Director, Organizational Development, Human Resources

Boston University • Boston, MA

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About The Position

Boston University's Organizational Development & Learning (OD&L) team is seeking a Director of Organizational Development. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President, the Director will lead a team of OD specialists and bring change and transformation capabilities to university-wide initiatives. The role advises academic and administrative leaders, facilitates strategic design and collaboration, and guides complex efforts from discovery through sustained adoption. It applies human-centered, systems, and design thinking approaches to strengthen organizational effectiveness, build stakeholder ownership, and advance a culture of learning, innovation, and inclusive excellence.

The Director leads university-wide transformation, engages the community in shaping change, integrates talent capability building, and uses stakeholder insights to guide design, implementation, and measurement. The role also leads workshops, retreats, and design sessions; applies design thinking methods to complex challenges; evaluates outcomes and refines approaches using feedback and data; and manages OD initiatives from discovery through sustained implementation. The Director builds readiness, mobilizes champions, accelerates adoption, sustains results, and fosters partnerships across academic and administrative units.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in organizational development, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in organizational development, transformational change design and management, or related areas.
• Demonstrated expertise in human-centered change and design thinking methodologies.
• Demonstrated expertise in dialogic and humanistic OD approaches.
• Proven ability to lead strategic planning and team development initiatives in complex organizations.
• Exceptional facilitation, coaching, and consulting skills.
• Project management skills.
• Effective written, verbal, and interpersonal communication.

Nice To Haves

• Certifications in Design Thinking, Human-Centered Design, Dialogic OD, or Change Management.
• Experience in higher education or mission-driven organizations.

Responsibilities

• Lead university-wide transformation using human-centered and design thinking approaches.
• Apply systems thinking and participatory practices to engage the community in shaping change.
• Integrate talent capability building into transformation.
• Use stakeholder insights to guide design, implementation, and measurement.
• Address adoption barriers and build ownership for sustained success.
• Lead workshops, retreats, and design sessions that engage diverse perspectives.
• Apply design thinking, journey mapping, prototyping, and dialogue to address complex challenges.
• Evaluate outcomes and refine approaches using feedback and data.
• Lead OD initiatives from discovery through sustained implementation.
• Manage scope, timelines, and stakeholder engagement.
• Embed human-centered approaches into planning and execution.
• Build readiness, mobilize champions, accelerate adoption, and sustain results.
• Build trusted partnerships across academic and administrative units.
• Connect diverse voices to co-create solutions and advance strategic priorities.
• Foster relationships, continuous learning, innovation, and inclusive excellence.
• Lead a team of OD specialists.
• Advise academic and administrative leaders and facilitate strategic design and collaboration.

What This Job Offers

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