Chief Human Resources Officer

Job Description

Job Description

Randolph-Macon College is seeking a strategic, collaborative, and service-oriented Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) to lead the College’s people, culture, and workforce strategy in alignment with its mission, strategic plan, enrollment goals, and financial realities.

Serving as both a strategic advisor to senior leadership and a hands-on HR leader, the CHRO provides leadership and direct operational support for all human resources functions. Reporting to the Vice President of Administration and Finance this role emphasizes service, trust, and collaboration in a close-knit campus community.

The CHRO plays a critical role in attracting, developing, and retaining high-quality faculty and staff; fostering an engaged and inclusive workplace culture; ensuring compliance with employment laws and regulations; and supporting organizational effectiveness and long-term institutional sustainability.

Responsibilities

Strategic responsibilities:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive human resources strategy aligned with the College’s mission, strategic plan, enrollment objectives, and financial realities.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President, Cabinet, and senior leaders on workforce planning, organizational structure, employee engagement, leadership development, and institutional change.
• Champion a people-first, service-oriented culture that promotes engagement, belonging, accountability, and professional growth.
• Lead efforts to attract, retain, and develop high-quality faculty and staff while positioning the College as an employer of choice.
• Anticipate HR-related risks and trends affecting small private colleges, including benefits sustainability, staffing flexibility, compliance, and evolving workforce expectations.
• Support leadership development and succession planning for key academic and administrative roles.
• Utilize workforce data, trends, and metrics to support strategic planning, budgeting, and decision making.

Tactical and Operational Responsibilities:

• Recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and offboarding for faculty, staff, and administrators.
• Compensation administration, including benchmarking, position classifications, pay ranges, internal equity analysis, and salary compression review.
• Benefits administration, including health, dental, life, disability, retirement, supplemental plans, open enrollment, vendor negotiations, and required audits.
• Performance management, employee relations, investigations, disciplinary actions, and coaching of supervisors and leaders.
• Development and maintenance of HR policies, procedures, and employee handbooks.
• Effective use of the College’s HRIS, ensuring data integrity, security, compliance, and efficient system utilization.

Employee Relations and Compliance:

• Assist and/or oversee when needed responses to employee complaints, grievances, investigations, and regulatory inquiries.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, including FLSA, FMLA, ADA, Title VII, Title IX, wage and hour laws, and ACA.
• Partner with legal counsel on complex personnel matters, investigations, and employment-based visa processes.

Leadership and Collaboration:

• Lead, mentor, and support a small HR team with an emphasis on cross-training, professional development, and operational efficiency.
• Collaborate closely with academic affairs, finance, student affairs, and other campus departments.
• Maintain a visible, approachable, and engaged presence across campus.
• Serve as a campus leader and ambassador for institutional values, workplace culture, and effective people practices.
• Communicate clearly, consistently, and transparently with faculty and staff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Higher Education Administration, Business Administration, or a related field. Master’s degree in a related field preferred.
• Senior-level HR leadership experience required, preferably in a small private college, nonprofit, or mission-driven organization.
• Demonstrated ability to function effectively as both a strategic leader and a hands-on HR practitioner.
• Experience leading HR operations and supervising, developing, and evaluating HR staff.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment law and HR compliance.
• Experience supporting senior leadership through complex personnel, organizational, and institutional change initiatives.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, and ethical standards.
• Professional HR certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR preferred

The College

Founded in 1830, Randolph-Macon has about 1800 students and is located in Ashland, VA, a residential community 15 miles north of Richmond and 90 miles south of Washington D.C., thereby having all the benefits for its students, faculty and staff of a dynamic metropolitan area which serves as the state capital. Over 85% of students reside on campus. For more information about the College see

Randolph-Macon College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, disability, or veteran status in its education or employment programs or activities.

Application

To apply for the position, submit the following documents to in Microsoft Word or PDF format: a current resume, cover letter addressing the position responsibilities and qualifications, and contact information for two professional references to Claudia Burcham, Human Resources Generalist. The review and interview process will commence as strong applications are received, and the search will remain open until the position is filled. Anticipated start date is June 15, 2026.