Career Center

The University of Washington (UW) is proud to be one of the nation’s premier educational and research institutions. Our people are the most important asset in our pursuit of achieving excellence in education, research, and community service. Our staff not only enjoys outstanding benefits and professional growth opportunities, but also an environment noted for diversity, community involvement, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.

At the University of Washington, diversity is integral to excellence. We value and honor diverse experiences and perspectives, strive to create welcoming and respectful learning environments, and promote access, opportunity and justice for all.

Undergraduate Academic Affairs (UAA) shapes, advances and stewards a world-class undergraduate academic experience for students at the University of Washington. Staff, faculty and students in UAA deepen and enrich the learning experience for all undergraduates, recognizing and supporting the unique learning path of each individual student and the commitment of each academic program to excellence in learning and teaching.

Undergraduate Academic Affairs has an outstanding opportunity for an Interim HR Director to join their team!

The HR Director supports UAA’s mission by ensuring all departments have effective and efficient human resources systems in place for professional, classified and hourly employees. The HR Director is expected to grow and foster a strong and diverse workplace environment consistent with the values and mission of the organization.

Responsibilities:
Human Resource Management 60%
•Oversee all Human Resources functions, including staffing plans, recruitments, staff onboarding and separation, performance management, and unit organization
•Provide oversight, guidance and support to supervisors on the recruitment and hiring process for all staff and temporary positions, including position description development
•Act as Hiring Manager for all staff positions
•Provide guidance and counsel on position allocations, reclassifications, position reviews and promotions helping to achieve the goal of parity and equity within UAA. Implement an exceptional knowledge of sound compensation practices, review requests for salary adjustments, temporary and permanent, and advise supervisors on appropriate course of action
•Manage and oversee new employee orientations and outgoing employee exit interviews and overall separation process
•Interpret policy (Federal, State, UW, UAA) and provide counsel regarding personnel policies and procedures, union contract grievance process, employee performance concerns, corrective disciplinary action and layoff procedures; keep Executive Staff informed on personnel policies and procedures
•Draft, implement, and communicate UAA policy and procedures that focus on human resources and administrative processes as established by leadership; assure systems that lead to compliance are in place within all UAA departments
•Partner with UW Campus HR Leave team, HR Consultant, and Disability Offices on leave and accommodation issues
•Assume HR Partner security role within Workday
•Supervise HR/Payroll Manager

HR Strategic Planning and Organizational Development 25%
•Develop and/or implement new systems in all areas of responsibility including recruitment, employment relations, training, and orientation
•Provide ongoing education and coaching to UAA leadership on personnel policy, procedure and workforce planning
•Represent UAA in campus-wide projects, committees and meetings concerning human resources matters
•Manage, lead and actively participate in UAA-wide workgroups and committees related to human resources topics
•Advise on UAA organizational structure and on the alignment of staff and resources to support UAA’s mission
•Create content and manage all updates to the UAA Staff Pages intranet related to personnel topics
•Act as subject matter expert and develop training tools for UAA personnel with Workday security roles
•Stay abreast of HR best practices both within UW and within the industry

Employee Relations 15%
•Manage annual performance evaluation process. Assure compliance with HR processes. Advise supervisors on best practices in conducting performance reviews, compliance issues regarding labor and employee relations, and provide guidance on creating acceptable corrective action plans
•Provide informal and formal confidential support to employees and supervisors related to workplace concerns and resolving conflicts; investigate and engage in compliant resolution
•Function as UAA’s liaison to HR for grievances, investigations, employee conflicts, sexual harassment incidents, etc., and provide expertise to UAA leadership on these issues
•Stay apprised of labor contract agreements in order to provide information and guidance to supervisors to ensure consistent application of contract terms and conditions
•Ensure employees are in compliance with required trainings

Minimum Qualifications:
•Bachelor’s degree
•Six years’ work experience in human resources at a diverse, multi-faceted organization
•Thorough knowledge of HR policies, procedures, principles and practices, and of personnel and salary administration, recruitment techniques and management
•Excellent communication skills communicating with a variety of audiences via multiple formats in a direct, but diplomatic way; exhibit a proactive, service-oriented manner always using tact and discretion
•Ability to effectively address complex and sensitive administrative and personnel issues
•Stellar interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across the organization
•Experience advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace
•Proactive problem solver who melds analytic reasoning with empathy and understanding
•Ability to operate in situations of uncertainty, and trouble-shoot challenges independently demonstrating appropriate judgement
•Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Ability to write effective, useful and timely communications.
•Highly organized, ability to multitask in a consistently fast-paced environment in an organized and efficient manner. Self-motivated, flexible, creative, ability to prioritize and be solutions-oriented.)

Desired Qualifications:
•Certification as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) or Society for Human Resources Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)
•Knowledge of and proficiency in UW systems, including Workday
•Experience in a university setting working with union and non-union classified employees, professional staff employees, and student employees
•Experience with process improvement techniques and methods, and demonstrated effectiveness managing in a culture of change and transition

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter, and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.