Executive Director, Human Resources

OVERVIEW: Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, and multicultural institution of higher education dedicated to the intellectual and professional advancement of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world. As part of the university, the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center is a federally funded center that operates exemplary elementary and secondary education programs for deaf and hard of hearing students as well as national outreach programs which develop and disseminate innovative curricula, instructional techniques, and products nationwide, and provide information, training, and technical assistance to parents and professionals serving children from birth through age 21.

Job Title:

Executive Director, Human Resources

Worker Type:

Regular

Pay Type:
Salary

Exempt Status:
Yes

Compensation Grade (Track/Level):
E2

Hiring Range (Commensurate with experience and qualifications):
$183,582.00-$244,776.00

Salary Ranges:

All Compensation Grades

Supervisory Organization (Department):
Office of the President

Summary:
Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Executive Director of Human Resources provides leadership and oversight for comprehensive human resources strategy, workforce and talent management, organizational effectiveness, operations and policies, and continuous modernization to ensure a high-performing, data-informed, and mission-driven workforce aligned with the strategic priorities across Gallaudet University and Clerc Center.

Job Description:

• Leads the University's human resources strategy in alignment with institutional mission, strategic priorities, financial realities, and evolving workforce needs; and translates University goals into long-term workforce and human capital priorities, and establishes measurable strategies for achieving them.
  
• Serves as a strategic advisor and partner to University leadership on workforce strategy, organizational design, structural change, workplace culture, and emerging human resources issues; and provides high-level advice on major institutional decisions and initiatives.
  
• Leads strategic workforce planning to ensure the University has the appropriate workforce size, structure, capabilities, and leadership capacity to accomplish current and future priorities; and utilizes workforce data, trends, scenario planning, and institutional priorities to anticipate staffing needs, skill gaps, succession risks, and opportunities to redesign work.
  
• Develops and leads an integrated talent strategy for attracting, selecting, retaining, developing, and advancing a highly qualified and mission-aligned workforce; and strengthens recruitment and retention strategies, internal mobility, career pathways, succession planning, and leadership pipelines, with particular attention to developing and advancing Deaf talent and leadership across the University.
  
• Provides supervision to the Human Resources team; provides ongoing feedback to all employees including student workers; completes the annual performance evaluations for each regular status and extended temporary staff; set goals and expectations for each staff; promotes a safe and healthy work environment; and ensures professional development opportunities are provided to each regular status and extended temporary staff.
  
• Provides strategic leadership for organizational effectiveness and workplace culture, partnering with University leaders to strengthen accountability, performance, collaboration, employee engagement, and organizational health; and identifies workforce and culture trends and recommends institution-wide strategies to address barriers to employee and organizational success.
  
• Leads the University's approach to performance and talent management, ensuring that expectations, feedback, performance assessment, recognition and development, and advancement practices reinforce institutional priorities and create meaningful accountability for results.
  
• Provides strategic oversight of compensation, classification, benefits, and total rewards, ensuring that programs are financially sustainable, competitive, equitable, and aligned with the University's talent strategy; and utilizes market data, workforce analytics, and institutional priorities to recommend compensation and total rewards strategies to University leadership.
  
• Provides strategic oversight of talent acquisition and employment practices, ensuring effective, timely, accessible, and mission-aligned recruitment and hiring processes; and develops strategies that strengthen candidate pipelines, improve hiring outcomes, and position Gallaudet as an employer of choice.
  
• Leads employee and labor relations strategy; advises University leaders on complex or high-risk employee matters; and ensures consistent, fair, timely, and legally sound employment practices while supporting effective relationships among employees, supervisors, and University leadership.
  
• Provides strategic oversight for Workers' Compensation and Reasonable Accommodation processes, ensuring responsive, consistent, accessible, and legally compliant practices and effective coordination among Human Resources, supervisors, employees, and other University departments.
  
• Leads the modernization and continuous improvement of Human Resources, including Human Resources Information System (HRIS), data governance, policies and processes, service-delivery models, and other HR-related technologies; and identifies opportunities to simplify processes, improve employee and manager experience, increase efficiency, and appropriately leverage emerging technologies.
  
• Establishes a data-informed approach to human resources strategy and decision-making; develops meaningful workforce metrics and reporting related to recruitment, retention, turnover, compensation, workforce composition, employee engagement, talent pipelines, and other indicators; identifies trends and risks; and provides actionable workforce insights to University leadership.
  
• Ensures compliance and manages institutional employment risk by maintaining HR practices consistent with applicable employment laws, including wage and hour, family and medical leave, and other relevant regulations; and partners closely with the Office of General Counsel and other University departments on complex employment and workforce matters.
  
• Leads and maintains high-performing operations within Human Resources; establishes clear priorities and service expectations; develops leadership capacity and holds leaders accountable for results; and builds a culture of expertise, responsiveness, collaboration, continuous improvement, and excellent service.
  
• Develops and manages the departmental budget and resources in alignment with institutional and departmental priorities and ensures responsible stewardship of University resources.
  
• Represents Human Resources in University-wide strategic planning, governance, and institutional initiatives and ensures that workforce implications, organizational capacity, talent needs, and employment risks are appropriately considered in major University decisions.
  
• Establishes and maintains a positive and supportive working relationship with co-workers and supervisors.
  
• Demonstrates a genuine commitment to belonging in the workplace and participates in activities and workshops to foster continuous learning.
  
• Serves as a mandatory reporter under Title IX; and commits to completing Title IX training and other compliance requirements on an annual basis.
  
• Prioritizes workplace safety as a collective responsibility for employee well-being and fosters a culture of safety integral to our success, including strict adherence to safety procedures and protocols and the prompt reporting of any safety hazards or incidents.
  
• Performs related and other duties as needed.
  

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree.
  
• A minimum of six years of professional experience with human resources, business management, or a related field.
  
• Ability to communicate in American Sign Language.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Human Resources certification (e.g., SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR).
  
• Experience working in a higher education setting.
  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong analytical, communication, and facilitation skills.
  
• Strong ability to draft, interpret, and maintain institutional policy and operating manuals.
  
• Strong ability to manage confidential and sensitive matters with discretion and sound judgment.
  
• Demonstrated ability to work with and across University departments, outside constituents and groups.
  

Other Important Information:

• The successful candidate will undergo a background check that must be cleared prior to working at Gallaudet University.
  

Current Employees (Regular Status and Extended Temporary)
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Gallaudet University is an equal opportunity employer/educational institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, national origin, religion, age, hearing status, disability, genetic information, covered veteran status, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, place of business or residence, pregnancy, childbirth, or any other unlawful basis. This policy is in compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the District of Columbia Human Rights Act, and other applicable laws and applies to all procedures affecting applicants and employees including, but not necessarily limited to: recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, reassignment, reappointment, tenure, demotion, selection for training, layoff, furlough, and termination, compensation, and all other conditions or privileges of employment.