Description

THE POSITION’S ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND FUNCTIONS

The Director of Human Resources & People Engagement serves as the head of CIA’s HR function, leading day-to-day and strategic HR operations, and partnering with senior leadership to support employees across Cleveland Institute of Art. Reporting to the VP of Business Affairs, the Director is responsible for talent acquisition, total compensation administration, HR compliance, policy development, employee relations, and people-centered culture and belonging initiatives in alignment with CIA’s mission and values.

This role acts as the hub for “people operations” that tie culture-related work together, in collaboration with the President’s Cabinet. The Director of HR and People Engagement serves as the staff leader for the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity Awareness) Council, and also coordinates employee engagement initiatives that help employees feel respected, valued, and empowered to contribute to CIA’s mission. The Director collaborates closely with Academic Affairs to support HR processes related to faculty recruitment, onboarding and offboarding, grievance and problem resolution, and other procedures in alignment with the Faculty Bylaws.

Requirements

The successful candidate will be an accomplished HR generalist with broad functional capability, the ability to lead a small team, and a track record of partnering effectively with senior leadership. They will bring systems-level thinking, strong communication skills, and the capacity to translate HR strategy into practical processes that support workforce planning, talent development, and a positive employee experience.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive HR generalist experience, including experience providing direct HR counsel to leaders and supervisors.
• Strong working knowledge of federal and state employment laws and HR compliance requirements in a higher education or nonprofit context, including FLSA, FMLA, Affordable Care Act, and related regulations.
• Demonstrated experience in employee relations, recruitment, compensation/benefits administration, and policy development.
• Supervisory experience, and ability to successfully manage a team.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education and/or nonprofit organizations.
• HR certification (e.g., PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP).
• Experience with HRIS systems (Jenzabar or similar) and comfort with leveraging data and technology to improve HR processes.

Critical Leadership Competencies and Personal Attributes:

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, with a high degree of emotional intelligence and discretion.
• Ability to incorporate systems-level thinking and holistic problem solving at the organizational level.
• Collaboration: able to form positive and productive working relationships.