Boston University Vice President for Human Resources Boston, MA

Vice President for Human Resources Boston University

Boston University seeks an accomplished and ambitious leader to serve in the critically important role of Vice President for Human Resources. Appointed by the President and reporting directly to the Senior Vice President for Operations of the University, this executive will have university-wide accountability for providing comprehensive human resources services, expertise, and policies and applying best practices. The Vice President for Human Resources coordinates and directs the strategic and operational decision-making in the planning, development, and implementation of meaningful and measurable human resource programs and services. The Vice President will foster strategic collaborations and partnerships that drive organizational effectiveness in support of the university’s mission and vision.

This is an outstanding leadership opportunity that requires an innovative, creative leader who will engage with academic and administrative leaders to be a resource and offer a contemporary focus on human resource service delivery practices and solutions.

About Boston University Boston University, a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) since 2012, is among the 65 leading private research and teaching institutions in the world, with two primary campuses in the heart of Boston, programs around the globe, and a rich tradition dedicated to inclusion and social justice. Chartered in 1869, the University today enrolls more than 33,000 students, including over 16,000 undergraduates, and employs nearly 4,000 faculty and 6,500 staff across 17 schools, colleges, and administrative departments. Its current annual operating budget is $2.8 billion. Moody’s Investors Service recently upgraded BU’s ranking to AA3, reflective of the University’s increasing financial strength, growing donor support, and effective governance and leadership.

Boston University is committed to fostering a diverse university community within a supportive and respectful environment. We believe that the diversity of our faculty, students, and staff is essential to our success as a leading research university with a global reach, and that diversity is an integral component of institutional excellence.

Boston University’s faculty are committed to excellence in teaching and in path-breaking research and scholarship. We place a strong emphasis on our collaborative research efforts of both faculty and students, with major initiatives in emerging areas such as neuroscience, systems biology, photonics, engineering biology, data science, urban health, global health and development, and emerging infectious diseases. In 2020, the University’s research awards were $574.1 million. The faculty frequently receive national and international recognition for their outstanding contributions to their fields.

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BU is one of the largest private research universities in the United States and one of the Boston area’s largest employers. BU’s students come from all 50 states and more than 130 countries. Students pursue studies on the Charles River and Medical Campuses as well as study abroad and internship programs in over 35 cities around the world.

From its earliest days, Boston University has opened its doors to women and minorities. Founded in 1839 (in Newbury, Vermont) as a Methodist seminary, the University was incorporated in 1869 and emerged in the twentieth century as a Boston-area institution. Until the early 1970s, the University had a modest research profile and limited on-campus housing. The transformation into today’s Boston University began with a conscious decision to raise the University’s standing and quality by marshaling resources to build an infrastructure for basic and applied research and to improve the campus by adding residential facilities. These facilities

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now include state-of-the-art laboratories and residential high-rises that anchor the John Hancock Student Village and redefine Boston University’s skyline.

Boston University is young as a major research university, having fundamentally transformed itself within a roughly 40-year span. This transformation makes possible still more ambitious aspirations. Shortly after his appointment in 2005 as the University’s tenth president, Robert A. Brown, with the enthusiastic support of a revitalized board of trustees, initiated the University’s first community-wide strategic planning process. The plan that resulted in fall of 2007, Choosing to Be Great, was updated in 2015. It defined clear priorities and set ambitious goals—including the investment of $1.4 billion over a decade—and generated broad support from the University’s schools, colleges, and alumni. The University is nearing the completion of its next strategic plan, described below, focusing on 5 priorities: vibrant academic experience; research that matters; diversity, equity, and inclusion; community, big yet small; and global engagement.

Institutional Overview - 2020 The University’s basic economic model has proved robust and prudent management decisions have protected the University’s financial soundness even during periods of uncertainty. Fiscal Year 2019 marked the best-ever financial performance of the University.

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The University generated $128 million in undesignated reserves, which it uses to advance academic initiatives and upgrade facilities.

The University recently completed its first-ever comprehensive campaign with gifts and pledges totaling over $1.8 billion ($800 million more than the campaign’s original, $1 billion dollar goal). Concerted outreach to the more than 380,000 living alumni of the University during the campaign—and significant recent major gifts to the University—justify optimism that private giving will continue at a brisk pace. Cash and gifts-in-kind to the University for FY 2019 totaled approximately $170 million, an all-time high.

Boston University’s transformation is perhaps most evident in the national and international recognition achieved by faculty in diverse fields on both campuses and in prestigious grants to distinguished programs or departments. U.S. News & World Report ranked BU #37 worldwide in their 2019 list of Best Global Universities and #40 in their 2019 rating of Best National Universities in the United States.

