Senior Director, Talent Strategies & Workforce Planning

JOB TITLE Senior Director, Talent Strategies & Workforce Planning

LOCATION

Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME

Talent & Inclusion Division

DIVISION NAME

Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

Reporting to the Vice President of Talent & Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), the Senior Director, Talent Strategies & Workforce Planning serves as a senior advisor to institutional leaders and leads the Talent Strategy Partner (TSP) team, including two Senior TSPs and a Talent Specialist, in delivering consultative Talent & Inclusion (T&I) solutions to faculty, staff, and union-represented employees across the University.

The Senior Director partners with senior leaders to understand unit goals and challenges and to align integrated T&I solutions with institutional strategy, providing guidance on workforce strategy, organizational design, talent planning, and change management in a complex, unionized higher education environment.

In addition to leading the team, the role carries its own portfolio of assigned departments and serves as the escalation point for complex employee and labor relations matters, ensuring consistent application of university policies, collective bargaining agreements, and legal requirements. The role coaches and develops TSPs as strategic consultants and drives continuous improvement in the quality and consistency of T&I service delivery.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Strategic Advisory & Workforce Planning

• Serve as a senior advisor to assigned deans, department heads, and administrative leaders, aligning integrated T&I solutions with institutional strategy and providing guidance on workforce strategy, organizational design, talent planning, and change management.
• Partner with units to develop and implement workforce and succession plans that anticipate current and future talent needs.
• Facilitate talent reviews with leadership teams, assess leadership bench strength with Learning & Development, and identify development opportunities.
• Analyze workforce, turnover, and talent data to identify trends and barriers to organizational success and recommend proactive solutions that improve organizational effectiveness.
• Promote a culture of inclusion, accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement across assigned areas.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop two Senior TSPs and a Talent Specialist, setting priorities, expectations, and performance goals, and developing TSPs as strategic consultants through case consultation and professional development.
• Hire, onboard, and evaluate team members.
• Provide direction, feedback, and support to ensure consistency, quality, and impact of TSP service delivery across the University, including consistent practices, tools, and standards.
• Assign departments and manage workload and coverage for portfolios and strategic initiatives.
• Oversee the Talent Specialist's work on front desk operations, I-9 compliance, and administrative support to the TSP team, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant processes.

Portfolio Management & Talent Partnership

• Serve as the primary T&I point of contact for an assigned portfolio of departments, providing consultative guidance to leaders, managers, faculty, and staff, including units with union-represented employees.
• Develop and execute T&I strategic plans for assigned departments with a focus on talent acquisition, performance management, culture and engagement, and retention initiatives.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to develop strategic recruitment plans and with Learning & Development to identify departmental learning needs and develop leadership, manager, and continuous learning opportunities.
• Build strong working relationships with assigned departments through regular check-ins with leaders, managers, faculty, and staff.

Employee & Labor Relations and Policy Compliance

• Lead and support the TSP team in managing employee relations, including performance management, corrective action, and workplace concerns, with a proactive, solutions-focused approach and consistent, effective guidance to supervisors and employees; serve as the escalation point for complex or high-risk matters, guiding investigations and resolutions.
• Advise senior leaders on conflict navigation and institutional response strategies for sensitive or high-risk matters.
• Collaborate with divisional and university leadership and the Office of General Counsel to resolve conflicts and provide counseling, mediation, support, and advice.
• Advise academic leaders on faculty employment matters in accordance with applicable faculty governance procedures and policies.
• Partner with Labor & Talent Programs and union representatives on collective bargaining agreements, formal grievances, and union engagement, ensuring employee relations actions align with contractual obligations.
• Ensure consistent interpretation and application of university policies, procedures, collective bargaining agreements, and legal requirements to mitigate organizational risk.
• Serve as the university T&I representative with external agencies regarding employee-related activities, such as the EEOC, human rights, unemployment, and the Department of Labor.

Organizational Design & Change Management

• Lead or advise on organizational assessments, restructurings, and change initiatives, keeping them aligned with institutional priorities and financially sustainable.
• Provide guidance on job architecture, promotions, organizational structure, job redesigns, spans of control, and reporting structures to improve operational effectiveness.

T&I Program Implementation & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as a liaison between the TSP team and other T&I teams to ensure seamless implementation of T&I programs, such as performance management, engagement surveys, and merit increases.
• Track trends and program impact and recommend improvements to T&I programs and policies informed by stakeholder feedback and institutional needs.
• Ensure information in the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is accurate and approved in a timely manner across the TSP team.
• Contribute to T&I leadership planning, goals, and reporting on team outcomes.

Performs all other duties and responsibilities as assigned or directed by the supervisor.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, including advanced employee and/or labor relations experience in a highly complex organizational environment.
• At least five (5) years of people leadership or team management experience.
• Executive-level experience leading resolution strategies for high-risk or sensitive employee and/or labor relations matters and advising senior leaders on organizational risk and conflict navigation.
• Demonstrated experience as a strategic HR business partner or HR leader advising senior-level clients.
• Strong knowledge of workforce and succession planning, employee relations, performance management, organizational design, labor laws, and collective bargaining agreements, with experience navigating a complex, matrixed, or unionized environment.
• Strategic thinking with a proven ability to lead change and align T&I services with organizational goals.
• Exceptional communication, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and facilitation skills.
• Sound judgment and the ability to build relationships and influence faculty, staff, union representatives, and leaders at all levels.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Public Administration, Business, or a related field.
• Higher education or public-sector experience, including familiarity with faculty governance and academic personnel processes.
• Experience interpreting and applying collective bargaining agreements and labor relations practices.
• Experience with job architecture, workforce analytics, and conducting workplace investigations.
• Active SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification.

Salary Grade 12: $127,500 – $153,000 per year (depending on experience)

Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.

Compensation at WPI

FLSA STATUS

United States of America (Exempt)

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. It seeks individuals from all backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making. It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.