Director, Culture, Belonging and Employee Engagement

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Director, Culture, Belonging and Employee Engagement

Work Arrangement: Hybrid (On-Site and Remote mix)

Requisition Number: 276593

Regular or Temporary: Regular

Location: Durham, NC, US, 27710

Date: Oct 22, 2026

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

Position Summary

The Director, Culture, Belonging & Employee Engagement is responsible for leading the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of enterprise‑wide strategies that strengthen organizational culture, belonging, employee voice, recognition, and connection across Duke University Health System (DUHS). Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Employee Experience, this role serves as a key leader in creating an exceptional employee experience that supports engagement, retention, workforce thriving, and alignment with Duke Health's mission, values, and strategic priorities.

The Director provides strategic and operational leadership for DUHS affinity groups, employee listening programs, employee recognition initiatives, and culture‑building efforts through Better Together. The role leverages employee feedback and workforce insights to identify opportunities, influence organizational priorities, and drive meaningful action that improves the day‑to‑day experience of work across DUHS.

The Director supervises a multidisciplinary team consisting of a Program Manager, Employee Listening & Recognition; Program Manager, Affinity Groups & Belonging; and a Program Coordinator, Culture Initiatives. The Director collaborates closely with system leaders, People & Culture partners, operational leaders, and employee groups to ensure programs are aligned, impactful, and responsive to the evolving needs of the workforce.

Duties and Responsibilities of this Level

• Lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of enterprise culture initiatives, building upon the first phases of Better Together, that reinforce DUHS values, strategic priorities, and desired workforce behaviors.
• Partner with leaders across the health system to operationalize Culture Commitments and create meaningful employee experiences that foster engagement, trust, inclusion, and accountability.
• Design and implement programs, campaigns, and events that strengthen organizational connection, pride, and alignment with the DUHS mission.
• Identify opportunities to improve workforce experience through assessment of employee feedback, workforce trends, and emerging best practices.
• Consult with leaders regarding culture‑related opportunities and challenges, providing recommendations and resources to support sustained culture improvement.
• Serve as a steward of organizational culture by ensuring consistency between organizational values and employee experience.

Belonging & Affinity Group Strategy

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for DUHS affinity groups, ensuring alignment with organizational values, mission, and workforce priorities.
• Develop governance structures, standards, resources, and practices that support the implementation of effective affinity group operations and sustainable growth.
• Create opportunities for collaboration and shared learning among affinity groups and organizational leaders.
• Utilize employee feedback and affinity group insights to inform employee experience and culture strategies.
• Establish and monitor measures of effectiveness related to affinity group participation, employee belonging, and workforce engagement.

Employee Listening & Workforce Insights

• Direct DUHS employee listening strategies, including engagement surveys, pulse surveys, focus groups, listening sessions, and other qualitative and quantitative feedback mechanisms.
• Supervise program manager of listening who operationalizes these strategies and manages the programmatic plans to move from data to action.
• Ensure employee listening efforts are inclusive and representative of diverse workforce perspectives, including frontline, clinical, and historically underheard employee populations.
• Analyze employee feedback and workforce data to identify trends, opportunities, risks, and priorities.
• Partner with organizational leaders to translate feedback into action plans and measurable improvement efforts.
• Promote accountability for responding to employee feedback and communicating outcomes to team members.

Employee Recognition Strategy

• Provide strategic oversight for employee recognition programs that reinforce organizational values, celebrate contributions, and improve employee engagement.
• Partner with leaders and stakeholders to ensure recognition programs are equitable, meaningful, and aligned with organizational objectives.
• Identify opportunities to integrate recognition into broader employee experience, culture, and engagement initiatives.

Data, Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to culture, belonging, employee engagement, recognition, and employee experience.
• Utilize quantitative and qualitative data to assess program effectiveness and guide strategic decision‑making.
• Develop routine reporting processes for executive leadership and key stakeholders.
• Partner with HR analytics, People & Culture, and operational leaders to strengthen workforce insights and action planning.
• Benchmark organizational performance against peer health systems and industry best practices.
• Provide direct supervision, coaching, professional development, and performance management for:
• Program Manager, Employee Listening & Recognition
• Program Manager, Affinity Groups & Belonging
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement within the Employee Experience team.
• Establish priorities, work plans, and resource allocation to ensure successful execution of departmental goals and initiatives.
• Manage departmental budgets, contracts, and vendor relationships associated with culture, listening, recognition, and belonging activities.
• Ensure compliance with relevant organizational policies and procedures.

Partnership, Consultation & Influence

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Assistant Vice President of Employee Experience and organizational leaders regarding culture, belonging, engagement, and employee experience strategies.
• Collaborate with leaders across People & Culture, Wellbeing, Communications, Talent Development, Clinical Operations, and other functions to ensure integrated employee experience efforts.
• Facilitate enterprise committees, workgroups, and advisory councils related to culture, engagement, affinity groups, and workforce experience.
• Represent DUHS in external benchmarking groups, professional organizations, and employee experience collaboratives as appropriate.

Other Duties

• Perform other duties not specified in the work described herein.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Organizational Development, Human Resources, Public Health, Business Administration, Psychology, Social Work, Communications, Organizational Leadership, or related field.
• Experience in healthcare, academic medicine, or other large complex organizations.
• Experience leading employee engagement, culture transformation, belonging initiatives, listening programs, and recognition strategies.
• Supervisory experience leading professional staff and enterprise programs.Experience utilizing survey data, workforce analytics, and qualitative feedback to inform strategic decisions.

Required Qualifications at this Level

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field required. Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field preferred.

Experience

Work requires the ability to develop enterprise strategies, lead complex organizational initiatives, direct multiple programs, manage budgets, influence senior leaders, and supervise professional staff, generally acquired through five years of progressively responsible experience in wellbeing, employee experience, behavioral health, public health, healthcare administration, organizational development, workforce strategy, or a related field.

• Culture Transformation & Change Leadership
• Employee Experience Strategy
• Employee Listening & Workforce Analytics
• Belonging & Community Building
• Employee Recognition & Engagement
• Strategic Planning & Execution
• Leadership Development & Coaching
• Program Management
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Executive Communication

This role serves as the operational leader for DUHS culture, belonging, affinity groups, employee listening, and employee recognition programs, ensuring that every team member feels valued, connected, heard, and supported throughout their employment journey.

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.

Nearest Major Market: Durham
Nearest Secondary Market: Raleigh

Read more about Duke’s commitment to affirmative action and nondiscrimination at hr.duke.edu/eeo.