What will it mean for Boston University to be a leading major research university in 2030? And how does Boston University get there? To answer those questions, the Office of the Provost established a Strategic Planning Task Force that worked across the BU community to develop BU 2030, a collective vision for maintaining BU’s leadership role for the next 10 years.

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On April 16, 2020, Provost Jean Morrison presented a draft strategic plan to the Boston University Board of Trustees. The Board endorsed this plan, which culminates almost two years of work by the Strategic Planning Task Force and community-wide discussion.

Mission Statement Boston University is an international, comprehensive, private research university, committed to educating students to be reflective, resourceful individuals ready to live, adapt, and lead in an interconnected world. Boston University is committed to generating new knowledge to benefit society.

The University remains dedicated to its founding principles: that higher education should be accessible to all and that research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community—local and international. These principles endure in the University’s insistence on the value of diversity, in its tradition and standards of excellence, and in its dynamic engagement with the City of Boston and the world.

Boston University comprises a remarkable range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs built on a strong foundation of the liberal arts and sciences. With the support and oversight of the Board of Trustees, the University, through the faculty, continually innovates in education and research to ensure that the needs of students and an ever-changing world are met.

For more information on Boston University, please visit www.bu.edu.

Inclusion, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity Boston University’s founders opened its doors to all students without regard to religion, race, or gender. Building and sustaining a vibrant community of scholars, students, and staff remains essential to the mission of contributing to, and preparing students to thrive in, an increasingly interconnected world.

We strive to create environments for learning, working, and living that are enriched by racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. We seek to cultivate an atmosphere of respect for individual differences in life experience, sexual orientation, and religious belief, and we aspire to be free of intellectual parochialism, barriers to access, and ethnocentrism.

Success in a competitive, global milieu depends upon our ongoing commitment to welcome and engage the wisdom, creativity, and aspirations of all peoples. The excellence we seek emerges from the contributions and talents of every member of the Boston University community.

Boston University has special, long-standing relationships with our local communities. We are committed to being a good neighbor and a trustworthy partner, and giving back through a wide range of educational, cultural, social, legal, and medical services.

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For more information about Boston University’s commitment to diversity equity and inclusion, please visit: https://www.bu.edu/diversity/about.

Boston is a dynamic, beautiful, cosmopolitan city, a nexus of innovation and academia, rich in history and history in the making. It is home to thousands upon thousands of college students and scholars, a vibrant cultural scene, endless outdoor recreation, and a full slate of professional sports.

BU also recognizes that negative perceptions about Boston persist, rooted in sometimes outmoded realities. BU Diversity & Inclusion, seeks to disrupt and dispel those views by elevating the voices and authentic experiences of our community members, be it through crowdsourced guides, campus forums and programming, or guest lectures. Boston is constantly changing—sometimes rapidly, sometimes with prodding—but with everyone’s inclusion and participation, we believe, ever for the better. For more information about living in Boston, please visit: https://www.bu.edu/diversity/living-in-boston.

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University Leadership

Bob Brown, President Dr. Robert A. Brown, a distinguished chemical engineer and educator, became President of Boston University in September 2005.

As President, Dr. Brown emphasizes the continued improvement of academic quality in all domains through the establishment of clear priorities, benchmarking, and periodic review. He also works to underscore the central importance and interrelationship of teaching and research, with particular focus on stimulating interdisciplinary study and spanning all the University’s disciplines and programs. A key interdisciplinary effort is the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College that gives the University’s best students opportunities to explore broadly using the full range of programs offered at BU.

A Texas native, Dr. Brown earned BS and MS degrees in chemical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota, where he worked under the guidance of Professor L. E. Scriven. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Sciences, among other professional societies.

Prior to his appointment at Boston University, Dr. Brown was provost and Warren K. Lewis Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the MIT faculty in 1979, beginning a distinguished career in education and research. He has published more than 250 papers in areas related to mathematical modeling of transport phenomena in materials and served as executive editor of the Journal of Chemical Engineering Science from 1991 to 2004. In 2008, Dr. Brown was named one of the top 100 Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jean Morrison was named University Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Boston University in January 2011. She provides leadership for the University’s overall academic, budgetary and planning processes and oversight of its academic programs, research, global programs, enrollment, and student affairs.

At BU, Dr. Morrison is a professor in the Department of Earth & Environment. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison; her M.S. from the University of Georgia; and her B.A. from Colgate University.

