Academic Career & Executive Search is pleased to assist Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System in their search for a highly accomplished Vice President for Human Resources.

The Vice President position offers a rewarding opportunity for a collaborative, solutions driven human resources professional. This is a critical role in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System called upon to redesign existing systems and processes for over 10,000 employees of the State’s system office and seventeen colleges and universities and provide transformational leadership in the design, development, and implementation of new system-wide human resource policies and practices to meet the needs of the newly developed community college system.

This is a critical role carrying full responsibility for the vision, leadership and administration of system-wide human resources, labor relations and employee relations programs. The Vice President also ensures HR operations are delivered in a uniformly high quality, efficient and law/regulation/policy compliant manner across the CSCU System.

The ideal candidate is an accomplished human resources executive with a comprehensive background in public sector/higher education human resources, experience in labor relations and change management. This position requires an excellent listener, willing to work across channels to promote strong, working relationships with constituents across the System as well as in labor relations. The ideal candidate is transparent, diplomatic and an excellent communicator, able to clearly convey and disseminate information across the System.

The Vice President of Human Resources position reports directly to the CSCU President and offers excellent benefits.

Located at the System's central office, the position supports the CSCU President, college and university leadership, and the Board of Regents in meeting organizational and employee needs for human resource solutions that support and further the CSCU mission for the System. The position influences system-wide classified and unclassified personnel services for over 10,000 employees and expenses of approximately $955 million annually.

The position directly supervises the Director of HR Administration, Labor Relations Associate and Manager of Inclusion and Diversity in the System Office and provides technical assistance to Chief HR Directors at the twelve community colleges, Charter Oak State College and Chief HR Officers at the four state universities and Charter Oak State College.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

1. Develop strategic and effective initiatives for enhancing the capabilities of the CSCU System's workforce at all levels and in all occupational groups toward achievement of the System's academic mission and educational strategies.

2. Create and develop constructive relationships with key representatives of collective bargaining units on behalf of the CSCU System through which legitimate rights of all employees are respected and protected. These relationships contribute to a harmonious joint effort to simultaneously achieve positive accomplishments by the workforce in concert with achieving the CSCU System's mission.

3. Develop, recommend and implement programs, policies and procedures to assist in the effective management of each institution's human resources and labor relations practices. This includes such actions as taking (or identifying) positive and pro-active steps to enhance employer­ employee relations as well as determining the impact and application of legislation and regulations and advising managers on proper action for compliance.

4. Provide effective labor relations services for the System and its institutions. Provide effective representation of the interests of the CSCU System and its workforce in matters such as grievances at all steps of the grievance process, including arbitration, unfair labor practice complaint hearings, and other administrative hearings, as well as to serve as a reliable witness in legal proceedings. This duty also includes assisting managers in related matters such as proper treatment of discipline cases and case preparations. This accountability includes researching and writing or directing the preparation of arbitration briefs and other administrative documents.

5. Conduct fair, effective and efficient labor contract and related negotiations, with collective bargaining units which represent members of the System's workforce toward achieving the System's academic mission and educational strategies.

6. Oversee System-wide office human resource, affirmative action and equal opportunity programs administration. Manage and develop a Human Resources and Labor Relations staff with the objective of providing sound and effective human resources management and labor relations programs and policies for optimizing the constructive utilization of the System's workforce.

7. Represent the agency before the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), review empirical information, conduct necessary interviews, and draw appropriate conclusions in response to complaints filed, communicate with CHRO throughout the CHRO complaint process and assist in the development of the agency's legal position concerning the complaint.

8. Provide ongoing direction to the development of sound human resource management policies and practices through ongoing research, training, and assessment of current issues and emerging needs of practitioners for meeting future human resource requirements of the System.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of a Master's degree in human resource or labor relations management, public administration, organizational behavior or a related field.

• No less than seven years of related human resource and labor relations management experience in a public or private institution of higher education at a managerial level.

or

• A combination of education, training and experience, which would lead to the competencies required for successful performance of the position's essential duties.

• Demonstrated ability to carry out the full range of professional human resource and labor relations management functions in a public institution of higher education.

• Demonstrated ability to understand, interpret, apply and advise on complex laws and regulations affecting human resource management, labor relations, and related fields such as insurance and workers compensation.

• Demonstrated ability to conduct strategic management and provide leadership and direction to diverse groups, as well as to advise managers and counsel employees in employment-related matters.

• Demonstrated ability to conduct effective hearings, presentations and negotiations on sensitive and contested labor relations issues.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a diverse public higher education system, that includes collective bargaining agreements for faculty, non-teaching professional and classified personnel.

About Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU)

The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) are a system of 17 public colleges and universities across Connecticut, under the governing authority of the Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR). There are three constituent units of CSCU: the four Connecticut state universities (CSU), the 12 Connecticut community colleges (CCC), and Charter Oak State College (COSC). As of the fall 2018 semester, the system serves more than 140,000 undergraduate and graduate students through noncredit, certificate, and degree programs.
 

Notice of Nondiscrimination

The CSCU System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of intellectual disability, learning disability or physical disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or criminal record.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Leah Glende, Manager of Diversity & Inclusion, 61 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT 06105, 860-723-0727, or by email at LGlende@commnet.edu.
 

The CSCU System is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans.

To Apply: Applications will be reviewed as they are received and should include a cover letter and CV.