Senior Director of Human Resources and People Strategy

The Senior Director of Human Resources and People Strategy serves as the senior HR advisor and strategic partner for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, providing leadership across workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, compensation and classification, and complex employee and labor relations. Reporting to the Executive Director of Finance and Administration, the Senior Director partners with the Dean, School leadership, and institutional partners to develop people strategies that advance the School's education, research, clinical, community engagement, and administrative missions.

Operating within a complex academic, clinical, and research environment, the Senior Director advises leaders on workforce planning, organizational design and change, compensation, employee and labor relations, talent and retention strategies, and HR risk mitigation. The position anticipates workforce needs, develops solutions to complex issues, and leads initiatives that strengthen organizational effectiveness and the employee experience.

The Senior Director serves as the School's primary strategic HR partner to Central Campus Human Resources and collaborates with Academic Personnel, Labor Relations, Compensation, Legal, Compliance, and other institutional partners to ensure effective and consistent HR practices. The position also provides oversight, direction, coaching, and development to HR professionals, establishes HR priorities and process improvements, and promotes effective resource stewardship and HR data integrity.

Apply By Date: September 25, 2026, at 11:59 PM

Minimum Qualifications - For full consideration, applicants are encouraged to upload a license and/or certification if required for the position.

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, public administration, organizational development, higher education administration, labor relations, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, experience, and training.
• Progressively responsible experience leading HR functions in a complex organization, including experience managing professional staff, subordinate supervisors, analysts, work plans, resources, methods, and outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience advising senior leaders, managers, supervisors, and administrators on HR strategy, policy interpretation, employee relations, compensation, classification, workforce planning, positional design, and reporting relationship assessment.
• Significant experience managing complex employee and labor relations matters, including performance management, corrective action, grievances, complaints, investigations, labor contract interpretation, conflict resolution, layoffs, reorganizations, and sensitive workplace issues.
• Experience with compensation and classification strategy for staff and/or academic employees, including salary administration, equity analysis, classification review, job description development, reclassification, salary setting, retention actions, and policy-compliant compensation recommendations.
• Experience supporting academic HR or comparable complex professional employment structures, including personnel actions, recruitment and retention issues, appointment processes, advancement or promotion processes, compensation administration, and records management.
• Advanced knowledge of complex personnel policies, compensation practices, classification processes, academic HR policies, employment standards, labor contracts, statutes, and related procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional strategic plans, goals, objectives, work plans, service models, HR metrics, internal controls, and process improvements for an HR unit or major HR program.
• Strong understanding of organizational structures, reporting relationships, position design, FTE planning, resource allocation, staffing models, and the responsibilities of academic, administrative, clinical, research, and operational units.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-departmental initiatives, project teams, organizational change efforts, process improvements, and workforce initiatives and cross-functional projects.
• Knowledge of HR systems, personnel databases, position management tools, reporting systems, records management requirements, and data integrity practices.
• Ability to use data, metrics, trend analysis, and workforce analytics to identify issues, develop recommendations, support decisions, and evaluate HR outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to develop creative, practical, and policy-compliant solutions to complex problems, including issues with limited precedent.
• Strong decision-making, analytical, problem-solving, critical thinking, resource management, consultation, negotiation, mediation, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation, writing, coaching, facilitation, influence, and relationship-management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships across decentralized and central administrative structures and to balance local operational needs with broader institutional policy and strategy.
• Demonstrated commitment to confidentiality, sound judgment, equity, inclusion, affirmative action/equal opportunity principles, respectful workplace practices, and ethical stewardship of employee information.

Preferred Qualifications

• Senior HR certification such as SHRM-SCP, SPHR, IPMA-SCP, CCP, CEBS, or other relevant professional certifications.
• Advanced degree in human resources, business administration, public administration, organizational development, labor relations, law, higher education administration, or a related field.
• Experience in a university, academic health system, health sciences school, medical center, school of nursing, or similarly complex academic, clinical, and research-focused environment.
• Experience working within a centralized/decentralized HR model and partnering with Central HR, Academic Personnel, Compensation, Labor Relations, Legal, Compliance, Payroll, Benefits, and HR systems teams.
• Experience supporting represented employees and interpreting collective bargaining agreements in a public-sector, university, health system, or unionized environment.
• Experience with staff compensation and classification in a large institution, including position design, career architecture, pay equity, job families, salary structures, reclassification, and organizational hierarchy.
• Experience leading workforce planning in environments with multiple funding sources, including state funds, grants, contracts, philanthropy, clinical revenue, research funding, or project-based staffing models.
• Experience advising leaders on reorganizations, layoffs, growth planning, succession planning, retention strategies, management development, employee engagement, and organizational development.
• Experience developing HR dashboards, workforce models, compensation analyses, employee relations trend reports, and data-informed recommendations for leadership.
• Experience implementing new HR policies, systems, programs, service models, or workforce initiatives in partnership with central HR or institutional leadership.
• Advanced knowledge of academic personnel policies, faculty and academic appointee compensation, academic appointment processes, non-senate academic employee matters, faculty review processes, academic advancement, faculty equity, faculty welfare, and academic HR records.