A geologist by training, Dr. Morrison’s research in earth sciences has focused on understanding the evolution of the earth’s crust over time, with particular emphasis on the physiochemical characteristics in earthquake fault systems, as well as the properties of the earth’s deep crust. She has served as an editor of the Journal of Metamorphic Geology and associate editor of both

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the American Minerologist and the Geological Society of America Bulletin. Prior to her arrival at BU, she was a Professor of Earth Science and Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Southern California.

Dr. Morrison is the University’s 2nd ranking officer. Since her appointment, she has overseen several key efforts designed to enhance BU’s academic quality and global competitiveness, including the development of a University-wide process for academic program review, the establishment of an Associate Provost position for Graduate Affairs to lead and oversee the University’s graduate education programs, new programming to advance digital learning, and the launch of a University-wide Arts Initiative.

Gary Nicksa, Senior Vice President, Operations Gary W. Nicksa, BS, MST, CPA, joined Boston University in June 2005 as Vice President for Operations and was promoted to Senior Vice President in July 2011. His responsibilities at BU include campus planning, real estate development, construction, commercial and residential leasing, and facility management. Mr. Nicksa also oversees the University’s administrative and business affairs including human resources, operating and capital budgeting, public safety, housing and dining, parking and transportation, campus convenience and bookstores, events and conference services, Agganis Arena, Fitness & Recreation Center, and University Sustainability.

Mr. Nicksa holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Vermont and a master’s degree in Taxation from Bentley College. He is a Certified Public Accountant who began his career with Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers). He has over forty years of experience in industry and education. His business experience includes real estate development, construction, and property management (Vice President for Finance at Keith Properties) and health insurance (Senior Vice President of The Chickering Group, an Aetna Company). He has also served as the chief financial and administrative officer at Newbury College and Buckingham Browne & Nichols School.

The Role of Vice President for Human Resources

Appointed by the President and reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer of the University, the Vice President for Human Resources (VPHR) will have university-wide accountability for providing comprehensive human resources services, expertise, and policies and applying best practices. The Vice President for Human Resources coordinates and directs the strategic and operational decision-making in the planning, development, and implementation of meaningful and measurable human resource programs and services. They will foster strategic collaborations and partnerships that drive organizational effectiveness in support of the university’s mission and vision.

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The Vice President for Human Resources will be coming to Boston University at an exciting time under stable leadership, a new strategic plan, and a renewed commitment to the great opportunity for impact that research universities like Boston University can have in their community and in the world. The VPHR will oversee a talented team of seven direct reports and 89 other staff members supported by a budget of approximately $11 million. The VPHR is also responsible for the University’s employee benefits budget, which exceeds $300 million. The vision of the organization is to be an agile, trusted, and strategic partner that delivers effective, quality services and solutions.

The Vice President for Human Resources will: • Provide strategic and practical leadership in the planning, development, and implementation of best-in-class human resources services and systems by building a proactive and positive work culture in HR. • Provide open communication and partnership across the university’s schools, departments, and leadership teams to support a culture of accountability, service, inclusion, equity, and high performance. • Work in partnership with the provost’s office and the senior diversity officer to integrate diversity and equity imperatives in HR programs, policies, and practices. • Work with the office of the provost on benefits and related policies affecting faculty. • Direct employee benefits and ensure benefits remain competitive in the marketplace, while considering the university’s financial obligations. • Lead efforts to establish a pipeline of talent through enhanced sourcing, onboarding, and retention programs.

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Ideal Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will possess broad human resources knowledge; expertise in strategic, collaborative, and consultative service; a sophisticated approach to organizational leadership; and experience leading human resources teams and programs in large, complex, and multi- discipline work environments.

The successful candidate will be a highly accomplished leader with a passion for supporting complex, diverse workforces, and a proven record of leading a human resources function through continuous change and improvement. The successful candidate will have experience leading and developing HR processes, systems, and policies in hands-on and collaborative environments, including environments with employees represented by unions.

This leader will possess the ability to galvanize a culture around a compelling vision and engage leaders and employees in the work that will be needed to clarify common goals among diverse constituents. They will be a consensus builder on the best approach and build a collaborative environment in which results are measurable, achievable, and celebrated.

The successful candidates will have most of these experiences and skills:

Visionary Leadership

• Ability to develop a comprehensive vision for how all levels of employees can support the University’s mission and goals and the experience to operationalize the vision. • Holistic thinker, intentionally shapes and influences a positive work culture. • Proactive relationship building skills; works through partnerships and collaboration. • Forward thinking about building organizational agility and workforce capability. • Ability to connect HR strategy to university strategy. • Identifies and responds to external and competitive trends, finding creative solutions that are beneficial to the university.

