People & Culture Business Partner – Director, Academics

The People & Culture Business Partner – Director, Academics role will lead people & culture business initiatives within Advocate Health academics, including Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Health Professions, the National Center for Clinical Trials, and Clinical Training/GME.  This role will be responsible for driving business objectives and serve as a trusted advisor to academic leaders on people & culture strategy issues, designing long-term business solutions in partnership with academic leaders.  The People & Culture Business Partner –  Director, Academics will serve as a consultant to academic leaders on business related issues, leveraging a solid grounding in people & culture programs and practices and business literacy about the business unit’s financial position, its mid and long-range plans, culture, competition and its customers. The People & Culture Business Partner –  Director, Academics will develop integrated solutions by communicating needs proactively within people & culture and academic leaders they support. This role will partner across the people & culture function to deliver value added service to management that reflect the business objectives of the organization and acts as an academic champion and change agent. Assesses and anticipates business needs requiring Human Capital Management (HCM) related solutions.

Major Responsibilities:

• ​​​​​​Acts as a People & Culture business partner to assigned academic leaders, functioning as a consultant on business and people & culture related matters. Utilizes a strong grasp of organizational expectations and culture, translating the brand in how people & culture services are delivered. ​
• ​​Guides both short and long-term decisions within academics, utilizing knowledge of workforce planning and development with sound succession planning processes and programs. Provides guidance and support for refining or developing new organizational design and implementation of restructures. – Researches and analyzes trends and metrics in partnership with people & culture centers of expertise, leading to the development of sound people & culture solutions, programs and policies to help leaders meet business challenges.​ 
• Researches and develops creative and innovative ideas and solutions that will help academic leaders meet objectives utilizing depth of knowledge and expertise in people & culture and organizational strategies. 
• ​​Provides effective performance management guidance to leadership (coaching, counseling, career development, corrective action, discharge) which serves to drive academic results. Effectively coaches leaders on how their actions reflect and drive the culture and weave cultural standards into practices and processes.​  
• ​​Provides a balance of the ability to appropriately challenge leaders, while maintaining strong partnership and relationships with academic leaders, applying a high degree of confidence and expertise as an advanced people & culture leader.​  
• Maintains an in-depth knowledge of policies, procedures and legal requirements, mitigating risk and ensuring compliance. 
• ​​Designs and delivers broad learning to leaders to build capability in alignment to key people & culture priorities, initiatives and capability building efforts. ​  
• ​​Serves as a liaison between people & culture operations and the academics.​ 

 License/Registration/Certification Required: 

• None Required. SHRM-CP, -SCP, PHR or SPHR preferred​.

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources or related field.

Experience Requirements:

• ​ 7 years of experience in with progressive responsibilities and demonstrated organization strategy activity, development consulting, partnering on complex employee relation issues, and developing, facilitating and leading human resources functions.  
• Experience in academic medicine preferred. 
• Experience working in a complex academic or health care organization is a plus.
• 3 years of management experience in strategic planning, directing and leading comprehensive human resources functions within a complex organization. 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

• ​​​​Demonstrates advanced consulting skills and ability to effectively develop, implement and apply organizational strategies to address complex business challenges including change/succession management, workforce planning, leadership development and organization design.​ 
• ​​Advanced knowledge and expertise of multiple human resource disciplines and business practices including compensation practices, organizational diagnosis, employee/union relations, diversity, performance management, regulatory compliance, and employment laws. 
• Demonstrated leadership and excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills. Ability to build/foster strong trusting relationships, influence leaders, use negotiation skills and develop solutions to achieve results. Ability to advise leaders on how to successfully lead people through change.​ 
• ​​Acute analytical ability and business, industry, and financial acumen; understands the role caregivers and leaders play in driving financial performance.​ 
• ​​Must be self-directed, self-motivated, and flexible. 
• Ability to take initiative to identify and anticipate client needs and effectively manage multiple conflicting priorities and deadlines.   
• ​​Expert in in the use of data, evidence-based research, benchmarks, people & culture and business metrics for critical decisioning. ​