Vice President, Human Resources
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI
Full-time
Human Resources
Posted on April 29, 2024
Vice President of Human Resources
The University of Rhode Island (URI) seeks an accomplished and visionary executive to serve as the inaugural Vice President of Human Resources to advance a people-centered strategy grounded in URI's strategic plan, Focus RI 2023-2033. This is a transformative opportunity to curate a culture that allows for faculty, staff, and students to thrive in realizing the institutional vision to "be a leading global research university that drives positive social, cultural, economic, and environmental change by contributing and instilling new knowledge to address the world's greatest challenges."
Located in the historic Village of Kingston, Rhode Island, URI is the state's flagship land- and sea-grant research institution. It is home to more than 17,600 students and an employee base of 3,239, including approximately 1,284 full and part-time faculty members, across an academic enterprise consisting of nine degree granting colleges that offer over 90 undergraduate degree programs and more than 100 graduate programs.
Since 2007, the University has invested more than $1 billion in campus capital projects and improvements with new facilities for chemistry and forensic science, pharmacy, life sciences, and communications. In September 2019, the University unveiled the new 182,000 square-foot $150 million Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering, which rivals any in the world. URI is a Division I NCAA member and belongs to the Atlantic 10 (A-10) Conference for all sports except football, which competes in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The Vice President of Human Resources (VPHR) will join the University at a time of significant momentum, with the recent establishment of a new Board of Trustees in 2020, the arrival of President Marc Parlange in 2021, and a ten-year strategic plan that is laser-focused on the institution broadening its impact, enhancing student achievement, fostering an inclusive culture, and powering the university of the future.
Reporting to the President and serving as a member of the President's Executive Council, the Vice President of Human resources is the principal steward of human capital and workplace effectiveness at URI, providing vision, leadership, best next-practice-based strategies, and management for repositioning human resources as a people-centered organization. The core of this charge is shaping a competitive and meaningful employee experience, modernizing and sophisticating the human resources organization, cultivating a sense of community, and elevating the strategic orientation and service delivery of human resources. Areas of opportunity to enhance the people experience, among others, include building capabilities within the human resources team to support the institution with workforce planning, career pathing, cohesive training managers, creating programs that support employee development and engagement, job satisfaction, recognition, and retention, succession planning, conflict resolution, compensation and classification, and onboarding. Thus, the VPHR will serve as an institutional change agent, crafting a culture of excellence and agility and improving URI's organizational capacity to change.
This is a unique opportunity for an ambitious and forward-thinking human resources executive to lead a workplace transformation and elevate the role that human resources plays within the community that will have a lasting impact on the University. The VPHR will operate with an inclusive lens that fosters a sense of belonging, ensuring all people on campus feel seen, valued, and recognized and generating a reputation as a destination employer where people are prioritized. The successful candidate will demonstrate a readiness to play a vital role as a member of the University's leadership team and take courageous action to support URI's vision and mission.
Demonstrated experience in a unionized environment will be critical to this role and a shared sense of compassion, empathy, and a sense of humor will also be key. A bachelor's degree and a minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in human resources or labor relations, including supervisory experience, in a complex environment is required. A master's degree in human resources or a related field, prior experience in an academic/research institution, and SHRM certification are preferred.
All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile, found at www.wittkieffer.com.
WittKieffer is assisting the University of Rhode Island in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by June 10, 2024.
Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer's candidate portal.
Nominations and inquiries can be directed to:
URIVPHR@wittkieffer.com
It is the policy of the University of Rhode Island not to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, color, creed, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship status, genetic information, marital status, aids/HIV and domestic abuse victim, homelessness or discriminate against disabled and Vietnam era veterans in the recruitment, admission or treatment of students, the recruitment, hiring or treatment of faculty and staff, and in the operation of its activities and programs, as specified by State and Federal Laws.
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