Associate Director, Talent Management

Wake Forest University; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Wake Forest University’s School of Professional Studies in Charlotte, NC is seeking an Associate Director, Talent Management to help scale our talent strategy. You will co-architect recruitment and onboarding, oversee employee lifecycle, and foster an inclusive, high-energy environment.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree and 5+ years HR experience, mastery of Workday, and strong communication with diverse stakeholders; travel between Winston-Salem and Charlotte and occasional events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree plus five years of related HR experience.
• Knowledge of HR functions, laws, guidelines, and procedures.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion.
• Commitment to inclusive environment and university values.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision on multiple tasks.
• Strong oral and written communication with diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead recruitment processes for diverse faculty and staff using Workday.
• Manage hiring, onboarding, appointments, and compensation changes.
• Promote inclusive culture in recruitment and retention.
• Maintain operating manuals and improve SPS procedures.
• Audit data and payroll for compliance; generate reports.
• Support professional development and act as ambassador for SPS.
• Develop metrics to measure staff satisfaction and initiatives.
• Advise on policies, benefits, and hiring processes.
• Collaborate with university and external partners.

Skills

HR knowledge

Confidentiality

Communication

Judgment

Discretion

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree in HR

Tools

Workday

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Job description

Are you ready to play a defining role in a school on the move? The School of Professional Studies (SPS) is in a period of exciting, rapid growth, and we are looking for a dedicated teammate to help us scale. As the Associate Director, Talent Management, you will serve as a co-architect of our talent management strategy, recruiting exceptional faculty and staff who are dedicated to empowering students across a vast array of industries. By ensuring operational excellence in every phase of the employee lifecycle—from innovative recruitment and seamless onboarding to inspired professional development—you will help us foster an inclusive, high-energy environment where every team member can thrive and contribute to our collective success.

Required Attributes:

• A deep-stated passion for continuous learning and professional growth.
• Thrives in fast-paced environments and works exceptionally well under pressure.
• Exceptional time management skills with a proven ability to meet complex deadlines.
• Enjoys collaborating as a vital part of a high-functioning, mission-driven team.
• Highly organized with meticulous attention to detail and process improvement.
• Excellent professional communication skills with a wide variety of stakeholders.

Job Description

Essential Functions:

• Serve as the primary liaison to HR to execute effective recruiting processes and practices to attract exceptional, diverse, and agile faculty and staff talent, including assisting in the vetting and review of potential candidates, organizing search committees, and overseeing and managing applications in Workday.
• Support personnel actions including initiating, changing, or ending employment for all faculty and staff. Maintain processes related to hiring, onboarding, faculty appointments, compensation changes, and offboarding for SPS in adherence to University and HR policies and procedures.
• Execute strategies to promote a culture of inclusivity that is integrated into recruitment, hiring, and retention practices for faculty and staff within SPS.
• Maintain operating manuals and handbooks outlining SPS procedures related to faculty and staff practices, make recommendations to improve practices, and enact corrective actions as needed.
• Audit all levels of faculty and staff data and payroll information to ensure accreditation and other regulatory compliance; create systems and reports to ensure all office data needs are met.
• Pursue engagement and professional development practices and programs to ensure that SPS faculty and staff are supported and can serve as effective ambassadors for the School to their communities.
• Create and manage appropriate metrics to measure, analyze, and report progress pertaining to personnel satisfaction and schoolwide initiatives.
• Serve as a resource to faculty and staff relative to standard policies, benefits, and hiring processes.

Other Functions:

• Collaborate with other University and/or external partners to ensure effective and efficient operations relevant to functional area.

Required Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree plus five years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• General knowledge of HR functions, including, but not limited to, employment laws, guidelines, and procedures.
• Ability to maintain the confidentiality of privileged information and perform a range of duties that require sensitivity, independent judgment, flexibility, and discretion.
• Demonstrated commitment to creating and maintaining an inclusive environment, as well as upholding the University's and school's mission, vision and values.
• Ability and desire to achieve results with minimal supervision on a variety of complex tasks concurrently, displaying initiative, integrity and sound judgment.
• Strong communicator in terms of oral, written, non-verbal and interpersonal skills; able to deliver information clearly and concisely, exchange ideas professionally, listen actively, and respond appropriately to a wide range of constituencies.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Master’s degree in HR, talent management or a related field.
• Previous experience in higher education.
• Workday experience, specifically human capital management.
• Demonstrated proficiency in using cloud-based office tools, including Microsoft Office, Google platforms, and other relevant software.

Accountabilities:

• Responsible for own work.

Location & Work Structure

This position is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with regular engagement across Wake Forest’s Winston-Salem campus and other university locations. The role requires occasional travel (between Winston Salem and Charlotte) and evening or weekend commitments associated with school-wide events.

Note to Applicant

This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by the employee’s supervisor.