Director, People and Culture

ABOUT AASCU

AASCU is the collective voice of 500 public colleges, universities, and systems that hold students and the community at the heart of their mission.  The association works to expand student access, success, and opportunity, promote world-class teaching and experiential learning tied to career advancement, and support applied research and services that advance economic development and quality of life in communities nationwide. 

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT (OOP)

The Office of the President shepherds AASCU’s Divisions in achieving the mission, strategic goals, and initiatives approved by the AASCU Board of Directors. The Office of the President also works closely with external stakeholders, such as philanthropic organizations, elected government officials, U.S. governmental agencies, and thought leaders committed to AASCU’s mission. The People and Culture team reports to the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in the Office of the President.

EXPECTATION FOR ALL EMPLOYEES

Supports the organization’s mission, vision, and values by exhibiting the following behaviors: commitment to diversity and equity, excellence and competence, collaboration, innovation, accountability, ownership, and adherence to policies and procedures.

SUMMARY OF POSITION

AASCU seeks an experienced, strategic, and hands-on Director of People and Culture to guide and direct its human resources function.  This position oversees employee relations, performance management, and benefits plans and administration; supports professional development programs across the organization; and contributes to internal change management initiatives. The Director ensures HR policies and practices comply with federal and state laws, align with AASCU’s mission, and are benchmarked against peer organizations.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

The Director will report directly to the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and will work across the organization.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

HR Strategy, Policies, Processes, Practices & Systems

• Maintain knowledge of employment trends and regulations to ensure adherence to federal, state, and local legal requirements and advise management on needed actions to ensure policies and procedures reflect best practices and compliance with existing laws affecting employees, including labor law, for risk mitigation. Create and/or update policies, procedures, guidelines, and supervisor training as needed.
• Work closely in partnership with the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to ensure that all HR policies and processes are created and continuously evaluated.
• Develop objective metrics and standardized reporting to help leadership assess trends impacting the employee experience, including retention, training, performance, compensation, and hybrid work dynamics.
• Develop and manage the departmental budget. 
• Manage HRIS portal including report preparation, benefit plans, HR analytics and metrics. Stay abreast of new features, facilitate training, and utilize new technology to improve efficiencies.
• Handle all administrative tasks related to the employee life cycle.
• Manage the development and implementation of human resource policies and procedures.
• Manage compensation-related activities such as new hire offers and salary increases to ensure compliance with AASCU’s compensation framework.
• Support the design of benefit plans, negotiations with benefit carriers, and regular reviews of benefits offered; oversee development and distribution of employee benefits packages, summary of benefits, and materials. Support monthly benefit premium invoicing and reconciliation.
• Conduct research and analysis of organizational trends, including review of reports and metrics from the organization’s human resource information system (HRIS) or talent management system.
• Serve as a resource to the AASCU IT Steering Committee as it relates to digital workplace tools and training. 
• Maintain employee status changes and coordinate employee directory and organizational charts updates.
• Perform other HR-related duties as required and assigned, including managing special projects.

Talent Management and Workforce Planning

• Collaborate with senior leadership to understand the organization’s goals and strategy related to staffing, recruiting, and retention.
• Model AASCU’s core values of stewardship, community, innovation, opportunity, and service, while maintaining adherence to established policies and procedures.
• Oversee the development and implementation of robust recruitment, hiring, and onboarding processes that yield a diverse pool of candidates and strong hires. Develop and lead orientation programs, including partnering with the Executive Leadership Team to deliver the Welcome to AASCU! program for new employees.
• Facilitate talent planning across teams, identify staffing and recruiting needs; develop and execute best practices for hiring and talent management.
• Establish and maintain processes for updating job descriptions; support strategic and operational thinking as it relates to workforce planning and updating job descriptions to meet today’s needs.
• Develop and implement performance management processes; lead efforts to adapt these as AASCU grows.
• Manage the AASCU internship program and partner with departments to ensure a robust internship experience.
• Support departments with sourcing, onboarding, and monitoring temporary workers.

Compliance & Legal

• Support annual benefit compliance, including required provisions under federal and state HR labor laws.
• Serve as AASCU’s plan administrator for the 403(b), 457(f), and 457(b) programs, stay abreast of best practices and retirement plan regulation changes, work closely with the external service providers and the Finance team, and serve as a resource on the 403(b)-compliance audit and 5500 filings.
• Address all leave of absence and accommodation-related requests.
• Maintain compliance with federal and state employment regulations, including maintaining and updating workplace posters and I-9 purging.
• Develop and manage the monthly auditing of HR files to ensure consistent and accurate recordkeeping of employee and benefit documents.
• Plan, lead, develop, coordinate, and implement policies, processes, training, initiatives, and surveys to support the organization’s human resource compliance and strategy needs.
• Support visa processes with the assistance of outside counsel.  
• Provide guidance and training on the laws and regulations differentiating a W2 employee and a 1099 contractor. 