Key Responsibilities

• 40% - Strategic Workforce Planning, HR Programs, and Organizational Effectiveness
• 30% - Academic and Staff Compensation and Classification Strategy
• 30% - Employee and Labor Relations

Department Overview

The School of Nursing operates in a complex academic, clinical, and research-focused environment that requires HR strategies tailored to faculty, academic appointees, staff, represented and non-represented employees, grant-funded teams, research operations, clinical partnerships, and evolving institutional priorities. The Sr. Director provides workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, compensation equity, employee engagement, performance excellence, compliance, retention, and leadership capability across School objectives.

POSITION INFORMATION

• Salary or Pay Range: $8,775.00 - $17,375.00
• Salary Frequency: Monthly
• Salary Grade: 25
• UC Job Title: ACAD HR MGR 1
• UC Job Code: 000594
• Number of Positions: 1
• Appointment Type: Career
• Percentage of Time: 100% Full-time
• Shift (Work Schedule): Monday-Friday (8 AM-5 PM)
• Location: Betty Irene Moore Hall, Sacramento, CA
• Union Representation: Non-Represented (PPSM)
• Benefits Eligible: Yes
• This position is hybrid (mix of on-site and remote work)

Benefits

Outstanding benefits and perks are among the many rewards of working for the University of California. UC Davis offers a full range of benefits, resources, and programs to help you bring your best self to work, as well as to help you and your family achieve your health, wellness, financial, and career goals. Learn more about the benefits below and eligibility by visiting the UCnet Benefits Page or Benefits Summary for UC Davis Health Employees or Benefits Summary for UC Davis Employees.

• High quality and low-cost medical plans to choose from to fit your family's needs
• UC pays for dental and vision coverage for you and your family
• Retirement plans for eligible employees including Pension and other Retirement Saving Plans
• Supplemental insurance offered including additional life, short/long term disability, pet insurance, legal coverage, accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity
• Pregnancy and Parental Leave, Family & Medical Leave, Adoption Assistance and Pay for Family Care and Bonding for eligible employees
• Lactation Support Program and Family Care discounts and resources
• Employee Well-being resources and programming to support thriving in all aspects of employee's lives
• On-site Employee Assistance Program including access to free mental health services
• Generous amount of paid Holidays annually as outlined in the UC Policies or Collective Bargaining Agreements
• Paid Time Off/Vacation/Sick Time as outlined in the UC Policies or Collective Bargaining Agreements
• Continuing Education (CE) allowance and Staff Education Reimbursement Program for eligible employees
• Access to free professional development courses and learning opportunities for personal and professional growth
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer and Student Loan Debt Counseling Program for eligible employees

Physical Demands

• Standing - Occasional Up to 3 Hours
• Walking - Occasional Up to 3 Hours
• Sitting - Frequent 3 to 6 Hours
• Lifting/Carrying 0-25 Lbs - Occasional Up to 3 Hours
• Pushing/Pulling 0-25 Lbs - Occasional Up to 3 Hours
• Bending/Stooping - Occasional Up to 3 Hours
• Squatting/Kneeling - Occasional Up to 3 Hours
• Twisting - Occasional Up to 3 Hours
• Reaching overhead - Occasional Up to 3 Hours
• Keyboard use/repetitive motion - Frequent 3 to 6 Hours

Mental Demands

• Sustained attention and concentration - Frequent 3 to 6 Hours
• Complex problem solving/reasoning - Occasional Up to 3 Hours
• Ability to organize & prioritize - Frequent 3 to 6 Hours
• Communication skills - Frequent 3 to 6 Hours
• Numerical skills - Occasional Up to 3 Hours
• Constant Interaction - Frequent 3 to 6 Hours
• Customer/Patient Contact - Frequent 3 to 6 Hours
• Multiple Concurrent Tasks - Frequent 3 to 6 Hours

Work Environment

• UC Davis is a smoke- and tobacco-free campus effective January 1, 2014. Smoking, the use of smokeless tobacco products, and the use of unregulated nicotine products (e-cigarettes) will be strictly prohibited on any UC Davis owned or leased property, indoors and outdoors, including parking lots and residential space.

Special Requirements - Please contact your recruiter with questions regarding which activities apply by position.

• This is a critical position, as defined by UC Policy and local procedures, and as such, employment is contingent upon clearing a criminal background check(s) and may include drug screening, medical evaluation clearance, and functional capacity assessment
• This position is designated as a mandated reporter under CANRA and UC policy, and employment is contingent on compliance with applicable policies, procedures, and training requirements

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

A Culture of Opportunity and Belonging

At UC Davis, we're committed to solving life's most urgent challenges and building a healthier, more resilient world. We believe in growing through every challenge, continually striving to improve, and welcoming new perspectives that strengthen our community. We recognize that a vibrant and innovative organization values both individual strengths and shared purpose. The best ideas often emerge when people with different experiences come together.

As you consider joining UC Davis, we invite you to explore our Principles of Community, our Clinical Strategic Plan and strategic vision for research and education. We believe you belong here. The University of California, Davis is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.

To view the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination

Because we want you to feel seen and valued, our recruitment process at UC Davis supports openness and authenticity. Research shows that some individuals hesitate to apply unless they meet every qualification. You may be an excellent fit for this role-or the next one. We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't match every listed requirement. #YouBelongHere #CA-DS

To learn more about our background check program, please visit: https://hr.ucdavis.edu/departments/recruitment/ucd/selection/background-checks