Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources (Chief Human Resources Officer)

About the position The Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources (Chief Human Resources Officer) at CU Denver is a strategic and visionary leader responsible for serving as a change agent and strategic partner to the CU Denver executive leadership team as well as to senior administrators, HR Directors, and HR staff within the schools/colleges and other institutional units. At its essence, this role exists to foster a people-centered HR strategy that supports the university's strategic plan. The position also ensures that Human Resource practices reflect CU Denver's commitment to equity, innovation, and impact, while fostering a culture of trust, inclusion, and continuous learning. A central focus of this position is employee advocacy-ensuring that faculty and staff voices are actively heard, respected, and integrated into institutional decision-making. The incumbent will complete the four primary roles of HR by driving operational excellence in compensation, workforce planning, HR data analytics, and talent management strategies across a distributed, hybrid work environment. Due to the demands of the role, the incumbent will work primarily in-person on the Denver Campus, with some remote work opportunities once credibility and key relationships have been established.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the university's senior HR expert, guiding leadership on workforce strategy, organizational development, institutional culture, and change management.
• Lead the design, development, consistent implementation, and compliance with HR policies and programs that support CU Denver's strategic plan and inclusive excellence goals.
• Oversee HR operations across CU Denver, in partnership with schools and colleges, as well as administrative units.
• Facilitate a strong and effective partnership between the University of Colorado Denver and the other campuses within the CU System, as well as Auraria campus partners.
• Promote alignment with system-wide goals in HR strategies, policies, and implementation plans, while advocating for CU Denver's unique needs.
• Serve as a visible and accessible advocate for faculty and staff, promoting a culture of listening, respect, and responsiveness.
• Collaborate with shared governance groups (faculty assembly, staff council) and employee resource networks and affinity groups to ensure inclusive representation in HR decision-making.
• Provide leadership coaching to CU Denver leaders to support proactive team building, clarity, conflict resolution, change management, and the effective handling of employee concerns.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws, university policies, and institutional processes.
• Collaborate with legal counsel, risk management, the Office of Equity, and the FAST team to address sensitive personnel matters with consistency, care, and compliance.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, retention, and succession planning strategies that reflect CU Denver's commitment to education for all.
• Support professional development, career mapping, and performance management frameworks that foster growth and accountability.
• Cultivate supervisor and leadership development pathways that build institutional capacity and foster equity, connection, and growth among senior leaders, managers, and supervisors.
• Direct the development and implementation of a compensation and classification system aligned with CU System guidelines and market data.
• Lead the development of HR dashboards and analytics to support strategic planning, compliance, and workforce insights.

Requirements

• Master's degree in human resources, business administration, public administration, or related field.
• 10 years of progressive HR leadership experience, preferably in higher education or a complex public sector organization.
• Demonstrated expertise in Operational Excellence in all aspects of HR (selection, compensation, performance, training & development, etc.)
• Experience managing HR in a flexible work environment.

Nice-to-haves

• HR certifications (e.g., SHRM-SCP, SPHR).
• Familiarity with common higher-education HR software and tools (e.g., HCM, PeopleSoft).
• Experience working in shared governance environments.

Benefits

• Generous leave
• Health plans
• Retirement contributions

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