Employee Relations & Staff Engagement

• Provide guidance to employees on leadership and performance development plans, compensation matters, and career growth. Actively support employees during organizational change initiatives.
• Be the primary point of contact for grievances, harassment, and discrimination complaints.
• Ensure supervisors develop their management skills and provide proactive guidance to supervisors and employees on employee relations issues within their teams and across the organization.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to implement strategies for employee engagement and retention.  Continue to test and iterate strategies for employee engagement in a hybrid work environment. 
• Manage annual open enrollment communications and elections process, including changes to enrollment throughout the year.
• Provide guidance to staff on personnel policies, benefits, and use of the HRIS employee portal.
• Conduct employee pulse surveys on pressing issues, summarize responses, and recommend solutions.
• Coordinate employee appreciation events.
• Support retirees with previously contracted post-retirement medical benefits.

Compensation & Benefits

• Oversee annual design of benefit plans, negotiations with benefit carriers, and regular reviews of benefits offered; oversee development and distribution of employee benefits packages, and materials and benefit notifications.
• Work closely with the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to coordinate with outside consultants on the review and design of compensation structure, periodic compensation benchmarking, and pay equity reviews.
• Provide support and training to all employees to understand compensation and benefits, to ensure effective communication at all levels, and ensure staff understand how to access benefits.
• Oversee annual open enrollment communications and elections process, including changes to enrollment throughout the year.
• Complete retirement services review annually.
• Conduct regular reviews of the retirement services portal and assist employees and retirees with functions such as loans, transfers, and self-service tools. 

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Proven ability to independently manage all areas of the HR lifecycle, including tactical, operational, and strategic HR functions within the organization.
• Thorough knowledge of employment-related laws and regulations and ability to successfully apply them as needed.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Strong ability to build trust and productive relationships.
• Experience working with different communication styles.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Elevates the voices of employees not always heard in policy analysis and strategy.
• Strong supervisory and leadership skills.
• Ability to think critically, with strong interest in innovation, user experience, and customer service.
• Able to prioritize, handle, and master multiple tasks at once and direct activities of other professional staff, if available. If not available, ensure all tasks are completed in a timely manner. 
• Demonstrated ability to apply innovative and resourceful solutions to solve complex challenges.
• Delivers cost-effective, people-focused solutions that optimizes human capital and drives growth, while stabilizing retention.
• Positively impacts outcomes and optimizes HR investments.
• Conveys information in a way that is confident, professional, and easy for others to understand.
• Consistently act in a way that demonstrates integrity and serves as a positive example.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least 8 years of strategic human resource leadership experience at HRBP, Manager or above preferred.
• Higher education or non-profit experience desired.
• SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP highly preferred.
• Advanced experience with Paycom or a similar HRIS system, highly preferred.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to review and interpret data.
• Proficiency in MS Office, including MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, with the ability to create tables and charts.
• Demonstrated ability to deal appropriately with sensitive and confidential information.
• Demonstrated ability to work well in a fast-paced, diverse, and inclusive team setting, remaining flexible, resourceful, and proactive.

ADDITIONAL PREFERRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Demonstrated success centering equity and inclusion in human resources work, collaborating effectively with those leading these efforts to conduct comprehensive needs analyses, create organization design and development initiatives, and implement change models – including intentional efforts to transform organizational culture – while proactively driving ongoing work.
• Knowledge of and passion for education, justice, and advocacy. 

COMPENSATION AND LOCATION

The salary range for this exempt position is between $120,000 and $150,000 plus a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision insurance; 15 paid holidays plus additional annual leave; above standard market contribution to company-sponsored 403(b) retirement plan; tuition assistance; on-site fitness facility; 24/7 building security; secured bike storage and more. Additionally, available underground public parking is accessible for all employees at their own expense. 

This is a full-time position located at AASCU’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. This position follows a hybrid work schedule, requiring two in-office days per week, with the option to work remotely for the remaining three days. This schedule is subject to change.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions, if applicable.

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for extended periods of time.
• Constantly operates a computer or laptop; however, some standing and walking may be required when attending in-office meetings or events.
• The person in this position frequently communicates with team members via email, phone, or virtual meeting room and must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
• Lift and carry a minimum of 10 lbs. occasionally.
• Occasional travel to an office/conference event.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

AASCU is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.