Montclair State University seeks a visionary and transformational senior-level human resources leader to serve as its next chief human resources officer (CHRO). The CHRO will be an influential leader who will report to the chief operating officer (COO) of the University and collaborate with the COO, president, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs and vice presidents of the University in weekly meetings.
The CHRO provides comprehensive support and strategic guidance to a university of more than 7,000 employees across its two campuses. Above all, the CHRO prioritizes collaborative relationship-building with union leaders, union members, faculty, staff, peers and leadership across campus. Extensive experience in building friendly union relationships, and leading successful labor negotiations is required. The Montclair human resources team will have an inviting, approachable and customer-focused reputation. The team will be the genesis point for a cohesive culture that prioritizes clear communication and trust, permeating campus wide.
Overview of the Position
The chief human resources officer (CHRO) is a pivotal executive leadership role within the University, responsible for spearheading human resources (HR) strategies, employee success initiatives, and forward-thinking HR practices. Reporting directly to the chief operating officer, the CHRO will be a change agent who will carefully architect, promote, and execute the vision for HR to align with Montclair’s strategic objectives, fostering an environment of employee engagement, organizational development; and operational excellence.
The new CHRO will have three key priorities crucial to success, all centered around careful relationship cultivation. Overall, the CHRO will instill a welcoming and friendly culture within the HR team focused on warmth, genuine patience, and responsiveness, prioritizing clear and concise policy communication.
Firstly, fostering strong relationships with union leads, union members and staff is paramount. A client-centered approach will ensure a solid foundation for any potential future amicable renegotiation of union contracts. In all interactions with the CHRO team, whether small or large, the importance will be on relationship-building, even in communication surrounding standard contract updates. Each touch point and interaction, at any level is an opportunity to build trusting collaboration. This customer-service approach will guide interactions with union management, portraying the CHRO and each of their human resources team members as an approachable, accessible, and effective leader and motivator.
Effective partnership with faculty, the provost, and deans on academic matters is essential. The CHRO will prioritize working efficiently on all academic-related issues, ensuring cohesive communication efforts with faculty members.
Lastly, collaboration with Montclair vice presidents and each of their departments is crucial for fostering a united and supportive leadership culture across the campus. All of these intertwining priorities underscore the importance at Montclair of building strong relationships among leadership teams across campus to ensure success. The human resources department will be well-coordinated and unified, working together towards common goals and objectives. Cohesion leads to greater efficiency, effectiveness, and success in achieving strategic synergistic outcomes.
The ideal candidate will be an employee-focused leader with extensive experience in human resources management, talent development, workplace innovation, employee engagement strategies, managing growth and implementing new practices within diverse employee groups. This includes expertise in developing effective HR programs, enhancing employee retention and development, pioneering groundbreaking workplace practices, and leveraging data-driven insights for strategic decision-making.
Montclair utilizes Workday Enterprise Management Cloud as the tool and platform to ensure smooth communications across the Human Resources department and Finance team. Critical to success will be the CHRO’s ability to maximize all that Workday has to offer. This will include streamlining common staff interactions with HR and other procedures and processes across campus.
The CHRO will oversee staff in the following departments:
- Talent Acquisition
- Benefits
- Classification and Compensation
- Payroll
- Employee and Labor Relations
- HR Business Systems (Workday)
- Learning, Development, and Performance
For a more detailed outline of the organization structure please visit: https://www.montclair.edu/human-resources/contact-us/human-resources-staff-directory/
Additional duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Strategic Leadership and Vision: Provide strategic leadership and vision in developing comprehensive HR strategies that support Montclair’s objectives. This includes reimagining HR practices to meet future organizational needs, driving organizational culture initiatives, and ensuring alignment across all HR functions.
- Talent Management and Development: Develop and implement forward-thinking talent management strategies to attract, retain, and develop top talent. Overseeing recruitment, performance management, leadership development, and succession planning processes to build a high-performing, diverse workforce will be priorities.
- Employee Engagement and Culture: Champion initiatives that enhance employee engagement, foster a positive work environment, and promote a culture of inclusivity, respect, and collaboration. Act as a key driver in organizational culture initiatives, ensuring that HR practices support an environment where employees feel valued and motivated. Work with the HR leadership team and General Counsel to lead labor management discussions, negotiate collective bargaining agreements, and serve as an open-minded decision maker in union grievances.
- Workplace Innovation and Employee Success: Lead the creation and implementation of visionary HR practices and programs aimed at enhancing employee satisfaction, productivity, and well-being. This includes overseeing benefits and compensation structures, work-life balance programs, and wellness initiatives.
- Operational Excellence and HR Infrastructure: Evaluate and enhance HR operational efficiencies through process improvements, technology adoption, and policy development. Ensure the HR infrastructure is robust, agile, and capable of supporting the organization’s growth and complexity.
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB): In partnership with the Inclusive Excellence and Institutional Equity team, drive DEIB initiatives to ensure an equitable and inclusive workplace where all employees have the opportunity to succeed. Develop strategies and programs that promote diversity and inclusion across all levels.
- Collaboration and Communication: Work closely with senior leadership, faculty, unions, peers, managers, and employees to foster open communication and collaboration. Serve as a trusted advisor on HR issues, providing guidance and support to ensure alignment with the University’s goals and employee needs.
- Compliance and Risk Management: Ensure compliance with all labor, employment, and benefits laws and regulations. Implement risk management strategies related to human resources, safeguarding the University and its employees.
Professional Qualifications and Personal Qualities
Required Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Psychology, or related field
- Prior experience as CHRO/CPO, vice president of Human Resources, or true “number two”
in a similar leadership role - 7-10+ years of experience in an HR-related function
- Proven success prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in hiring, training, and culture development
- Experience leading amicable labor management discussions, negotiations, and implementation of Collective Bargaining Agreements and managing grievances
- Record of success in creatively enhancing institutional processes, optimizing communication channels, and adeptly eliminating bureaucratic obstacles
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, especially in working collaboratively with the executive team
- Strong organizational, problem-solving, and project management skills, with a focus on
continuously improving the team - Creative mindset in motivating employees and developing best people practices
- Prior experience with advanced human resources technology and software, including vetting and selecting vendor partners for the institution
- Managing employee-related KPI (key performance indicator) tracking that can be effectively
communicated to all leaders
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree
- Senior human resources experience at a similar size public university
- Depth of knowledge and experience adhering to both federal and state laws relating to higher education
- Experience in hiring and talent acquisition in a global environment
- Active affiliation with a broad range of professional networks and organizations and
ongoing community involvement - Candidates with the following certifications are preferred: SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), or Senior Professional in HR (SPHR)
- Strong organizational awareness and a proven ability to learn and navigate the decision-making structures within a complex organization