Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Position Title:

Job Category:

Employment Type:

Job Profile:

Job Duties:

The Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer (Deputy CHRO) reports to the Associate Vice President, Human Resources, and provides strategic leadership across the institution's human resources, compensation and benefits functions. This role leads the development and implementation of key HR strategies, programs, and policies, with oversight of talent acquisition, onboarding, performance management, learning and development, employee engagement, compliance, and compensation and benefits.

Acting on behalf of the Associate Vice President, Human Resources, as needed, the Deputy CHRO represents and leads the organization in the AVP's absence. The position also partners with UW System institution Human Resources leaders on systemwide policy development, projects, and strategic initiatives.

Key Job Responsibilities:

Benefits, Leave & Retirement Administration

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for benefits, retirement, leave, and well-being programs across the Universities of Wisconsin.
• Strategic oversight of the administration of insurance programs, retirement programs, and leave structures for employees across all employment categories.
• Lead the strategic oversight of the Universities of Wisconsin's centralized benefits counseling function to ensure exceptional customer service and support.
• Evaluate benefits administration processes and service delivery models and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and employee experience.
• Strategic oversight of the development of resources, communication strategies, and educational programs that help employees understand and maximize the value of available benefits and retirement offerings.
• Partner with UW universities to support effective administration and communication of benefits and total rewards programs.

Compensation Strategy, Classification & Workforce Analytics

• Lead the development, implementation, administration, and continuous improvement of compensation strategies, policies, and programs across the Universities of Wisconsin.
• Oversee the maintenance and administration of compensation structures, salary schedules, title frameworks, and classification systems to support institutional needs and workforce objectives.
• Direct compensation studies, market benchmarking initiatives, salary analyses, and labor market assessments to support recruitment, retention, and workforce competitiveness.
• Strategic oversight of pay equity reviews and compensation analyses to identify trends, inform decision-making, and support equitable compensation practices.
• Partner with UW university leaders and human resources professionals to provide consultation and guidance on compensation, classification, organizational structure, and workforce planning matters.
• Oversight of development and maintenance of workforce analytics, dashboards, reports, and metrics that provide meaningful insights for executive leadership and support data-driven decision-making.
• Analyze workforce trends related to recruitment, retention, turnover, compensation, and employee demographics and provide strategic recommendations based on findings.
• Monitor emerging compensation and workforce trends, best practices, and regulatory developments and recommend appropriate actions.

Leadership & External Relations

• Provide leadership, supervision, coaching, and professional development for staff responsible for HR, compensation, analytics, benefits, and retirement administration.
• Develops system-wide strategies and policies by engaging system-wide stakeholders, including human resources professionals from across the system.
• Serves as the de facto director of human resources at UW System Administration and oversees day-to-day functions of providing human resources service to UWSA.
• In collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Employee Trust Funds, and other state agencies, provides strategic oversight and guidance for the Universities of Wisconsin on compensation, benefits and workforce-related matters.
• Convene and participate in committees, workgroups, and strategic initiatives related to Human Resources, compensation, classification, benefits, retirement, and workforce planning.
• Provide strategic oversight and guidance on compensation and benefits matters related to collective bargaining agreements, ensuring compliance with negotiated contract provisions and applicable laws and policies.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with university leaders, human resources professionals, governance groups, and external stakeholders.
• Ensures compliance with federal and state statutes and UW System policies.

Human Resources

• Provides leadership and management in support of the development of strategy and implementation of programming for the talent management and employee relations functions, including talent acquisition, onboarding, talent development, performance management, employee engagement, and compliance.

• Design, develop and support organization-wide talent management programs, tactics and strategies that include talent acquisition, onboarding, performance management, talent development, coaching and succession planning.

Department:

UW System Human Resources is the strategic partner to the UW System Administration and its 13 universities. We consult, partner and collaborate to provide strategy and leadership support to advance the mission of UW System. To that end, we provide expertise across the employee life cycle, including talent acquisition, employee engagement, learning and development, performance management, compensation and total benefits. These services are designed to foster employee engagement within a respectful environment that promotes healthy and productive employees and inspires excellence.

Compensation:

The Deputy, CHRO is a full-time, salaried (exempt), limited appointee position.  

Well-qualified candidates can expect a starting annual salary within a range of $140,000 - $160,000, commensurate with the candidate’s education, related experience, and qualifications.  

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution

• Seven + years of broad human resources experience and current knowledge across the functional areas of human resources, including compensation and benefits; three years must have been managing, coaching, training and evaluating direct reports in multiple HR functional areas

• Experience leading organizational change initiatives and workforce planning efforts

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution in a related field.

• SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification is highly desirable.

• Demonstrated comprehensive understanding of both business and academic issues related to human resources.

• Experience utilizing Workday or other integrated Human Capital Management (HCM) systems to support strategic workforce planning, talent management, and organizational decision-making.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Advanced computer skills and proficiency in Workday, or other similar system, and Microsoft Office Suite.

• Skill in consensus-building, managing change and delivering communication to diverse audiences. High comfort level with public speaking.

• Approachable with superior interpersonal skills and the ability to interact tactfully and professionally with staff and leadership.

• Appreciation, commitment and respect for diverse views, perspectives and people; models inclusion and respect.

• Knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations related to compensation, benefits, leave administration, and employment practices.

• Demonstrated ability to get things done within a team environment.

How to Apply:

Applicant screening will begin immediately and be ongoing through Friday, October 2, 2026. However, applications may be accepted until the position has been filled.  

To receive full consideration, interested applicants are required to apply online and provide: 

• Resume (PDF Format) 

• Cover letter addressing your experience and education as it applies to all minimum and preferred qualifications (PDF Format) 

Failing to submit the required application documents may disqualify your application.

Work Location:

The office is located at 780 Regent Street, Madison, WI. An in-office requirement is expected four days per week and one day may be worked off-site/remote.  Telecommuting agreements are subject to change at any time. 

Contact Information:

Questions may be addressed to Sarah Haen, HR Manager, at sarah.haen@wisconsin.edu.

Accommodation Request

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request by contacting uwshr@wisconsin.edu. 

Criminal Background Check and Reference Check Policy

This offer of employment is conditional pending the results of a criminal background check and a reference check process that includes questions regarding employee misconduct, sexual violence, and sexual harassment. If you have prior work history within the past 7 years with the Universities of Wisconsin, your personnel file will also be reviewed for employee misconduct. If the results are unacceptable, the offer will be withdrawn or, if you have started employment, your employment will be terminated.

Employment Authorization

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of employer sponsorship) on, before, or after the effective date of appointment.   

Confidentiality

The Universities of Wisconsin will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. §. 19.36(7). 

Benefits Information

Universities of Wisconsin employees receive an excellent benefits package. To learn more about the benefits package, review the Faculty, Academic Staff & Limited Appointees  or University Staff   Please see this link for total compensation information: Universities of Wisconsin Health & Retirement Contributions Estimator to provide you with total compensation information. 

Clery Act information 

The Universities of Wisconsin provides statistics on campus crime in its Annual Security Report.  For more information on university campus statistics see https://www.wisconsin.edu/compliance/clery/.

UW is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other bases protected by applicable federal or State law and UW System policies. We are committed to building a workforce that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.