Workplace Experience Strategist-Faculty Relations

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences•Yakima, WA

17h•$88,800 - $142,100•Onsite

About The Position

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) is seeking a Workplace Experience Strategist, Faculty Relations to serve as the primary HR partner for its faculty workforce. This role oversees the full faculty employment lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, classification, performance, development, recognition, and offboarding, ensuring consistency, equity, and sound practice across programs. The position is expected to grow into a strategic partnership with department leaders, the Faculty Senate, and the VP of HRWE, taking on a stronger role in workforce planning, classification and compensation practice, supervisor development, and policy design. The Strategist will be supported in developing the diagnostic judgment and strategic HR fluency needed for this work. Leaders at PNWU are accountable for leading their people, and this role strengthens that ownership by clarifying expectations, designing effective systems, and coaching supervisors through complex situations.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Higher Education Administration, or a related field.
3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in HR, academic affairs, or faculty affairs in a higher education setting.
Demonstrated experience managing concurrent HR processes and partnering with supervisors or faculty leaders on employee relations or hiring matters.
Demonstrated knowledge of employment law and HR best practices as they apply to faculty in higher education.
Experience with credentialing, accreditation documentation, or faculty records management.
Strong relationship-building skills across faculty, administration, and governance structures, and the ability to build trust and credibility with academic leaders.
Emotional intelligence and self-awareness, including the ability to recognize one’s own impact on others and to work through conflict constructively.
Willingness to grow into a more strategic partnership role over time, including building skill in workforce planning, organizational design, and advising senior leaders.
Commitment to equity, transparency, and values-driven HR practice.
Commitment to continuous learning and professional growth, including openness to feedback and willingness to own and learn from mistakes.
Strong organization and planning skills, with the ability to manage concurrent processes on predictable cycles.
Clear, concise, and respectful verbal and written communication.
Ability to problem solve by analyzing issues, identifying root causes, and creating sound action plans.
Ability to work with HRIS, faculty information systems, and other institutional databases.
SHRM-CP or PHR certification required or within one year of hire.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in Human Resources, Higher Education, or a related field.
Experience in a health sciences or professional school environment.
Experience supporting or working with a faculty governance body.
Familiarity with clinician-educator development frameworks (AAMC, ACGME, or equivalent).
Experience contributing to workforce planning, organizational design, or policy development.
SHRM-SCP or SPHR preferred or encouraged as part of professional development.

Responsibilities

Coordinate and administer faculty appointment, reappointment, and promotion processes in alignment with policy, including routing, documentation, and equity review.
Manage the end-to-end faculty search and hiring process, including job description development, posting, search committee support, offer letter generation, and onboarding coordination; equip search committees with the tools they need to hire well.
Maintain accurate faculty personnel files, appointment records, and the Faculty Information System.
Support the Provost’s review and equitable signing of new faculty contracts; develop and maintain a contract equity tracking process across programs.
Track and maintain affiliate faculty, adjunct appointments, and startup fund utilization.
Support transitions into emeritus status and other end-of-appointment processes.
Support disability accommodations and protected leave processes in partnership with benefits and leadership, ensuring consistency and compliance.
Ensure compliance with federal, Washington State, and local employment laws (e.g., FMLA, ADA, WFLA, wage and hour), escalating complex matters appropriately.
Serve as the primary HR partner for approximately 100 employees/faculty across multiple departments and programs.
Serve as a trusted advisor to faculty, Deans, and program leadership on HR policies, employment questions, and the Faculty Handbook; explain the reasoning behind decisions whenever possible.
Partner with Deans and supervisors on faculty employee relations matters, grievances, and performance concerns; coach leaders to address issues early, directly, and with respect for the people involved.
Maintain a working relationship with the Faculty Senate, attend meetings as appropriate, and serve as the HR liaison to shared governance with professionalism, clarity, and respect.
Lead or support policy development and revision related to faculty affairs, including the Faculty Startup Funds Policy, Academic Leadership Standardization, and Faculty Search and Hiring Guidelines.
Apply policies and practices equitably across programs, roles, and levels; acknowledge mistakes and correct course transparently.
Exercise independent judgement in resolving routine and moderately complex employee relations matters.
Administer the faculty credentialing process for new hires and manage periodic review of existing faculty credentials on the appropriate reappointment cycle.
Maintain credential documentation required for program accreditation across all five PNWU programs; plan ahead for accreditation cycles rather than responding at the last minute.
Develop and implement the Faculty Credentialing Procedure in coordination with program leadership and the Provost.
Design and facilitate a structured induction program for clinician-educators entering academic roles for the first time, with attention to their growth as educators alongside the standard orientation logistics.
Coordinate ongoing faculty development programming in partnership with program leadership and faculty subject matter experts in areas such as assessment, curriculum mapping, learning outcomes, Bloom’s taxonomy, and pedagogy.
Connect faculty development offerings to accreditation standards, institutional values, and career progression frameworks; evaluate whether offerings are producing the intended outcomes.
Plan and execute Faculty Awards Ceremony and other faculty recognition events.
Support faculty engagement initiatives within the broader HRWE workplace experience strategy.
Compile and analyze faculty workforce data to support planning, compensation equity analysis, and accreditation reporting.
Track promotion cycle timelines and provide reporting to the Provost and ELT; surface workforce risks and capability gaps before they become urgent.
Translate faculty workforce data into clear insight that helps academic leaders make sound, mission-aligned decisions.
Contribute to multi-year faculty workforce planning in partnership with the Provost, Deans, and the VP of HRWE; grow the depth of that contribution over time as familiarity with programs, accreditation cycles, and institutional priorities deepens.
Bring initiative, ownership, and follow-through to all work; give small commitments the same care as high-visibility ones.
Actively seek and apply feedback; pay attention to how actions are received, and be willing to adjust when intent and impact do not line up.
Engage in a structured development plan to build strategic HR fluency, including workforce planning, organizational design, and advising senior academic leaders on talent decisions.
Contribute to the credibility and steadiness of the HRWE team; hold self and peers accountable with professionalism, candor, and care.
Performs other related duties as assigned and based on departmental need.