Director of Shared Services Human Resources (Community Colleges)

The State University of New York, or SUNY, is the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States, with 64 colleges and universities spanning the state from Long Island to the Adirondacks to Buffalo. SUNY System Administration employees, based in Albany and New York City, provide critical support for SUNY campuses, employees, and students to advance SUNY's mission of providing high-quality, affordable higher education for all.

Across a wide range of roles, from finance and legal counsel to student support, academic affairs, IT, admissions, and more, our employees work toward advancing the four priority pillars established by SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the SUNY Board of Trustees: student success; research and scholarship; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and economic development and upward mobility. SUNY System Administration is a mission-driven workplace with robust New York State benefits including health insurance, retirement, time off, and paid family leave.

Job Description:

The Director of Shared Services Human Resources provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the consolidated human resources functions across two partner community colleges within a 60-mile radius of SUNY System Administration. Reporting matrixed into SUNY System Administration Leadership (Senior Associate Vice Chancellor of HR) and at the direction of the Presidents of both host institutions, the Director leads the implementation of a new shared services model by providing an on-site presence to each campus.

This position is an exciting opportunity to create scalable strategic leadership and systems to support the distinct missions of each community college. This role is responsible for driving operational alignment, efficiency, and service excellence across both campuses in all core HR domains including talent acquisition, labor and employee relations, benefits administration, payroll, compliance, performance management, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The Director serves as the strategic bridge between campus-level operational needs and SUNY System Administration governance, leveraging HR analytics and modern technologies to streamline processes, harmonize policy application, and foster an agile, inclusive workplace culture across both institutions.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Shared Services Leadership & Operations:

- Provision of Key Leadership: Serve as a member of the President's executive staff for each partner campus, providing strategic decision-making and organizational planning. Advise senior leadership and staff as a subject matter expert in contract interpretations, labor law, and other related areas.
- Dual-Campus Operational Oversight: Lead, mentor, and organize the campus HR teams supporting two distinct community college campuses, establishing standardized workflows and cross-functional coverage models.
- System Administration Partnership: Serve as a key partner connecting SUNY System Administration HR and campus leadership, exploring and identifying opportunities to implement best practices across all organizations.
- HR Digital Transformation & Analytics: Champion the integration of unified HRIS technology, automated workflows, and data analytics across each campus to optimize payroll, time tracking, and records management while delivering actionable insights to campus executives.

Employee & Labor Relations:

- Union & Labor Governance: Serve as the lead HR contact for union-related matters across each partner college. Manage union grievances, lead or participate in labor-management meetings, and ensure consistent, equitable application of applicable collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).
- Investigations & Conflict Resolution: Oversee investigations into employee complaints, disciplinary matters, and grievances across both campuses in accordance with state laws, SUNY policies, and labor agreements.

Compliance, Ethics & Civil Rights:

- Ethics & Mandatory Training: Oversee campus compliance with New York State public officer requirements including financial and ethics rules, honoraria/outside activity approvals, and mandatory compliance trainings.

Talent Management & Campus Culture:

- Training and Development: Direct and develop industry-leading opportunities for staff training and development to encourage the growth of all campus staff members.
- Recruitment & Workforce Planning: Direct talent acquisition strategies to attract, hire, and retain high-quality faculty, adjuncts, staff, and administrators.
- DEI Strategy & Culture: Operationalize SUNY's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by embedding culturally competent practices into recruitment, performance evaluations, and employee retention initiatives across each institution.
- Policy Harmonization & Efficiency: Identify opportunities to consolidate redundant practices, harmonize disparate campus HR guidelines, and standardize onboarding/offboarding experiences across each campus.Required Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree
- Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible HR, employee relations, or labor relations experience, with proven leadership experience in a public sector or higher education setting.
- Direct, hands-on experience navigating unionized environments in the public sector and interpreting multi-layered collective bargaining agreements.
- Demonstrated expertise in federal/state employment law, civil rights regulations, and multi-site or matrixed organizational structures.
- Proficiency with enterprise HRIS platforms, payroll software, and HR analytics tools.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Master's degree or higher
- Professional HR Certification (SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP, PHR/SPHR).
- Prior experience managing a shared services model, regional multi-site operations, or community college administration within New York State.

Key Competencies:

- Change Management: Proven ability to transition teams toward a centralized or shared services model while maintaining stakeholder trust and high morale.
- Stakeholder Collaboration: Strong executive presence with the ability to balance the distinct institutional cultures of two separate colleges alongside central system governance.
- Diplomacy & Sound Judgment: High level of discretion, active listening skills, and problem-solving agility in high-stakes environments.