Director of Labor Relations, Academic Human Resources

About the role

The Director of Labor Relations, Academic Human Resources serves as the lead for the Office of the Provost on academic personnel and labor relations matters. This includes working closely with Deans and their teams on faculty recruitment and hiring, overseeing sabbatical review and approvals, and tracking key metrics related to faculty. On the labor relations front, this position will represent the Office of the Provost and work in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources in collective bargaining with unions representing faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants. It will also serve as the lead for Academic Affairs in administering collective bargaining agreements with faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants, including discipline and grievance procedures.

Responsibilities

• Working in partnership with the Office of Human Resources, ensure an effective hiring process for faculty, deans, and other Academic Affairs personnel that facilitates timely and competitive hiring and retention of academic personnel.
• Advise and consult with Deans on all matters relating to the hiring of faculty, including starting salary, start-up packages, relocation expenses, and offer letters.
• Oversee sabbatical review and approvals, including chairing the sabbatical review committee.
• Work with Deans on exceptional salary increases and other faculty performance and retention matters.
• Serve as the lead in the Office of the Provost on labor relations strategies, contract negotiations, and the administering of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants.
• Serve as the University lead in collective bargaining with the part-time faculty and graduate assistants unions; support Human Resources in negotiations with the full-time faculty union (AAUP).
• In close consultation with Human Resources and the Office of General Counsel, manage all disciplinary processes, grievances, and arbitration under the CBAs with faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants.
• Develop solution-oriented relationships with union leadership and staff to aid in resolving issues outside of the grievance procedure.
• Collaborate with the Colleges and Institutional Research to track data related to faculty and academic personnel.
• Provide the Office of the Provost and the Office of Human Resources with data and analysis related to faculty, academic personnel, and academic CBAs to assist with strategic planning and decision-making.

Qualifications

• Master’s or other advanced degree.
• Minimum of seven years of experience in labor relations (including responsibility for contract administration and general human resources management, as well as direct experience leading disciplinary proceedings and grievance processes).
• Knowledge of and participatory experience in collective bargaining.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work with diverse groups/populations.