Description

The National Director of People and Culture serves as the chief architect of the University’s human capital strategy, providing visionary leadership for all people-related functions that shape organizational excellence. Reporting to the VP of Finance and Business Affairs, the National Director is the senior-most executive
responsible for guiding the University’s entire People and Culture enterprise, defining and driving a comprehensive strategy across all campuses and states, and holds final decision authority for the function - including university-wide policy, the employee handbook, compliance frameworks, the compensation and
benefits framework, People and Culture systems governance, and the institutional People and Culture budget and vendor strategy.

The National Director leads the People and Culture department, in part, through direct supervision of the Director of People and Culture, who is responsible for operational execution and administration. The National Director holds overall accountability for People and Culture staff across all campuses, while also providing leadership and project oversight to external HR vendors, consultants, and cross-functional project teams.

Operating across a multi-state environment, the National Director serves as primary advisor to the President’s Cabinet and executive leadership on complex employment matters. They will champion a people-first, mission-aligned approach - advancing strategies that elevate employee experience, strengthen institutional capability, and cultivate a high-performing, values-driven culture that enables the University’s long-term strategic vision.

As an expanding, multi-campus institution, the National Director of People and Culture will manage a staff of 4 and support 235 full-time and 270 part-time employees, a third of whom work remotely from multiple locations. This role ensures enterprise-wide consistency, compliance, and operational rigor while advising executive leadership on complex employment matters, organizational effectiveness, and culture transformation.

Remote Opportunity: This position will require building strong relationships across the campus and nationally. Candidates for this position will have the option to work on campus, hybrid, or in a fully remote capacity. Travel to the main campus in Whittier and to future learning sites to build relationships and attend key events and meetings is expected. Travel costs will be budgeted for and covered by the University.

Duties and Responsibilities – Your Mission:

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Development

• Recommends to Cabinet and owns enterprise People and Culture strategy across all campuses and states, ensuring policies, programs, and practices align with institutional goals and values.
• Serves as primary advisor to the President’s Cabinet and executive leadership on employee engagement, remote work, workforce planning, and organizational design.
• Sets direction for institutional efforts to enhance culture, inclusion, performance, and leadership capability across all campuses and departments.
• Defines the institutional strategy and organizational design for People and Culture across multiple campuses and states.
• Directs and gives final approval to university-wide employment policies, the employee handbook, and compliance frameworks.
• Owns the relationship with external employment counsel and HR advisors, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, including wage-hour, ADA, FMLA, and multi-state regulations.
• Sets direction for people operations and organizational readiness to support institutional growth and transformation initiatives.
• In partnership with the Chief Whole Health Officer, sets direction for incorporating whole health concepts across the employment lifecycle, including onboarding, retention, compensation, evaluation, and rewards systems.

Talent Management and Workforce Planning

• Sets hiring strategy and standards for staff, faculty, and leadership roles, ensuring consistency, equity, and compliance throughout the hiring process, and personally leads senior leadership searches while attracting the best and brightest faculty and staff.
• Owns workforce planning and position control direction in partnership with senior leadership to support growth, strategic priorities, and organizational sustainability.
• Establishes standards for onboarding and new hire integration, ensuring engagement, preparedness, and alignment with institutional culture.
• Defines institutional expectations for workforce development, leadership pipelines, and succession planning.

Compensation, Benefits, and HR Systems

• Recommends to Cabinet the University’s compensation framework and owns total-rewards direction and market positioning, ensuring pay practices are competitive, fair, and compliant. Ensures that compensation is positioned to attract the best and brightest faculty and staff.
• Recommends to Cabinet the University’s benefits structure, ensuring benefits are competitive, fair, and compliant. Ensures that benefits are positioned to attract the best and brightest faculty and staff.
• Owns the institutional People and Culture budget and vendor strategy, including relationships with benefits brokers and other external partners, to optimize offerings, ensure compliance, and improve cost efficiency.
• Owns People and Culture systems governance and technology strategy, ensuring accurate reporting, system efficiency, and effective employee experiences.
• Recommends to Cabinet total rewards and pay equity analysis and advises executive leadership on emerging needs and trends.

