Executive Director, HR Business Partnership & Client Services
University Overview
The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.
Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.
The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.
Posted Job Title
Executive Director, HR Business Partnership & Client Services
Job Profile Title
Executive Director B, Human Resources
Job Description Summary
The University of Pennsylvania is seeking an inaugural Executive Director, HR Business Partnership & Client Services to help shape the next chapter of Human Resources at Penn. Recognizing that the effectiveness of Human Resources depends on the quality, consistency, and strength of its partnerships across the institution, Penn has created this leadership role to strengthen how Human Resources partners with the University.
Reporting directly to the Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), the Executive Director will partner closely with the CHRO to advance the Division's strategic priorities by leading the evolution of Penn's HR Business Partnership model and client services organization. As a member of the Human Resources Senior Leadership Team, the Executive Director will build enterprise capability across Penn's HR community and foster a consistent, consultative approach to HR service delivery. This role will help ensure that Human Resources is recognized not only for operational excellence, but also for the strategic value it creates across the University.
Job Description
The Executive Director provides leadership for Penn's HR Business Partnership model and client services organization, translating the CHRO's strategic vision into a cohesive, high-performing operating model that delivers consistent, responsive, and consultative HR support across the University. This role also serves as the senior HR Business Partner for the Executive Vice President's portfolio, establishing standards for service delivery and operational excellence, and providing strategic counsel on workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, leadership, employee and labor relations, and organizational change. This role will ultimately strengthen how Human Resources partners with the University, developing organizational capability that enables Penn's mission.
Job Responsibilities and Strategic Priorities
Shape Penn's HR Business Partnership Model
The Executive Director will lead the continued evolution of Penn's HR Business Partnership model by:
- Partnering with the CHRO to implement and continuously strengthen Penn's enterprise HR Business Partnership model.
- Building a high-performing community of HR Business Partners through coaching, professional development, and shared leading practices.
- Serving as the senior HR Business Partner for the Executive Vice President's portfolio, providing strategic counsel on workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, leadership, employee and labor relations, and organizational change.
- Strengthening Human Resources' reputation by promoting consultative, data-informed, and client-centered practices throughout the HR organization.
Advance Client Services Excellence
The Executive Director will shape an integrated client services model that delivers a consistent, responsive, and exceptional experience for leaders, managers, and employees across Penn by:
- Providing leadership for Penn's client services organization, including the continued evolution of the HR Solution Center.
- Establishing service standards, governance, and performance expectations that promote consistency, accountability, and operational excellence.
- Integrating the work of HR Business Partners, Centers of Excellence, and operational teams to deliver integrated HR solutions.
- Championing innovation and operational excellence by simplifying processes, leveraging technology, and identifying opportunities to enhance the client experience.
- Promoting a culture in which service excellence is viewed not simply as responsiveness, but as the delivery of strategic value to the University community.
Build Organizational Capability
Penn's ability to achieve its mission depends on strong leadership, effective organizations, and an engaged workforce. The Executive Director will help build that capability by:
- Partnering with the CHRO
- Developing leaders
- Representing HR
- Organizational consulting
- Advancing use of analytics
Qualifications and Leadership Profile
Required Experience
The successful candidate will bring a record of executive HR leadership in complex organizations and a demonstrated ability to build trusted partnerships, lead organizational change, and advance enterprise HR performance.
Specifically, candidates should possess:
- A Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field and at least ten years of progressively responsible HR leadership experience, including leadership of enterprise HR Business Partner, client services, shared services, or comparable strategic HR functions (or equivalent combination of education and experience is required).
- Demonstrated success partnering with senior executives to address organizational effectiveness, workforce strategy, leadership, and complex employee issues.
- Experience leading and developing high-performing HR teams within large, highly matrixed, and decentralized organizations.
- Broad knowledge of Human Resources disciplines, with the ability to integrate strategic priorities with effective service delivery and workforce solutions.
- Demonstrated success leading organizational change, building organizational capability, and fostering collaboration across diverse stakeholder groups.
- Strong business acumen, executive presence, and the ability to influence, build consensus, and navigate complexity with sound judgment.
- Experience leveraging workforce analytics, operational metrics, and data-informed insights to improve organizational effectiveness and decision-making.
- Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and leadership skills, with the ability to establish credibility and trust across all levels of the organization.
Preferred Experience
- SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or comparable professional certification.
- Experience within higher education, academic medicine, healthcare, or another large, mission-driven, decentralized organization.
- Experience leading HR transformation, organizational effectiveness, or enterprise service delivery initiatives.
- Familiarity with Workday and modern HR technologies that support workforce analytics, employee experience, and service delivery.
Leadership Expectations
The Executive Director will be an authentic, collaborative, and values-driven leader who builds trust through partnership, develops others, and leads with humility, curiosity, and accountability.
The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to:
- Lead through influence in a highly decentralized environment.
- Build strong relationships across diverse academic and administrative constituencies.
- Balance strategic thinking with operational execution.
- Foster collaboration across teams while creating shared accountability for results.
- Navigate complexity with sound judgment, transparency, and resilience.
- Develop leaders and cultivate high-performing, engaged teams.
- Champion inclusion, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Model Penn's values through integrity, respect, service, and a deep commitment to the University's mission.
Measures of Success
Within the first several years, the Executive Director will be expected to:
- Establish a cohesive, highly effective HR Business Partnership model that is recognized across the EVP portfolio and University for strategic consultation, consistency, and collaboration.
- Strengthen the University's confidence in Human Resources by improving the quality, responsiveness, and consistency of client service.
- Build a high-performing community of HR professionals who share common standards, embrace continuous learning, and deliver integrated solutions.
- Advance the CHRO's vision for an innovative, data-informed, and client-centered HR organization.
- Foster trusted partnerships with leaders that strengthen organizational effectiveness and advance Penn's mission.
Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Department / School
Human Resources
Pay Range
$170,000.00 - $250,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job's level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.