Director, Talent Relations

As the Director, Talent Relations, you'll play a central role in strengthening the employee experience, advancing organizational effectiveness, and ensuring fair people practices across the organization. Serving as a trusted advisor to Office of University Development (OUD) leaders and a support to all staff, this role involves guiding complex employee matters, compensation practices, and organizational design decisions that help teams perform at their highest level. Success in this position means balancing a people-centered approach with policy integrity and legal compliance. Working closely with the Talent Acquisition and Learning & Engagement teams, you'll help ensure alignment and understanding across the full employee lifecycle. As an active member of the People and Culture Leadership Team, you'll contribute your expertise to a holistic people strategy, including the design and implementation of annual and long-term strategic planning. This position reports to the Senior Executive Director, People and Culture.

Work Mode:

This is a hybrid position, with three days per week in the office.

Exciting News:

We Moved! Join our team at our brand-new location, Michigan House! You'll find us at 2301 Commonwealth Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105. For a full and detailed job description, please click here. Be a trusted advisor and partner to leaders, providing counsel on organizational design, role clarity, communication, and team effectiveness. Partner with the Learning & Engagement team to identify skill gaps and leadership development needs. Use HR data and people analytics to inform strategic decision-making, while identifying patterns and risks through data analysis and recommending solutions. Lead complex employee relations matters, including investigations, performance concerns, policy interpretation, and conflict resolution, ensuring fair, and legally compliant application of policies. Maintain working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws, mitigate risk while preserving a culture of trust. Provide input and advice to the OUD Compensation Working Group related to overall compensation philosophy, job architecture, and salary structure design. Collaborate with the Talent Acquisition team on workforce planning and hiring strategy understanding. Hire and onboard staff; foster professional growth through coaching, feedback, and career development; manage performance, recognizing achievements and addressing issues. Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field. 7+ years of progressive and diverse experience in multiple areas of HR, including employee relations and compensation. Demonstrated people management experience. Demonstrated experience advising senior leaders using coaching. Demonstrated experience using people analytics and workforce data to inform strategy. Knowledge of employment law and risk mitigation practices. Previous experience with organizational design. Judgment and discretion with sensitive matters. Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended. The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.