Description

The National Director of People and Culture serves as the senior leader responsible for the strategic direction, development, and execution of the University’s people operations, culture, and compliance functions. The Director oversees all aspects of human resources, including talent acquisition, compensation, benefits, employee relations, training and development, and HR systems administration. As an expanding, multi-campus institution, the Inaugural National Director of People and Culture will manage a staff of four and support 215 full-time and 255 part-time employees, a third of whom work remotely from multiple locations. The projected partnership with PCHS will increase the employee base by an additional 215 people in San Diego and Chicago.

This role will ensure institutional consistency and compliance across multiple states, providing expert guidance on employment law, organizational development, and workplace culture. In partnership with executive leadership, the National Director leads people-focused strategies that strengthen the employee experience, foster organizational growth, and align with the University’s mission, vision, values, and strategic plan.

Remote Opportunity: This position will require building strong relationships across the campus and nationally. Candidates for this position will have the option to work on campus, hybrid, or in a fully remote capacity. Travel to the main campus in Whittier and to future learning sites to build relationships and attend key events and meetings is expected. Travel costs will be budgeted for and covered by the University. Preferred base locations include the Los Angeles metro area, San Diego, Phoenix, or Chicago.

Duties and Responsibilities – Your Mission:

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Development

• Provide strategic oversight and guidance for all People and Culture functions, ensuring policies, programs, and practices align with institutional goals and values.
• Act as the primary advisor to executive leadership on employee engagement, remote work, workforce planning, and organizational design for employees based across 37 states.
• Lead institutional efforts to enhance culture, inclusion, performance, and leadership skills across all campuses and departments.
• Create the institutional strategy for managing People and Culture across multiple sites and states.
• Oversee the creation, revision, and implementation of university-wide employment policies, employee handbooks, and compliance frameworks.
• Partner with external legal counsel and HR advisors to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, including wage-hour, ADA, FMLA, and multi-state regulations.
• Lead people operations efforts to support institutional growth and transformation initiatives.
• In partnership with the Chief Whole Health Officer, incorporate whole health concepts throughout employment at the University, including onboarding, retention, compensation, evaluation, and rewards systems.

Talent Management and Workforce Planning

• Oversee the entire talent acquisition process for staff, faculty, and leadership roles, ensuring consistency, equity, and compliance throughout the hiring process while attracting the best and brightest faculty and staff.
• Lead workforce planning and position control initiatives in partnership with senior leadership to support growth, strategic priorities, and organizational sustainability.
• Oversee onboarding and new hire integration programs, ensuring engagement, preparedness, and alignment with institutional culture.
• Collaborate with departments to identify workforce development opportunities, leadership pipelines, and succession planning strategies.

Compensation, Benefits, and HR Systems

• Oversee the administration and governance of the University’s compensation framework, ensuring pay practices are competitive, fair, and compliant. Ensure that compensation is marketed to prospective employees to attract the best and brightest faculty and staff.
• Oversee the administration and governance of the University’s benefits package, ensuring benefits are competitive, fair, and compliant. Ensure that benefits are marketed to prospective employees to attract the best and brightest faculty and staff.
• Manage relationships with external partners, including benefits brokers and other vendors, to optimize benefit offerings, ensure compliance, and improve cost efficiency.
• Oversee HR technology platforms and data integrations, ensuring accurate reporting, system efficiency, and consistent employee experiences.
• Leads total rewards and pay equity analyses, advising leadership on emerging needs and trends.

Employee Relations and Performance Management

• Act as the senior advisor on employee relations, performance management, investigations, and corrective actions.
• Collaborate with leaders to maintain consistent, transparent, and legally compliant employee relations practices.
• Develop staff training plans and provide support to academic affairs in faculty development and training. Provide training opportunities for supervisors in the areas of employee management.
• Manage the University’s performance review process, connecting employee performance with development opportunities and institutional objectives.
• Lead initiatives that foster communication, collaboration, accountability, and mutual respect among the workforce.

Compliance, Reporting, and Data Governance

• Oversee all HR compliance reporting and audits, including EEO-1, IPEDS, ACA, and other necessary federal and state filings.
• Ensure compliance with multi-state employment laws, data privacy standards, and institutional documentation protocols.
• Deliver strategic reporting and analytics to executive leadership, aiding decision-making with precise and prompt workforce data.
• Oversee vendor and system compliance for HRIS integrations, leave management, and employee recordkeeping.

Institutional Collaboration and Representation

• Act as Administrator Sponsor for the Staff Senate, Employee Engagement Committee, and SCU Values Advisory Board.
• Represent People and Culture on institutional committees, strategic initiatives, and cross-functional task forces.
• Collaborate with university leaders to develop and implement people-centered programs that boost engagement, retention, and organizational effectiveness.
• Collaborate with executive and academic leadership to align People and Culture strategies with institutional priorities and long-term sustainability.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or Organizational Leadership preferred.
• Approximately ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in human resources, with at least five (5) years in a leadership capacity involving multiple HR functions.
• Experience managing HR operations in multi-state or higher education environments is strongly preferred.
• Professional in Human Resources (PHR/SPHR) or SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP preferred.
• To perform this job successfully, an individual should have intermediate to advanced knowledge of Internet software, spreadsheet software (such as Excel), word processing software (such as Word), electronic mail software (such as Outlook), presentation software (such as PowerPoint), and web conferencing software (such as Teams and Zoom). Experience with TriNet, HRIS/HRMS systems, and workflow automation platforms such as Microsoft Power Automate, Etrieve, or Monday.com is strongly preferred.

Desired Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute enterprise-wide HR strategies that support growth, compliance, and culture.
• Strong working knowledge of multi-state employment law, HR systems, and process automation.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills with the ability to build partnerships at all organizational levels.
• High level of discretion, integrity, and judgment in handling confidential information and complex employee matters.