Director, Human Resources - Office of the Dean

The George Mason University Office of the Dean, within the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), seeks a proactive, strategic, organized, and self-reliant Director, Human Resources. George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.

About the Position:

The successful candidate will lead the strategic planning and implementation of the College’s human resources, employee relations, benefits, and equity initiatives and processes. The Director will be accountable for and provide overall leadership, supervision, management, and coordination of these functions, as well as provide oversight of the development and implementation of policies and procedures to achieve desired outcomes. The Director, Human Resources will act as chief HR liaison for the College, with university administration, as well as collaborating with peers in other units. Additionally, the Director, Human Resources will be responsible for supervision and development of the CEC HR team.

About the Department:

The purpose of the College of Engineering and Computing’s Office of the Dean is to oversee all education, research, development, and administrative activities within the College by providing direction and structure and by working with the associate and assistant deans, individual department chairs, and center directors. The Office of the Dean works closely with the Offices of the President, Provost, and SVP Finance and Administration.

The Business Operations Team lead by the Chief Business Officer, will facilitate the planning and implementation of the unit’s financial and operational vision as it relates to the full range of business functions and activities for the college to include Human Resources, IT, Finance and Operations. The team will be accountable for and provide supervision, management, and coordination of these functions, as well as provide oversight for the development of implementation of policies and procedures to achieve desired outcomes.

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership and Process Development
• Support the Chief Business Officer and the Dean on strategic planning for the college;
• Lead the development of human resources policies and procedures for the College;
• Ensure CEC policies are in alignment with University policies and procedures; and
• Develop and maintain reporting on key metrics related to related to hiring, retention and personnel management.

Management of Human Resource Processes

• Provide leadership over the recruitment and hiring process for the College in coordination with organizational leaders;
• Oversee the implementation of the annual evaluation process of all employees and provide guidance to departments as needed;
• Work with Chairs/Directors to ensure annual reviews are completed in a timely, standardized, and productive manner;
• Oversee the completion of all personnel actions for CEC Instructional Faculty, Research Faculty, Administrative/Professional Faculty, and Classified Staff to include faculty employment contract renewals;
• Serve as primary POC for CEC for all H1B, O-Visa, and J-1 Scholar visa and LPR issues; and
• Coordinate with OIPS on submitting required information and processing necessary forms within required time frames.

Employee Relations and Supervisor Resource

• Work with individuals, supervisors, college leadership, and in conjunction with central HR Employee Relations to address all employee relations issues that surface in the College;
• Provide guidance on policy questions, workplace changes and reorganizations, workplace coaching, accommodations, performance management, terminations and separations, and work-life concerns; and
• Provide resources to supervisors to ensure they are well trained and have clear guidance on providing mentoring and professional development opportunities to staff they supervise.

Supervision and Oversight

• Supervise, train, and develop Human Resources staff in the College to provide a high level of service to the College and be able to complete their job responsibilities efficiently and effectively;
• Provide training to college leadership and departmental HR staff on policies, procedures and initiatives; and
• Ensure all HR functions and responsibilities are completed in accordance with university policies and procedures and in a timely manner.

Collaboration and Partnering

• Collaborate with central administration offices to further the College’s mission, projects, and priorities. Those offices include Human Resources & Payroll; the Office of the Provost; Compliance, Diversity, and Ethics; University Counsel; International Programs and Services; and the International Tax Office;
• Support the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, School of Computing (SOC) and Volgenau School of Engineering (VSoE) Divisional Deans, and other members of the leadership team on faculty renewal, promotion and tenure (RPT);
• Partner with HR leaders in other academic units to share best practices, develop policies and procedures, and problem-solve;
• Collaborate with the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to establish, identify, and develop diverse faculty and staff recruitment pipelines.; and
• Establish a culture of civility, equity and inclusion throughout the College.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field or a Bachelor’s degree accompanied by extensive relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Knowledge of and experience in the leadership and management of human resources and employee relations;
• Knowledge of principles and practices of human resources, employee relations and inclusive excellence hiring practices;
• Experience planning, developing and managing human resources programs, policies, procedures and reporting;
• Demonstrated written and oral communication;
• Demonstrated ability to act with integrity and maintain confidentiality; and
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with minimal supervision.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a Higher Education Environment.

A Force for Innovation in the Heart of Northern Virginia’s Technology Corridor

The College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) at George Mason University is comprised of the Volgenau School of Engineering and a new School of Computing. The College is a fast-growing force for innovation in research and education. Ranked nationally in the top 100 in both undergraduate and graduate education, the College boasts more than 9,100 students in 37 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree programs, including several first-in-the-nation offerings. Of the 271 full-time faculty who comprise the College, 91 are tenured, 59 are tenure-track, 89 are instructional faculty, and 32 are research faculty. As part of a nationally ranked research university, its research teams expended more than $75 million in sponsored research awards in the past year and has projects with over $400 million in current and anticipated awards. The College stands out for its leading research in areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics engineering, cybersecurity engineering, biomedical imaging and devices, community-based healthcare, autonomous systems, 5G/Next G communications, systems architectures, computational biomedicine, advanced materials and manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, and more. The College encourages multidisciplinary research and provides ample opportunity for faculty to work with other disciplines.

George Mason University is the largest and most diverse public research university in Virginia, with an enrollment of over 39,000 students studying in over 200 degree programs. Mason is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields. It was classified as an R1 research institution in 2016 by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutes of Higher Education. Mason has campuses in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William. Its proximity to Washington, D.C. provides unmatched geographical access to a number of federal agencies and national laboratories. Northern Virginia is also home to one of the largest concentrations of high-tech firms in the nation, providing excellent opportunities for interaction with industry. The region is consistently rated as being among the best places to live in the country, and has an outstanding local public school system.

In conjunction with Amazon’s decision to establish a second headquarters in Northern Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced a multi-year plan to invest in the growth of degree programs in computing. George Mason University has committed to accelerate its plans to grow its capacity in computing and high-tech fields. Among the exciting initiatives being undertaken by the university are the launch of the Institute for Digital InnovAtion, a university think tank and incubator to serve the digital economy, and the expansion of its Arlington Campus with a planned 400,000 square foot building that will house the new Institute for Digital InnovAtion. These initiatives reflect hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment by Mason that will rapidly elevate the university’s already leading national position in computing and related areas.

Special Instructions to Applicants  

For full consideration, applicants must complete the online application at https://jobs.gmu.edu/ for position number FA59JZ; and attach a cover letter, resume, a statement of what diversity and inclusion mean to you (to attach as ‘Other Doc’), and a list of three professional references with contact information. Full consideration will apply to applicants who submit their completed application by May 25, 2022; however, review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.