"Assistant Dean, Faculty and Talent Management"

Job Details

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Job Description SummaryThe Assistant Dean is an innovative and strategic leader responsible for cultivating an exceptional talent ecosystem that supports both faculty and staff, and drives the career success of students and alumni. This role provides strategic and operational direction for all talent management functions, encompassing comprehensive processes for recruitment, onboarding, professional development, career advancement and performance management. The Assistant Dean champions an agile, supportive, and high-performance culture, leveraging innovative talent management practices and data-driven insights to attract, retain, and develop a workforce, directly enhancing the school's academic excellence and operational effectiveness.

The Assistant Dean serves as a faculty member at the school and acts as a visible change agent and creative thought partner to the leadership of the school by constantly analyzing and reimagining how education can be delivered in more efficient and accessible ways.

Job Description

Essential Functions:

• Provide strategic leadership by formulating and implementing appropriate plans for the faculty and staff talent management areas to meet the long-term growth and other goals of the school consistent with our launch plan aspirations and guiding principles.
• Ensure operational excellence and fiscal stewardship by establishing clear and impactful policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and decision frameworks that achieve high efficiency and effectiveness in meeting short-term goals, key performance indicators (KPI) and other key school initiatives within budget. Such policies and processes must be consistent with university policies, accreditation standards and relevant regulation.
• Effectively collaborate with and guide the work of external vendors/partners and internal partners (other Wake Forest University schools/offices) to meet school goals, ensure timely completion of plans, and achieve win-win arrangements, and serve as an ambassador of the school/university through purposeful engagement with community.
• Lead comprehensive faculty and staff talent management functions, encompassing strategic workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, professional development, performance management, and succession planning, ensuring alignment with shared governance principles and the strategic priorities of the school and university.
• Manage faculty governance processes, including committee oversight, faculty meetings, personnel reviews, and policy development, to meet school goals and accreditation standards.
• Oversee comprehensive performance management systems, providing guidance and support to managers on goal setting, regular feedback, performance evaluations, and corrective action processes in accordance with university policies.
• Develop and oversee professional development programs for both faculty and staff designed to enhance effectiveness, productivity, and capabilities, fostering a culture of continuous growth and innovation.
• Identify and implement strategic synergies between faculty and staff talent management processes and systems to optimize efficiency, foster cross-functional collaboration, and promote a cohesive organizational culture across the school.
• Champion a culture that fosters belonging for both faculty and staff, promoting a sense of connection throughout all talent management initiatives and school operations.
• Provide inspirational leadership and effective supervision of direct reports to nurture a culture of equity, innovation, and collaboration/teamwork to achieve high performance and ensure the success of students and community partners.
• Teach assigned course sections, actively participate in faculty governance and development, and contribute to continuous program improvement through curriculum recommendations and outcomes assessment.

Other Functions:

• Represent the school’s Dean in their absence.

Required Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Master’s degree in business, HR, or a related field plus 10 or more years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Prior teaching experience in adult education
• Deep understanding of talent management best practices.
• Ability to act as a thought leader, setting a vision, aligning resources with goals and strategies, and inspiring others to enact vision/strategies.
• Excellent collaborator and communicator, able to build and manage positive and trusting relationships, communicate effectively, and display a cooperative spirit across a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to maintain composure, effectiveness, and focus when facing difficult challenges; demonstrate sound judgment and discretion in dynamic environments or when dealing with sensitive issues.
• Agile and adaptive in navigating change, ambiguity, and unanticipated obstacles, leveraging proactive problem-solving skills and driving changes to achieve effectiveness and efficiency.
• Demonstrated commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive environment, as well as upholding the University's and school's mission, vision and other values.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• PhD or other terminal degree in a field related to the School of Professional Studies’ programmatic foci plus
• Previous experience leading faculty and/or overseeing human resources functions in a higher education environment.
• Demonstrated proficiency in using cloud-based office tools, including Microsoft Office, Google platforms, and other relevant software.

Accountabilities:

• Responsible for own work and the work of others.
• Budgetary responsibilities.

Additional Job DescriptionOpen Until Filled

Time Type RequirementFull time

Note to Applicant:

This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by his/her supervisor.

In order to provide a safe and productive learning and living community, Wake Forest University conducts background investigations and drug screens for all final staff candidates being considered for employment.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates to apply without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability and military or veteran status.

Accommodations for Applicants

If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact AskHR@wfu.edu or (336) 758-4700.

Organization

Wake Forest University, formed in 1834, has experienced decades of growth and innovation. WFU is a distinctive university that combines a liberal arts core with graduate and professional schools and innovative research programs. The University embraces the teacher-scholar ideal, which prizes the personal interaction between students and faculty. It is a place where exceptional teaching, fundamental research and discovery, and the engagement of faculty and students in the classroom and the laboratory are paramount.

Wake Forest University is a community that seeks the enlightenment and freedom which come through diligent study and learning. Its higher goal, however, is to give life to the University motto "Pro Humanitate," as members translate a passion for knowledge into compassionate service. The community shares a tradition that embraces freedom and integrity and acknowledges the worth of the individual. The heritage, established by the school's founders and nurtured by succeeding generations, promotes a democratic spirit arising from open-mindedness and discourse. Wake Forest fosters compassion and caring for others. Its collective strength and character are derived from the values and distinctive experiences of each individual; therefore, it affirms the richness of human intellect and culture and its contribution to knowledge, faith, reason, and dialogue. Furthermore, it strives toward a society in which good will, respect, and equality prevail. To that end, Wake Forest University rejects hatred and bigotry in any form and promotes justice, honor, and mutual trust.

The University is comprised of: the undergraduate college, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Divinity, School of Law, and School of Medicine (located on the Bowman Gray campus with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center) and today enrolls about 4,846 undergraduates and 2,823 students in graduate programs at its principal location, the Reynolda campus. Students at Wake Forest University enjoy a great deal of access to and interaction with world-class faculty both in and out of the classroom setting with a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Wake Forest employs approximately 2,772 full and part-time faculty and staff.

Wake Forest is a collegiate university offering a vibrant, intellectual community with a rich cultural life, an impressive array of facilities, and a strong athletics program competing in the fifteen-team Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Since its founding, the university has adopted the motto “pro humanitate,” which is exemplified by a deep institutional commitment to public service and engagement with the world. Wake Forest has a strong commitment to holistic, eight-dimensional well-being for students, faculty and staff as evidenced in the Thrive initiative.

Winston-Salem, NC

Wake Forest is located in Winston-Salem, NC, a beautiful, mid-sized city centrally located in the Piedmont-Triad region of North Carolina. Winston-Salem is a family-friendly city with high quality schools, numerous outdoor recreational activities and events, and is known for its vibrant and thriving arts scene.

Winston-Salem residents enjoy close proximity to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains (1.5 hours) and Atlantic beaches (4 hours), a moderate climate with four distinct seasons, a very reasonable cost of living, and an eclectic variety of restaurants, wine bars, and breweries for dining with friends and family. Winston-Salem offers many of the amenities of a large city but with the sense of community and quality of life of a smaller town (www.visitwinstonsalem.com).