Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer

CHESS • Santa Fe, NM

2d • $94,830 - $142,250 • Onsite

About The Position

The Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer works under the direction of the Chief Human Resources Officer and serves as a primary HR point of contact for supervisors and employees at the Director level and below. The Deputy CHRO provides broad day-to-day HR leadership, supports responsive and consistent HR service delivery, supervises assigned HR staff, and helps ensure that HR operations function effectively across the College in support of its educational mission. Within this broader operational role, the Deputy CHRO directs the College’s hiring and compensation operations, leads the Hiring and Compensation unit, and oversees timely, consistent, and transparent hiring processes. The Deputy CHRO also serves as acting authority in the absence of the CHRO.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration or related field.
• 10 years of progressively responsible human resources experience, including a minimum of four (4) years’ supervisory experience.
• Completed degrees that are above the minimum education requirement may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis.
• Knowledge and understanding of the operations of an institution of higher education.
• Skill in examining and re-engineering operations and procedures, formulating policy, and developing and implementing new strategies and procedures.
• Knowledge of recruitment, selection, onboarding, and talent acquisition best practices.
• Knowledge of job classification, compensation administration, job evaluation, and salary structure principles.
• Ability to analyze problems and develop creative solutions.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills and the ability to analyze, summarize, and effectively present data.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide variety of people.
• Knowledge of computerized information systems used in human resources applications.
• Knowledge of federal and state employment laws and regulations.
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of human resources management principles, practices, and standards, as applied to public institutions.
• Ability to supervise and train employees, to include organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments.
• Knowledge of project management principles, practices, techniques, and tools.
• Ability to foster a cooperative work environment.

Nice To Haves

• Working knowledge of Workday Human Capital Management (HCM)
• HR certification such as SHRM-SCP, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or PHR

Responsibilities

• Serves as the primary HR consultation point for employees and supervisors at the Director level and below on day-to-day HR matters, including hiring, classification, compensation, and routine supervisory questions; refers formal employee relations casework to the appropriate HR function and escalates matters involving institutional risk to the CHRO for direction.
• Supervises, motivates, and evaluates assigned HR staff; mentors and coaches team members individually, developing staff judgment and capability through documented procedures, decision guides, and progressive delegation, with the goal of building a unit that operates reliably without case-by-case executive review; creates growth and cross-training opportunities so that no critical function within the unit depends on a single person; delegates tasks and responsibilities to ensure unit goals are met; trains new staff; provides constructive and timely performance evaluations in accordance with SFCC policy; handles discipline in accordance with College policy.
• Implements HR policies, procedures, and process improvements under the CHRO’s direction; monitors operational workflows, identifies where process or policy creates delay, and recommends improvements to the CHRO.
• Coordinates with the CHRO on all matters requiring executive decision-making, signature authority, or institutional risk assessment; exercises independent judgment within established day-to-day operational parameters.
• Participates with the CHRO in policy development, institutional HR initiatives, and executive-level matters as assigned, gaining exposure to the strategic and governance dimensions of the HR function.
• Prepares operational reports, metrics, and documentation supporting the CHRO’s institutional reporting and executive consultation work.
• Directs the daily operations of the College’s hiring and compensation functions, ensuring timely and responsive service delivery; identifies and resolves operational delays before they impact College business.
• Oversees end-to-end management of the College’s hiring processes, monitoring every stage from position posting through onboarding; establishes and maintains standardized, documented hiring procedures and timelines applied consistently across all searches; tracks requisition status, removes procedural bottlenecks, ensures hiring committees and supervisors receive timely support and training on the standard process, and reports time-to-fill and process metrics to the CHRO on a regular cadence; coordinates with shared-services and system partners to resolve process delays originating outside the department.
• Publishes clear, campus-facing guidance on hiring process steps, expected timelines, and points of contact, ensuring supervisors and hiring committees can see where any search stands and what happens next.
• Serves as the acting authority in the absence of the CHRO, exercising authority as delegated by the CHRO and ensuring continuity of HR operations and decision-making.
• Directs day-to-day classification and compensation operations, including salary determinations and analyses supporting hiring actions, routine reclassification processing, and job description maintenance within Governing Board–approved salary structures, bringing non-routine determinations to the CHRO.
• Develops and monitors service-level standards for the unit, ensuring inquiries, transactions, and requests are acknowledged and resolved within established timeframes; ensures requestors receive proactive status updates on pending matters, including hiring actions, so that no employee or supervisor must inquire to learn where their request stands.

Benefits

• Salary Grade: CS124
• Minimum: $94,830 Midpoint: $118,540 Maximum: $142,250
• Final salary will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other relevant factors.
• Employment is governed by the terms and conditions of an individual employment contract, which is generally subject to annual review and renewal.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director