Senior Human Resources Manager

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.

• Review our detailed benefits information here.

• Explore the additional perks of working at CSU here.

• For the total value of CSU benefits in addition to wages, use our compensation calculator.

• Lastly, click here for more information about why Fort Collins is consistently ranked in the top cities to live in!

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.