’s service standards of respect, well-being, engagement and seamless communication, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Benefits:
Gannon University is proud of their extensive benefit offerings which include the following:

• Free tuition for employees and their dependents
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Vacation time
• 14 holidays and 2 floating holidays
• Salary continuation
• Long term disability
• Life insurance of 2* annual salary in addition to spousal and dependent coverage
• 403 (b) retirement plan where a 3% employee contribution generates a 7.5% employer match
• Access to the recreation and wellness center, bookstore, dining services and library

Gannon University is an equal employment opportunity employer.