Director, Employee Experience

Reporting directly to the Interim Vice President for Talent, Culture, and Human Resources, the Director of Employee Experience is a strategic and hands-on leader dedicated to strengthening leadership effectiveness, manager capability, employee relations, and overall organizational health across campus.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness: Align institutional priorities with HR execution by strengthening leadership effectiveness, manager capabilities, and organizational health. Leverage workforce, engagement, and performance data to identify trends, resolve organizational challenges, clarify roles, and facilitate difficult conversations across academic and administrative departments. Balance long-term strategic initiatives (change management, strategic planning, culture building) with day-to-day operational demands of a responsive HR function.
• Employee Relations and Workplace Investigations: Serve as the senior employee relations practitioner and trusted advisor on complex workplace issues. Conduct impartial, thorough, and confidential investigations into misconduct, harassment, discrimination, and policy violations, including planning, interviews, evidence assessment, documentation, and recommendations. Coach leaders through performance concerns, workplace conflict, and corrective action. Facilitate conflict resolution and restorative conversations while partnering with the Vice President, General Counsel, and Deputy Title IX Coordinator on high-risk institutional matters. Analyze employee relations data to identify systemic patterns, mitigate organizational risk, and recommend policy enhancements, education, and strategic interventions.
• Leadership Effectiveness: Drive manager capability, accountability, and organizational performance through direct executive coaching, leadership consultation, and practical resource development. Oversee leadership development, including onboarding, manager education, and succession planning. Continuously evaluate and refine leadership programming using institutional outcomes, performance trends, and organizational feedback.
• Performance Development and Manager Accountability: Lead Bucknell's performance development strategy to drive an equitable, consistent, and growth-focused evaluation process. Develop practical tools for continuous feedback, coaching, and accountability. Coach managers on setting expectations, documenting performance, delivering feedback, and implementing performance improvement plans or corrective actions. Monitor the quality and consistency of performance activities to identify recurring manager capability gaps and deploy targeted interventions.
• Learning, Development, and Community Engagement: Provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for talent, culture, and engagement initiatives. Lead manager and leadership development alongside comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff. Ensure seamless new employee orientation and onboarding. Direct employee engagement, community engagement programming, employee recognition, and respectful workplace and prevention education.
• Supervision and Team Leadership: Provide direct leadership, coaching, and performance management across leadership development, learning, employee relations, and community engagement functions. Retain accountability for the institution's most complex employee relations matters. Support staff professional growth through mentoring, delegation, succession planning, and hands-on participation in daily operational work. Partner with the Deputy Title IX Coordinator on employee-related prevention education, consultation, and coordinated response efforts while respecting the boundaries of the formal Title IX program.
• Policy, Compliance, and Risk Management: Maintain expertise in employment law and higher education HR practices. Develop, interpret, and apply University policies equitably. Recommend proactive policy revisions informed by legal requirements, institutional priorities, and employee relations trends. Exercise exceptional judgment and confidentiality in sensitive situations. Manage institutional risk by collaborating with General Counsel and partnering with the Deputy Title IX Coordinator to ensure compliance with institutional policy and state and federal laws.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of related experience.
• Four (4) years of supervision/management experience.
• Demonstrated experience personally conducting complex workplace investigations.
• Experience coaching leaders and managers on employee relations and performance matters.
• Experience leading organizational effectiveness, leadership development, or culture initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification.
• Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) certification or equivalent investigation training.

Schedule

• Full-time role (40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year).
• Hybrid role with the expectation of at least 3 days/week on campus.

Pay

Salary range: $106,800.00 - $133,500.00. The offer rate will be based on a review of the candidate's credentials compared to the qualifications of the position, internal equity, and the University’s overall compensation philosophy.

Benefits

• Flexible scheduling options determined by role.
• Medical, prescription drug, vision, dental, life, and long-term disability insurance options.
• 10% employer contribution to your retirement plan (no contribution requirement for non-exempt positions).
• Generous paid time off, including vacation and sick time, a community service day, and 19 paid holidays (including two full weeks off for Winter Break).
• Tuition remission for full-time and part-time employees, their spouses/spousal equivalents, and children (eligibility criteria and waiting periods apply).
• Comprehensive employee wellness program including program incentives.
• Parental leave, employee assistance program, fitness center membership, and other benefits.

This role is not budgeted for visa sponsorship; all candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. without a need for current or future visa sponsorship.