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Req #: 246452

Department: UW HUMAN RESOURCES

Job Location Detail: SEATTLE, WA

Posting Date: 05/28/2025

Closing Info:

Open Until Filled

Salary: $31,250 - $38,334 per month

Shift: First Shift

Notes:

As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. (https://hr.uw.edu/benefits/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/02/benefits-professional-staff-librarians-academic-contract-covered-exempt-20250130-a11y.pdf)

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The Vice President for UWHR (VPHR) is the senior HR leader at the University of Washington, responsible for setting the strategic vision for human resources and ensuring alignment with UW's academic and healthcare missions. Reporting to the President and serving as a key member of the President's Cabinet, the VPHR leads a team of approximately 250 HR professionals with a biennium budget of $60 million, supporting a workforce of over 56,000 employees across UW's three campuses and UW Medicine. UW employees fall into one of several employment programs, each with its own unique set of workplace rules and employee benefits. Over 28,000 staff and academic personnel are represented by 10 unions with 19 unique union contracts, soon to be 21 unique contracts with additional bargaining units being certified.

The VPHR oversees all aspects of human resources, including talent strategy, labor and employee relations, HR policy, total rewards, organizational effectiveness, and HR technology. The role requires an exceptional leader capable of balancing the diverse needs of a leading research university and a major academic medical center. The VPHR also serves on the Information & Technology Governance Committee and is the business owner for Workday HCM, ensuring HR technology supports institutional objectives. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of HR at one of the world's premier public universities.

The VPHR is responsible for overseeing approximately 250 HR professionals, including a leadership team of eight across the areas of HR Benefits, Analytics, and Information Systems, Compensation, Labor Relations, Campus HR Operations and Services, UW Medicine HR Operations, Total Talent Management, HR Policy and Workforce Strategy, and Employee Experience. They will be charged with leading a modern, strategic, and service-oriented human resources function that supports the University's academic and medical missions.

**To submit a nomination or express personal interest in this position, please see the Application Process section at the end of this document.** Apply here. (https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-washington/vice-president-human-resources) **DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES** _Leadership, Strategy, and Oversight_

As a trusted advisor to university leadership, the VPHR provides leadership, strategy, and oversight to the following key areas:

**Vision & Strategy:** Establish and drive a comprehensive HR strategy that aligns with the University's long-term goals, supports the new President’s vision, and fosters a high-performing, inclusive workplace.

**Workforce & Culture:** Develop initiatives that enhance recruitment, retention, and employee engagement across a diverse and complex workforce, ensuring a culture where all employees have the resources and support to achieve excellence.

**Labor & Employee Relations:** Oversee engagement with labor unions and guide strategies that support productive relationships while ensuring compliance with employment policies and regulations.

**HR Innovation & Technology:** Champion the use of HR data, analytics, and technology--including Workday HCM--to enhance decision-making and service delivery. Pilot and enable relevant AI-powered tools to enhance workplace productivity.

**Access & Workplace Excellence:** Cultivate a workplace where all employees have opportunities to contribute, grow, and excel, ensuring fair and transparent policies that support professional success.

**Organizational Effectiveness:** Strengthen HR's role as a strategic partner, ensuring agility in responding to evolving workforce needs and institutional priorities.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor's degree

10+ years professional experience, to include:

• Extensive experience leading human resources in a large, complex organization, ideally in higher education, healthcare, or public-sector HR.

• Proven ability to oversee strategic workforce planning, HR technology modernization, and talent management.

• Deep expertise in labor relations, compliance, and HR policy within a unionized environment.

• Strong understanding of process optimization and service delivery models within a shared services framework.

• Strong commitment to fostering a workplace culture where all employees can achieve their full potential.

• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to collaborate with executives, faculty, and diverse stakeholders.

• Experience balancing the needs of both academic and healthcare workforces.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.** **DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Juris Doctor (JD) highly preferred; advanced degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Law, or a related field preferred.

**APPLICATION PROCESS** **This search is being managed by Isaacson, Miller.** Nominations and inquiries can be directed to Rebecca Kennedy, Courtney Wilk-Mandel, Angelo Alexander, and Cara Meyers at [email protected]. To ensure consideration, applications must be submitted to the search firm's candidate portal. (https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-washington/vice-president-human-resources)

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.