Human Resources Expertise

• Comprehensive knowledge of current HR best practices, ability to develop, implement, lead, and monitor meaningful and measurable programs and services. • Experience designing a comprehensive strategy to attract, onboard, retain and develop a skilled and engaged workforce that distinguishes BU in the market. • Employee Relations/Labor Relations and working with unionized workforce. • Equitable Incentive Strategies and Work/Life balance or Wellness Programs. • Knowledge of financial and operational elements of statutory benefits plans. • Talent Acquisition in competitive markets and comprehensive Onboarding.

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• HR Operations, Service Center, HRIS, HR Process and Policy, HR Analytics; and • Legal and Compliance Knowledge.

Builds High-Performing Teams

• Success building a high performing HR organization by leading, developing, and mentoring; builds skills and capacity to meet the future needs of the University. • Creates a culture of continuous learning and professional development for HR. • Ability to attract, mentor, and retain future talent. • Builds leadership abilities; empowers others to build their decision-making skills.

Advances Institutional Goals regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace

• Works in partnership with the Senior Diversity Officer and the Vice President and Associate Provost for Community and Inclusion to effectively integrate inclusive and equitable policies, practices, and systems into all HR processes and communications. • Demonstrates a record of creating, fostering, and building an inclusive culture; measures and communicates the culture. • Builds HR capacity and fluency in equitable and inclusive practices and policies within a challenging regulatory landscape. • Knowledge of current HR best practices; ability to develop, implement, lead, and monitor meaningful and measurable outcomes. • Ability to successfully partner with units and leadership on areas that influence HR outcomes and best practices. • Knowledge of HR regulatory environment, including relevant legal and compliance frameworks.

Demonstrated Analytical Skills and Business Judgment

• Understands financial implications of decisions and provides leadership that promotes fiscal health and accountability. • Fuses human resources analytics as one of many variables in management decision- making. • Uses data informed decision-making to support HR and University goals. • Understands the core mission of the University and its units. • Stays current on best practices and committed to continuous process improvement. • Maximizes effectiveness of resources. • Creative problem-solver; thinks outside the box. • Navigates smoothly in a complex, matrix management environment. • Ability to distill information and proactively identify core human resources and workplace opportunities and challenges and advises on addressing issues. • Works effectively in reaching consensus in a shared decision-making environment.

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• Emotional intelligence; ability to read the environment and adapt messaging to the audience. • Record of partnership and collaboration in organizational decision-making. • Promotes collaboration and communication between HR teams and the units. • Trusted advisor, coach, and proactive partner. • Demonstrates integrity, driven by values; an active listener, provides impartial counsel while maintaining confidentiality. • Natural curiosity and caring; committed to “doing the right thing.” • Diplomatic, honest, and transparent communicator; understands tenets of a fair process and considers impact, equity, and consequences of institutional decisions. • Ability to build proactive and productive relationships at all levels. • Communicates through conflict and engages proactively when faced with difficult or complex situations.

Facilitator of Cultural and Organizational Change

• Sets and achieves strategic, ambitious, but realistic goals. • Critically examines the status quo. • Understands the link between university culture, mission, and values. • Manages constituent expectations and advocates for all employees. • Ability to harmonize HR processes to be consistent with organizational purpose and desired culture. • Holds self and HR Team accountable to the highest standards of service, performance, and respect.

Qualified candidates will have a progressive track record of successfully leading and developing effective HR organizations; a passion for supporting complex, dynamic, and diverse workforces; and a commitment to BU’s institutional values regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. They will have the ability to build and sustain a collaborative culture through proactive relationship building and analytical skills, are forward-thinking about building organizational and workforce management strategies, and have a record of effectively integrating inclusive and equitable policies, practices, and systems into all HR policies and communications. The next Vice President for Human Resources will have a confident and caring presence, demonstrated cultivation of relationships with all members of the university community, and the sophistication to engage at the most senior leadership levels of the university.

Qualified candidates will have experience with union and labor relations, savvy organizational communication skills, and the ability to inspire, convene, and motivate teams. Ideal but not required experiences and credentials include working in a similarly complex university or other industry environment, and an advanced degree in business, human resources, or a related field of study.

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Compensation

Boston University provides a competitive compensation and benefits package appropriate for this position’s scope, stature, and level of responsibility.

Contact

Managing Director, Beth Schaefer, and Consultant, Josyanne Roche, of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express your interest in or recommendations for this role please submit materials here. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential. …………….. Boston University is an equal opportunity employer and gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

About Koya Partners

Koya Partners, a part of the Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

For more information about Koya Partners, visit www.koyapartners.com.