Employee Relations and Performance Management

• In coordination with the Director of Compliance and Legal Affairs, makes recommendations for disposition on escalated, high-risk, or potentially litigious employee relations matters, investigations, and separations.
• Establishes standards for consistent, transparent, and legally compliant employee relations practices across the University.
• Sets direction for staff training and supervisor development and partners with Academic Affairs on faculty development.
• Recommends to Cabinet the design and institutional expectations of the performance management program, connecting employee performance with development opportunities and institutional objectives.
• Sets direction for initiatives that foster communication, collaboration, accountability, and mutual respect among the workforce.

Compliance, Reporting, and Data Governance

• Holds institutional accountability for EEO-1, IPEDS, ACA, and other required federal and state filings, and reviews filings prepared by the Director of People and Culture.
• Establishes standards for compliance with multi-state employment laws, data privacy, and institutional documentation protocols.
• Defines the strategic reporting and analytics provided to executive leadership, aiding decision-making with precise and prompt workforce data.
• Governs vendor and system compliance for HRIS integrations, leave management, and employee recordkeeping.

Institutional Collaboration and Representation

• Serves as Administrator Sponsor for the Staff Senate, Employee Engagement Committee, and SCU Values Advisory Board.
• Represents People and Culture on institutional committees, strategic initiatives, and cross-functional task forces.
• Sets direction for people-centered programs that boost engagement, retention, and organizational effectiveness, in partnership with university leaders.
• Aligns People and Culture strategy with institutional priorities and long-term sustainability in partnership with executive and academic leadership.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or Organizational Leadership preferred.
• Approximately ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in human resources, including at least six (6) years in a senior leadership role with enterprise or multi-site accountability and demonstrated experience supervising HR leaders.
• Professional in Human Resources (PHR/SPHR) or SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP preferred.
• Experience managing HR operations in multi-state or higher education environments is strongly preferred.

Desired Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute enterprise-wide HR strategies that support growth, compliance, and culture.
• Strong working knowledge of multi-state employment law, HR systems, and process automation.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills with the ability to build partnerships at all organizational levels.
• High level of discretion, integrity, and judgment in handling confidential information and complex employee matters.

WHY CONSIDER THE OPPORTUNITY

• Inaugural National Leadership. This inaugural role will provide national-level leadership syncing SCU’s strategic expansion across locations for an employee base that is a mix of on-site and virtual employees. The University has had remarkable growth, particularly unique in the current higher education landscape, while maintaining its mission of health care innovation through collaboration and defying silos.
• Culture. The University has a collaborative, supportive and collegial environment. An Honor Roll recipient of the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Best Places to Work, SCU has built a community of shared respect and welcomes a diversity of ideas, beliefs, and cultures, creating the cornerstone of an engaging and
  thriving academic culture.
• Location flexibility. With the flexibility to choose whether to work remotely, hybrid, or on-site, this position lends itself to a unique blend of educating with a mission and maintaining a high quality of worklife.
• Generous time off. Exceptional vacation and paid time off include national holidays, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, 3 floating holidays, 2 paid community service days, 96 hours of sick leave, and 4 weeks of paid vacation time.
• Benefits. Health care plans are paid 100% for employees. Options to enroll family members are available at a reasonable cost.

PROCEDURE FOR CANDIDACY

Confidential review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled; parties who apply by November 8, 2026 will be given first consideration. Please submit a PDF version of your resume and cover letter outlining your interest and suitability for this position.

To apply online go to
https://theapplicantmanager.com/jobs?pos=su535

For more information please contact:

Andrea Martinez
Senior Consultant
Summit Search Solutions, Inc.
Direct: (919) 357-8766
amartinez@summitsearchsolutions.com

Salary Range: The broad range is $160,000 to $180,000. This is a newly created position and, as such,
compensation will reflect the individual’s depth of knowledge and experience.