Description
About Curry College:
Founded in 1879, Curry College is a private, four-year, liberal arts-based institution in Milton Massachusetts. Curry College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) and offers 26 majors and over 60 minors and concentrations, as well as five graduate programs. Our beautiful Milton campus is a 131-acre New England setting just seven miles from downtown Boston. In addition to the main campus, classes for adult learners are also offered at our campus at Cordage Park in historic Plymouth.
With over 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Curry College supports thoughtful, bright, and driven students to learn and to forge their future personal and career paths. The School of Nursing and Health Sciences graduates highly skilled nurses for local and regional healthcare organizations and the new School of Business and Technology offers learning focused on the in-demand skills and attributes that businesses are looking for in their new hires.
At Curry College, we nourish student passions and empower students to build their future, and we dedicate ourselves to providing students with personal attention to help achieve their individual goals. With more than 90 academic paths available at Curry, students are sure to turn their unique dreams into a reality. Around 20% of our students participate in the internationally renowned Program for Advancement in Learning (PAL), which supports students with ADHD and other learning differences. The College also offers a wide array of co-curricular activities ranging from 17 NCAA Division III athletic teams to an outstanding theatre and visual arts program.
Curry boasts a 12:1 student-to-teacher ratio, so students can foster supportive, steadfast relationships with one another and with professors. And we encourage students to take advantage of experiential learning opportunities like internships, traveling to conferences, student teaching, emergency medical technician training, and more.
The Curry College mission is to educate and graduate students prepared to engage in successful careers and active citizenship with a global perspective. We are an inclusive community of diverse learners and educators, committed to continuing our legacy of developing effective communicators with reflective and critical thinking skills. We mentor and empower our students, building meaningful relationships that inspire them to achieve their ambitions. Diversity and a culture of equity and inclusion among students, faculty and staff are crucial to the mission of Curry College.
Curry's 425 full and part-time faculty are committed educators, scholars, and practitioners. The faculty is represented by the AAUP under a long-standing collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was just extended to 2027. Curry proactively also employs approximately 250 staff. Staff employed in the trades at Curry are represented by the Area Trades Council (ATC) and that CBA was also extended to 2027.
Job Description:
The Vice President, Human Resources develops and implements the human resources strategy needed to support the College's mission, goals, and people. The position provides leadership and is responsible for all human resources functions including benefits and compensation, employee and labor relations, development (e.g., change management, organizational culture, staff development) operations, HR technology, performance management, communications and strategic use of data. The Vice President leads the HR team in providing high-quality customer service.
This role reports to the President and works closely with the members of the executive team. Specifically, the Vice President, Human Resources collaborates with the Chief Financial Officer and the Provost regarding compensation and benefits, and collective bargaining agreements. This role also collaborates with the Vice President Diversity, Equity, and Belonging to ensure an environment where employees can do their best work in a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment.
Essential Functions:
1. Strategic:
Develop strategic HR plan to support the mission and goals of Curry College and operationalize the various elements according to plan;
Collaborate with executive team partners to advance mission-aligned initiatives;
Collaborate with Executive Director, Neurodiversity Center of Excellence to design and implement practices, programs and initiatives to provide a work environment that provides neurodiverse employees the space to thrive;
Design and operationalize market competitive benefits, compensation that are financially viable over the long term to support Curry's ability to attract, recruit, retain high quality faculty and staff;
Stay abreast of human capital trends in higher education and the broader employment/job market;
Serve as a strategic partner to the Executive Team and provide advice and counsel to the Senior Leadership Team, Directors and Managers to elevate skills and competencies of the team;
Partner with leaders to develop strategies to recruit, retain high quality, diverse employees;
Collaborate with the Vice President Diversity, Equity and Belonging to enhance the culture and diversity of the employee population to support the recruitment and retention of students.
2. Organizational Effectiveness:
Build organizational capacity for change management;
Incorporate DEI strategy into core HR practices and initiatives and foster a collaborative, inclusive culture that attracts and retains high quality employees;
Design and deliver leadership, manager/supervisory development programs;
Partner with Academic Affairs and Office of Facilities Management to foster a productive working relationship with 3rd party representatives;
Identify, develop metrics to inform human practices and measure effectiveness.
3. Employee Relations:
Develop and implement employee recognition programs;
Implement a variety of approaches to manage and resolve conflict;
Conduct/lead investigations, assess facts and determine outcomes of investigation and recommend appropriate corrective action;
Negotiate and implement the collective bargaining agreements for the faculty (AAUP) and trades groups (ATC) in collaboration with the Provost and CFO;
Partner with other leadership team members to develop programming, policies, and practices that foster a sense of belonging for all members of the learning community;
Foster a positive and inclusive work environment by committing to transparency and open communication.
4. Operations:
Develop and implement equitable HR policies, practices and programs that align and are in compliance with various regulations;
Develop, implement and continuously improve processes that support HR policies, programs and services;
Enhance and or introduce technology to support HR/payroll processes and the employee experience;
Comply with federal, state, local laws such as employment laws, ERISA, Title IX, Workman's Compensation, DOL;
Develops, monitors and reconciles the Human Resources and Fringe Benefit budgets.
5. Team Management & Development:
Attract, develop, coach, motivate and retain a service-oriented HR team of four staff;
Support and encourage team to optimize processes and polices to continuously increase effectiveness and improve the employee experience;
Encourages and holds team accountable for collaborative, effective working relationships with other departments and colleagues.
Additional Functions:
Participate as a member of the Health & Safety, Emergency Preparedness, and Diversity Committees;
Participate as member of the Institutional Facilities Committee;
Respect and maintain confidentiality, parameters of operation, professional protocols, and individual privacy;
Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor or their designee.
Essential Characteristics:
Successful performance of this position demands consistent demonstration of the following characteristics:
Collaborating with colleagues and displaying team-oriented behaviors/competencies
Balancing strategic planning and operational excellence.
Data-driven decision making to positively support the College's mission.
Intellectual curiosity to assist in the building of effective relationships across the College resulting in positive problem solving.
Unwavering commitment to confidentiality, honesty and fairness.
Inspiring confidence and trust with all members of the community.
Delivering clear effective communication and takes responsibility for understanding others.
Communicating to and engaging all members of the community with empathy and authenticity.
Encouraging feedback and communication to ensure continuous quality improvement.
Identifying problems, obstacles and opportunities proactively and implementing decisive action appropriate.
Assessing needs and concerns of the workplace environment to address current or future challenges.
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in relevant area of study.
- 8-10 years of experience in an HR leadership role.
- Keen business acumen and sound judgement
- Experience driving and supporting major change initiatives.
- Experience in managing, negotiating, and implementing collective bargaining agreements.
- Innovative, highly driven leader with deep expertise in the broad Human Resources function.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's degree in business, Human Resources or other relevant areas of study or relevant life experiences.
