HR Director, Law

Northwestern University; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 98,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Paid vacation and holidays

Parental leave

Tuition benefits

Pre-tax and flex spending

Retirement savings

Wellness programs

Job summary

Northwestern University is seeking a Director of Human Resources for the Law School to lead human capital strategy and staff management. You will partner with Law School managers to implement HR best practices, from recruitment to performance management and workforce development.

The role requires extensive HR leadership experience in a complex organization, strong communication, and discretion in handling sensitive information.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Human Resources or related field.
• 10+ years of HR Generalist experience and/or combination of HR generalist and other HR functional experience.
• Minimum five years' experience in a complex organization with demonstrated ability to apply HR principles, especially in recruiting/staffing, employee relations, training, development and management practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead the HR strategy and oversee staff management for the Law School.
• Oversee full lifecycle of staff recruiting and onboarding from concept to onboarding.
• Advise managers on employee management, performance, and organizational structure.
• Oversee staff development, leadership development, and training programs.
• Ensure compliance with university reporting requirements and HR policies.

Skills

HR Generalist

Recruitment

Employee relations

Organizational development

Change management

Leadership coaching

Communication

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, HR or related field

MBA or equivalent HR leadership experience

HRIS experience (e.g., Workday)

Tools

HRIS (myHR)

Job description

Department: Law Administration
Salary/Grade: EXS/11

Target hiring range for this position will be between $98,450 - $130,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Job Summary

The Director of Human Resources (HR) is responsible for human capital strategy and implementation for the Law School's staff population. The Director provides operational HR support to the Law School and provides leadership and oversight in all aspects of staff human resources and talent management. The successful candidate must be able to perform a wide range of HR duties from recruitment, employee relations, organization development/effectiveness, change management, leadership coaching & alignment to communication planning/implementation. The director will function as a business partner to Law School managers to ensure a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to the management of human resources, and to ensure that the Law School's strategic vision is supported through the deployment of best practices in human capital management.

Specific Responsibilities

Human Capital

• Leader of human capital at the Law School, responsible for aligning human capital function with strategic mission and identifying and implementing best practices in HR.
• Oversees full lifecycle of staff recruiting and coordinates all aspects of new position/employee hiring process from concept/proposal to onboarding. This includes but is not limited to helping managers conceive, create position descriptions, and post staff jobs; manage searches; support supervisors with candidate selection and reference checking; compensation/salary analysis for salary setting; offer letters including any special terms; new employee onboarding.
• Serves as resource to all Law School managers on employee management and employee relations issues, including organizational structure and
• position reviews, learning and development, performance management, correcting performance/discipline, leaves of absence, accommodation, etc.
• Oversees and implement staff professional development and programs, leadership development, and training. Promotes training to ensure incoming and continuing staff have access to and are availing themselves of appropriate learning resources.
• Manages staff conflict of interest process. Assures compliance with other university reporting requirements such as mandated reporter.
• Fluent in myHR access, reporting, and management.
• Communicates regularly with Law School staff about HR programs, initiatives, policy changes, and general information. Ensures consistency and accuracy of information delivered to all Law School employees. Proposes, designs, implements, and trains for HR operational improvements.

Salary Planning

• In collaboration with the Managing Director of Finance, effectively manages the Staff Compensation budget, and merit processes. Ensures the Law School is accurately tracking and reporting budget to actuals in Law salary and people-related categories. Participates in budget planning representing HR / Payroll / Position / Compensation aspects of budget planning and management. Oversees the Law School's Workforce Planning Process.
• Collaborates with managers on initiatives and budgets in HR-related areas, such as recruitment and professional development.

Staff Supervision

• Supervises and manages 3 FTE Human Resources Staff members. Ensures HR Team has sufficient training and expertise to execute timely and efficient human capital function.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Human Resources or other related field.
• 10+ years of HR Generalist experience and/or combination of HR generalist and other HR functional experience.
• Minimum five years' experience in a complex organization with demonstrated ability to apply HR Principles, particularly in recruiting/staffing, employee relations, training, development and management practices.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Knowledge/experience of recruitment, onboarding, and retention practices.
• Knowledge/experience with organizational development, organizational effectiveness, and change management skills.
• Displays emotional intelligence in interactions with others.
• Well-developed analytical and reasoning skills.
• Excellent communication (listening and speaking) and presentation skills are essential. Demonstrated facilitation and negotiation skills.
• Ability to identify and resolve complex problems and generate alternative solutions.
• Outstanding attention to detail.
• Ability to work in a highly collaborative manner with faculty and staff, and the University constituents.
• Strong initiative and ability to prioritize.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information.

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Master of Business Administration; Experience in higher education administration or closely related field.

Benefits

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.