POSITION OBJECTIVE
The Director of Human Resources, under the supervision of the Assistant Dean of Human Resources and Faculty Affairs, will lead and execute all human resources initiatives and activity at the Case School of Engineering. The director has oversight for the following areas: recruitment of all staff positions, performance management, retention initiatives, terminations, employee relations, benefits and leave of absences and immigration issues. The director is also responsible for Case School of Engineering human resources administration, records and processes and enhancing the work climate and culture. The director, as a liaison with Case Western Reserve University human resources, will promote strong and effective human resources practices, a productive and engaging work environment and ensure compliance with internal and external policies, laws, and regulations. The director will provide guidance and advice and manage all HR-related highly sensitive and confidential information. This position reports directly to the Assistant Dean of Human Resources and Faculty Affairs.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Workforce management: Oversee the employment process for staff positions (including research associates and senior research associates) at the Case School of Engineering. Review and advise departments on preparation of job descriptions and obtain salary grade ratings from central human resources. Act as a liaison between school departments, the dean’s office, and central human resources in the negotiation of salary grades, salary, and facilitating the on-boarding process. Develop and manage school on-boarding activities and work with the departments to ensure an excellent onboarding experience. Review hiring requests and make salary recommendations. Coordinate with Immigration Services on all staff and faculty visa requests and information. Oversee annual performance review process for staff, senior research associate and research associate positions. Ensure job descriptions are reviewed annually as part of this process. Provide guidance and recommendations to heads of academic departments and directors throughout the performance evaluation process to promote timely and meaningful goal setting, performance assessment, productive dialogue, and development planning for staff. Monitor merit recommendations and evaluate requests beyond annual compensation guidelines. Forward exception requests to human resources compensation office as needed. Direct policies and procedures for the school’s research and senior research associate positions. Lead the appointment process for postdoctoral scholars and fellows and all senior research and research associates. Ensure position benchmarks are maintained. Develop salary offers in consultation with the assistant dean based on the school’s compensation structure and practices, ensuring consistency. Keep all systems for faculty and staff records up to date, including the faculty information system, staff databases, school email lists and prepare reports and statistics for senior leadership and surveys as needed. (35%) Faculty affairs: Oversee the annual faculty reappointment process using the designated software (currently faculty information system) at the school, including preparation and finalization of contracts for all regular and secondary appointments. Manage annual faculty salary recommendation process in coordination with associate dean of finance and administration and the assistant dean for human resources and faculty affairs. Process all “irregular” faculty payroll transactions including overload pay, summer pay and distribution, and other adjustments as appropriate. Advise departments conducting searches for new faculty and ensure that all required steps are followed. Provide or coordinate training for faculty and staff involved in faculty searches and keep deans informed of the status of all on-going faculty searches. Work with the associate dean for academics and department chairs to keep the General Bulletin updated. Oversee the appointment process for part-time instructors to make sure that appointments are processed prior to the start of the semester. Monitor enrollment in courses, particularly those offered during the summer semester and advise the associate dean for academics which courses may need to be canceled due to low enrollment. Manage special faculty appointment and annual reappointment processes. Approve requests for affiliate IDs. Liaise with the school’s executive committee. Advise the group on standing committee membership and faculty senate assignments, and when vacancies need to be filled. Oversee the administration of faculty elections and votes. Ensure that the list of voting faculty is current and that all elections and votes are conducted in accordance with the school Bylaws and Faculty Handbook . (35%) Employee development: Work with school leadership, faculty and staff promote a strong value driven culture. Work with stakeholders to develop and implement HR practices to improve the school’s diversity and inclusion efforts. Lead school trainings and activities to promote faculty and staff awareness of supervisor responsibilities, job families and promotional paths, benefits, retirement planning, leave of absence guidelines and other policies. Advise department heads and directors on options for structuring and managing their area and the budget, staffing and business implications of those choices; work with them to develop and/or revise job descriptions to meet business needs. Work closely with staff as requested to discuss and identify professional development paths and opportunities. Serve as a confidential (as applicable) resource and advisor to employees to assist with navigating professional issues and challenges and provide direction to appropriate university resources as needed. Work with employees and supervisors as requested to help resolve conflicts, escalating as necessary. Guide supervisors through the positive corrective action process, grievance process and termination activities to resolution. Advise employees and supervisors of promotion opportunities and the promotion process. Work with departments on preparing promotion requests. Create and maintain school policies and procedures for all human resources responsibilities including recruitment and hiring, onboarding, off boarding, and payments. Gather relevant human resources data at regular intervals to provide reports on school human resources trends. Consult with central human resources and/or payroll to resolve staff HCM system issues. (25%)
NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Respond to requests from the Office of General Counsel, the Office of Equity and others as needed to handle HR related issues. (2.5%) Perform other duties as assigned, including coverage in all areas of Finance and Administration when needed. (2.5%)
CONTACTS
Department: Continuous contact with Case School of Engineering’s Finance and Administration (Finance, Research Administration, UTech), the Dean, Associate Deans, faculty, department administrators, managers, and all other staff to exchange information.
University: Continuous contact with Case Western Reserve University Human Resources (Employment, Records, Compensation, Employee Relations, Immigration), Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity, and Office of General Counsel to exchange information.
External: Regular with contact vendors, independent contractors and consultants. Regular contact with job applicants (as needed).
Students: Minimal direct contact with students. Interview and hire students as needed for special projects.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
This position has no direct supervision of staff employees.
QUALIFICATIONS
Experience: 5 or more years of related experience required. Experience in an academic or non-profit setting preferred.
Education: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
REQUIRED SKILLS
Ability to work independently and collaboratively. Exercise independent judgment. Excellent communication, organizational and interpersonal skills. Strong ability to resolve confidential and/or sensitive matters and manage confidential information. Ability to adapt personal approach (empathetic, decisive, assertive, etc.) to the situation. Strong conflict resolution skills. Ability to mediate difficult situations between staff (supervisor/employee). Strong teamwork skills. Attention to detail. Creative problem solving. Customer-focused and results oriented attitude. Strong ability to relay sensitive information in an impartial manner. Strong knowledge of human resources laws and policies and ability to interpret and apply HR policies and regulations while exercising sound judgment. Must be highly motivated, driven to succeed, with a focus on what is best for the organization. Familiarity with Case Western Reserve University human resources policies, practices, systems and reports preferred. Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors and customers face to face. Ability to meet consistent attendance.
WORKING CONDITIONS
General office working environment. Monday to Friday work week; some evening and weekend work may be required. Limited travel.
