Associate Vice President, Human Resources

Colorado College; Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 160,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Colorado College seeks an Associate Vice President for Human Resources to serve as the College's chief HR strategist, leading a comprehensive HR program during a period of assessment and transformation. The AVP-HR will shape workforce strategy, design, and policy to align with the College's mission and values.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree and at least eight years of progressive HR leadership with supervisory responsibility; an advanced degree and HR certification are preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and at least 8 years of HR leadership experience with supervisory responsibility.
• Advanced degree and professional HR certification preferred.
• Higher education experience and familiarity with shared governance preferred.
• Experience guiding organizational change and workforce realignment preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic advisor on workforce strategy and organizational design.
• Oversee talent acquisition and workforce planning, total rewards, performance management, and leadership development.
• Lead employee relations, HR technology/analytics, policy development, and compliance.
• Partner with Civil Rights, Institutional Equity and Belonging, and campus leaders to embed equity and belonging in HR policy and practice.
• Strengthen HR as a trusted campus partner; modernize systems and improve service delivery during organizational change.

Skills

HR leadership

Talent acquisition

Compensation & benefits

Workforce planning

Employee relations

Organizational design

HR analytics

Diversity & inclusion

Policy development

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Advanced degree

Professional HR certification

Tools

HRIS proficiency

Data analytics tools

Job description

Overview

Colorado College seeks an Associate Vice President for Human Resources to serve as the College's chief human resources strategist, providing collaborative leadership and innovative thinking to advance a comprehensive human resources program. This is a compelling opportunity for a seasoned, people-centered executive to help shape Colorado College's next chapter. The institution is entering an important period of organizational assessment, workforce planning, and operational transformation, creating a unique opportunity for a leader who brings deep functional expertise, strategic perspective, and a strong bias toward action.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Vice President for Finance & Administration/Chief Financial Officer, the Associate Vice President for Human Resources will serve as a key strategic advisor on workforce strategy and organizational design, leading a comprehensive portfolio that includes talent acquisition and workforce planning, total rewards, performance management, leadership and talent development, employee relations, HR technology and analytics, and policy development and compliance. The AVP‑HR partners with the Office of Civil Rights, Institutional Equity and Belonging, and other campus leaders to ensure equity and belonging are embedded throughout HR policy and practice, and that the employee experience reflects the College’s mission and values.

The Associate Vice President will play a pivotal role in advancing a human resources function that is strategic, service-oriented, and focused on operational excellence. Leveraging deep HR expertise and strong execution skills, the successful leader will help ensure the College's workforce is positioned to thrive while supporting institutional priorities during a period of significant change across higher education. The executive will inherit a collaborative, mission-driven HR team with strong momentum and will be charged with strengthening HR’s role as a trusted campus partner while modernizing systems, enhancing service delivery, and helping the institution navigate complex organizational and workforce challenges.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will bring broad human resources leadership experience across functional areas such as talent acquisition, compensation and benefits programs, employee relations, compliance, organizational effectiveness, and workforce planning, with particular depth in compensation strategy and workforce planning. Equally important will be the ability to build trust through transparency, responsiveness, consistency, and follow‑through while effectively engaging faculty, staff, and administrators within a shared governance environment. The community seeks a leader who has demonstrated success in embedding principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging into human resources programs and practices and who can balance empathy, humanity, and employee advocacy with accountability, sound judgment, and the courage to make and communicate difficult decisions. In addition, candidates with significant experience supporting organizations through periods of change, organizational restructuring, workforce realignment, and operational transformation will be critical. The new leader will possess the judgment and courage to make and support strategic decisions while approaching those decisions with transparency, empathy, consistency, and respect. This individual will help the institution balance compassion with accountability, ensuring that organizational changes are implemented thoughtfully, legally, and in alignment with the College’s mission and values.

A bachelor's degree and a minimum of eight years of progressively responsible human resources leadership experience, including supervisory responsibility, are required. An advanced degree and professional HR certification are preferred. Experience in higher education is strongly preferred, including familiarity with shared governance, faculty personnel matters, tenure systems, and academic culture. Candidates from other complex, mission-driven organizations will also be considered if they demonstrate exceptional learning agility and the ability to successfully navigate the distinctive dynamics of higher education.

Benefits and Compensation

The anticipated salary range for the opportunity is $160,000 – $190,000, commensurate with experience, and Colorado College Benefits can be found here.

Application Deadline

All applicants should submit a CV/resume and a letter of interest. The final application deadline is August 10, 2026.

EEO Statement

Commitment to Job Application Fairness: Applicants are not required to provide age or age‑related information and may redact information related to age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution from any submissions during the initial application process.

At Colorado College, we are dedicated to dismantling systemic and institutional discrimination. We embrace diversity and support a community where all individuals, without exception, feel valued, empowered, and treated equitably. Guided by the College’s Antiracism Plan, we work to foster an equitable and inclusive environment for all who teach, learn, work and live in our community.

Colorado College aims to provide the finest liberal arts education in the country. As a leading institution in higher education, we strive for inclusive excellence in access to, and development and delivery of, outstanding learning opportunities and success for our diverse community of individuals who teach, learn, and work at the College. We pursue the equal opportunity of individuals to fully participate in our mission.

Colorado College is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants in all aspects of the employment relationship—including (but not limited to) recruiting, hiring, promotions, compensation, benefits, and access to training—without regard to race, creed, color, caste, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity or gender expression, perceived gender, sexual preferences, and sexual orientation), disability, marital status, veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.