Director of Human Resources, College of Natural Sciences

Job Posting Title: Director of Human Resources, College of Natural Sciences---- Hiring Department: College of Natural Sciences---- Position Open To: All Applicants---- Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40---- FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA---- Earliest Start Date: Dec 07, 2026---- Position Duration: Expected to Continue---- Location: UT MAIN CAMPUS---- Job Details: General Notes The Opportunity Lead HR for the largest college at one of the nation’s top public research universities, the University of Texas at Austin. As Human Resources Director, you will bring consistency, clarity, and a strong service culture to a decentralized HR community, building alignment around shared processes, common standards, and collective accountability. If you have led HR in a university, public agency, or other large, complex organization, you will recognize the challenge and appreciate the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in higher education.  The role calls for a leader who can navigate complexity, build trust, strengthen partnerships, and bring people together around a common vision.     Experience in higher education, research, or the public sector is helpful, but not required.  We will help you learn UT Austin policies, practices, and terminology.  What matters most is your leadership, sound judgment, and ability to unify teams and elevate HR across a large, complex organization. About the College and the University The College of Natural Sciences Discovery starts here in the College of Natural Sciences, where we are changing the world through transformative experiences, education, and research. We are the largest college at UT Austin, home to top-ranked academic specialties, a dozen departments, and award-winning student programs and faculty. Join us and pave the way for the next generation of leaders and breakthroughs in science, technology, and mathematics. The University of Texas at Austin Founded in 1883, The University of Texas at Austin ranks among the best universities in the world. With 70 programs ranked in the top 10, UT is the #1 public university in Texas and the #8 public university in the nation. The university community includes some 55,000 students, 4,760 faculty, 15,000 staff across 16 colleges and schools. As Texas’ leading research university, UT attracts more than $1.37 billion annually for discovery. Located in Austin, UT offers a dynamic place to build a career in public higher education.  UT Austin offers outstanding employee benefits and total rewards packages. For more details, please see: Benefits | Human Resources. Purpose The Human Resources Director provides strategic and operational leadership for all HR functions across the College of Natural Sciences (CNS). This role oversees the full employee lifecycle (hiring through separation) for three workforce groups: academic research staff, administrative and operations staff, and student employees. You will unify the college’s decentralized HR community around consistent workflows and best practices and serve as a trusted advisor to the Dean and college leadership on complex employment matters. The ideal candidate is a seasoned HR leader with both strategic vision and hands-on expertise, gained in a large, complex organization. Experience in higher education or research is preferred but not required. What you will bring to the role: • Leadership through influence in a decentralized environment • Relationship-building across a wide range of stakeholders, from faculty and researchers to business managers and central offices • Balance of strategic thinking and operational execution • Ability to foster collaboration and shared accountability for results • Sound judgment, transparency, and resilience in complex situations   Responsibilities • Strategic HR leadership and workforce planning: Partner with CNS leadership to develop and implement workforce strategies, organizational structures, talent management initiatives, and governance practices aligned with college and departmental priorities. • HR governance and compliance: Lead implementation of university workforce policies, regulatory changes, and HR initiatives across departments. Ensure local practices comply with federal and state requirements and university policy. • Operational excellence and HR technology: Identify gaps and inefficiencies; standardize and improve HR processes; and support technology enhancements that strengthen accuracy, efficiency, and employee experience. Use workforce data, HR metrics, and trend analysis to inform leadership decisions and evaluate the effectiveness of HR programs. • Employee relations and organizational effectiveness: Provide senior-level guidance on complex and high-risk employment matters in collaboration with central university offices. Advise leaders on performance management, restructuring, retention, and organizational effectiveness. • College leadership and institutional engagement: Represent the college on committees, task forces, and leadership forums, and build productive partnerships with central offices and HR colleagues across the university. • Team leadership and supervision: Directly supervise a team of HR professionals. Establish performance expectations, provide coaching and professional development, manage performance, and ensure accurate, responsive, service-oriented HR operations.   Required Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, and eight (8) years of progressively responsible HR experience; or a Master’s degree and six (6) years of equivalent experience. An equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted. • Experience leading HR operations in a large, complex organization (i.e., higher education, healthcare, research, government, nonprofit, or a multi-site business), including managing the full employee lifecycle for multiple employee types. • Experience leading organizational change, such as restructuring, workforce planning, or organizational effectiveness initiatives, across multiple departments, business units, or locations. • Supervisory experience, including coaching and developing HR professionals. • Working knowledge of federal and state employment law and HR compliance. Familiarity with public-sector or higher education requirements is helpful. • Strong consultative, coaching, and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to advise senior leaders on sensitive and escalated matters. • Ability to interpret complex policies and regulations and assess their operational impact. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to build trust and influence without direct authority in a decentralized, multi-stakeholder environment.   Preferred Qualifications • Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, or a related field. • HR certification such as SHRM-CP/SCP, PHR/SPHR, or equivalent. • Experience in higher education or a research environment, including familiarity with academic and research personnel processes is a plus.  • Experience standardizing HR processes across a decentralized, matrixed, or multi-location organization. • Experience supporting a mix of workforce types, such as salaried professionals, hourly staff, researchers, and student or part-time workers. • Experience with an enterprise HR system (such as Workday or similar) and using HR technology and data to improve operations.   Salary Range $130,000+ commensurate with experience and qualifications. Work Conditions This position is based on the UT Austin campus. Required Materials • Resume/CV • 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor • Letter of interest Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subse