Senior Human Resources Manager
At a glance
Senior HR Business Partner & Generalist role at Csusystem. Fort Collins · $100,000–$130,000 base.
hrroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Advise the dean, VP and unit leaders on workforce plans, organizational design, employee relations and leadership decisions
- Turn university HR priorities into practical guidance and processes for the college or division you support
- Lead the embedded HR team, coach its staff and manage coverage against unit needs and service standards
- Coordinate unit use of HR expertise across areas such as hiring, rewards, employee relations, timekeeping and payroll
- Use workforce data to flag trends, guide leadership choices and address organizational health
What you bring
- A bachelor’s degree in HR, business or a related area, or an equivalent mix of education and experience
- At least five years of progressive HR work, including leadership-facing business partner or generalist responsibilities
- Working knowledge of employment law and HR practice, with the ability to guide leaders on applying them
- Experience handling employee relations and advising on performance, workforce planning or organizational design
Who this fits
This senior role suits an HR partner who can advise leaders while directing an embedded team. Positions are based onsite, with hybrid work possible, and require a pre-employment background check.
From the employer
Job Description
Position Summary
The Senior Human Resources Manager (Sr. HR Manager) serves as the senior HR presence within an assigned college or division and leads the unit’s embedded HR team. Reporting to a Senior HRBP with a dotted line to the dean or VP, this role is the strategic interface between enterprise HR and the embedded units by advising leadership on workforce decisions, connecting the unit to the Centers of Expertise (COEs) and Shared Services, and ensuring enterprise standards are applied with appropriate local context. The Sr. HR Manager translates institutional HR strategy into unit-level action.
At Colorado State University, the Division of Human Resources supports employees and leaders across the university throughout the employee experience. Our work helps CSU attract, develop, engage, and retain the people who advance the university’s mission of teaching, research, service, and extension. We are continuing to strengthen how HR works across CSU by building a more connected HR experience, creating greater clarity and consistency, growing our HR community, and evolving how we work to meet the university’s future needs. Learn more about the Division of Human Resources, our work, and the values that guide how we serve CSU at: https://hr.colostate.edu/about-hr/our-values/.
Roles hired through this pool may primarily serve a unit or college and will have the opportunity to support additional campus human resources teams. Positions will be onsite with possibility for hybrid work.
Job Duties
Strategic Advisory & Leadership Partnership
- Serve as the primary HR advisor to the dean/VP and unit leadership team on workforce strategy, organizational design, talent risks, employee relations, and leadership effectiveness within a shared governance environment
- Translate enterprise HR strategy and institutional priorities into unit-relevant actions, processes, and clear decision guidance for leaders.
- Coach leaders and managers through change, restructuring, difficult conversations, and complex or high-risk people decisions
- Participate in the unit’s strategic and workforce planning in alignment with enterprise HR strategy
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead, coach, and develop the unit’s embedded HR staff; set clear role expectations and hold the team accountable to enterprise service and escalation standards
- Manage workload distribution and coverage across the team based on unit size, complexity, and risk; ensure consistent service through peak cycles
Operational Alignment
- Act as the connector between the unit and the COEs, ensuring COE-designed solutions are applied consistently and effectively within the unit in areas of talent acquisition, talent management, total rewards, employee relations, time and labor, absence, data management, and payroll functions
- Provide initial employee relations consultation and guidance including coaching managers and facilitating conflict resolution
- Steward complex, high-risk, cross-unit, repeat, or strategic matters to the Senior HRBP, COEs, or Shared Services through proper escalation paths.
Workforce Strategy & Organizational Health
- Support unit-specific workforce planning, performance management, talent strategy, succession considerations, and organizational effectiveness in partnership with the Senior HRBP
- Use workforce and people data to surface risks and trends and to inform unit leadership decisions; translate analytics into actionable insight for non-HR leaders
- Steward enterprise standards while balancing unit nuances.
- Monitor unit workforce outcomes and partner with leaders to act on them
Conditions of Employment
- Pre-employment Background Check
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in HR, business, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- 5+ years of progressive HR experience, including business partner or generalist work with leadership-facing responsibility
- Demonstrated working knowledge of federal and state employment laws, regulations, and HR practices, with the ability to advise leaders in their application to workforce matters.
- Demonstrated experience managing employee relations matters and advising leaders on performance management, workforce planning, organizational design, and organizational effectiveness
Preferred Qualifications
- Higher education or other shared-governance / faculty-relations experience
- Experience leading or maturing an HRBP function during organizational change
- Familiarity with Workday and data-informed HR practice
- Experience with labor relations, talent management, talent acquisition, training, and total rewards.
- Experience leading, coaching, and developing staff
- Experience in a collective bargaining environment
- Experience working in a healthcare, food industry, facilities management, public safety and/or related large employer setting
- Experience with college student populations
- Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field, and/or a professional HR certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR.
Salary Range
$100,000-$130,000
Application Instructions
To apply, please upload a Resume and a Cover Letter. This is an evergreen posting, applications are being reviewed and qualified applicants will be contacted as hiring needs arise. If you’re interested in this opportunity, we encourage you to apply promptly.
Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
Employee Benefits
Colorado State University is not just a workplace; it’s a thriving community that’s transforming lives and improving the human condition through world-class teaching, research, and service. With a robust benefits package, collaborative atmosphere, and focus on work-life balance, CSU is where you can thrive, grow, and make a lasting impact.
Background Check Policy Statement
Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.
EEO
Colorado State University (CSU) provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.