Director of Workplace Culture and Relations

As our Director of Workplace Culture and Relations, you will lead the strategic vision for employee relations, organizational effectiveness, workforce development, and talent management across the University of Alaska system.

This is a high-impact leadership role where you will partner closely with executive leadership, campus HR teams, and Labor Relations to strengthen workplace culture, enhance employee engagement, and support a thriving workforce across our geographically dispersed institution.

As a trusted advisor, you will help shape workforce strategies that align with the university's mission of education, research, and service. From leading complex employee relations matters and organizational change initiatives to advancing leadership development and succession planning, your work will directly influence the employee experience and long-term success of the university.

Whether you are mentoring HR professionals, guiding leaders through workforce challenges, or driving systemwide initiatives, you will play a key role in fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

The Director of Workplace Culture and Relations provides strategic leadership and oversight for employee relations, workforce development, organizational effectiveness, talent management, and employee engagement initiatives across the University of Alaska system. The position partners closely with the Labor Relations director, executive leadership, campus HR teams, and university stakeholders to support institution-wide workforce strategies that align with organizational goals.

The Director ensures alignment between recruitment, onboarding, workforce planning, employee development, and retention efforts. This role provides strategic oversight and leadership to ensure talent initiatives support long-term workforce needs.

Operating with a high degree of independent judgment, the Director serves as a subject matter expert in the intersection of employment law, workplace culture, employee development, conflict resolution, and organizational risk management. They serve as the organization's lead advisor on maintaining productive employee-employer relationships while promoting compliance, sound employment practices, and positive organizational outcomes. The position leads HR professionals and drives initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, workforce capability, organizational effectiveness, and compliance across a multi-campus, unionized, and geographically dispersed institution.

As a trusted advisor to executive leadership, the Director helps shape workforce strategies that support the university's mission of education, research, and service while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Minimum Qualifications:

● Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or related field or 8–10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, including:

○ Employee relations leadership
○ Talent acquisition oversight
○ Workforce development strategy

● Demonstrated experience managing managers and leading functional HR teams.
● Strong knowledge of employment law, labor relations, and HR best practices.
● In person required - Fairbanks or Anchorage

Position Details:

This position is located at the University of Alaska system office in Fairbanks, AK or Anchorage, AK. This is a full-time, exempt Senior Administrator position with both a competitive salary and a full employee benefits package . UA provides a generous compensation package that includes retirement options, annual leave, 12 paid holidays per year, tuition waivers for employees and family members, and affordable medical, dental, and vision care coverage. Compensation is commensurate with the experience required for the job.

Please submit a cover letter, resume, professional writing sample, and three (3) professional references.

We review applications on a rolling basis. Because we may close the posting once a sufficient pool of qualified candidates is established, we encourage early submission. Please note that once a viable pool is identified, further applications may not be reviewed.

To view the full list of job responsibilities, please click HERE .

☎️If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Sarah Randazzo, Signers' Business Office HR Coordinator, at View email address on us.fitly.work.

*To be eligible for this position, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction. Applicants who now or may in the future require visa sponsorship to work in the United States are not eligible.

This position is designated as an officer of the university or senior administrator at the discretion of the president.

The University of Alaska (UA) is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process. If you need assistance in completing this application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact the ADA team at View email address on us.fitly.work .

The University of Alaska () is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer and Educational Institution. The University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination () against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status.

The successful applicant is required to complete a background check. Any offer of employment is contingent on the background check.

Your application for employment with the University of Alaska is subject to public disclosure under the Alaska Public Records Act.

All employees at the University of Alaska are expected to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism when conducting or engaged in university business.

* Each university within the University of Alaska system publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report which contains information regarding campus safety and security including topics such as: campus law enforcement authority; crime reporting policies; campus alerts (Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications); fire safety policies and procedures; programs to prevent dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking; the procedures the University will follow when one of these crimes is reported; and other matters of importance related to security on campus. The report also contains information about crime statistics for the three most recent calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in On-Campus Student Housing Facilities; in Noncampus buildings or property owned or controlled by the University or a recognized student organization; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also contains fire statistics for any fires occurring in an On-Campus Student Housing Facility during the three most recent calendar years.

Access to the reports is available at:

UAA : (Addresses Anchorage campus, Aviation Technology Complex, JBER - Elmendorf Extension, JBER - Richardson Extension, Kenai Peninsula College - Kachemak Bay campus, Kenai Peninsula College - Kenai River campus, Kodiak College, Kodiak High School Extension, Matanuska-Susitna College, Prince William Sound College, and Prince William Sound College - Cordova Extension) Online: . Request a paper copy in person: UAA Police Department Office at Room 114 of Eugene Short Hall on the Anchorage campus / UAA Dean of Students Office at Room 122 of Rasmuson Hall on the Anchorage campus. Request a paper copy by mail: View phone number on us.fitly.work or View email address on us.fitly.work / View phone number on us.fitly.work or View email address on us.fitly.work . 

UAF: (Addresses Fairbanks Campus, Bristol Bay Campus, Chukchi Campus, Community and Technical College, Kasitsna Bay Campus, Seward Marine Center, Tok Campus, Kuskokwim Campus, and Northwest Campus) Online: . Request a paper copy in person: UAF Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability on the 3rd Floor of Constitution Hall. Request a paper copy by mail: View phone number on us.fitly.work or View email address on us.fitly.work .

UAS: (Addresses the Juneau Auke Bay Campus, Juneau Technical Education Center, Sitka Campus, & Ketchikan Campus) Online: . Request a paper copy in person: Hendrickson Building, Suite 202 on the Juneau campus. Request a paper copy by mail: View phone number on us.fitly.work or emailing View email address on us.fitly.work .