Director, Library Human Resources

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

As part of the university’s comprehensive vaccination program, all Cornell employees are required to have and provide proof of an FDA-or WHO-authorized or approved COVID-19 primary vaccination or have obtained a university-approved disability/medical or religious exemption, regardless of their role and work location.

New hires are required to provide documentation showing primary vaccination status (that is, completion of two shots of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one shot of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson) before their first day of work. If a new hire’s vaccination is not complete or information is not received by their start date, the first day of work will be delayed. It is possible in some cases that an offer of employment may be withdrawn.

For additional information on Cornell’s Vaccination Compliance Program click here.

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About the Cornell University Library 

Cornell University Library promotes a culture of broad inquiry and supports the University’s mission to discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge and creative expression. It engages with the ongoing transformations of society to deliver world-class physical and digital content and services critical to research, education, and outreach, now and in the future. The Library acts globally, supporting Cornell’s land grant mission in New York State and beyond, and builds partnerships within and outside the university. It invests in its staff, collections, and physical and virtual libraries. And it serves as a trusted party supporting information access and scholarly communication.

The Opportunity

In this role, you will serve as a member of the Sr. Administration team for University Library & University Press leading the human resource function and the HR team.

As the Sr. HR Advisor, you will partner with the Library/University Press leadership to develop, drive, and implement effective HR strategy and strategic initiatives and advise on academic and non-academic organizational and human resource issues. You will foster and maintain effective working relationships. You will provide advice, guidance, and expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion, organizational effectiveness and climate, recruitment, retention, compensation and job design, performance management, employee/labor relations, and staff development to employees, supervisors, managers, and leaders. You will serve as a member of the University HR Leadership team to ensure that the HR services provided in the University Library are aligned and consistent with university policies and best practices.

Additionally, you will proactively identify, explore, and evaluate highly complex and confidential HR issues that require a thorough evaluation of problems, creative remedying, and presentation of various approaches to address issues, advocating for the best possible solution. Finally, you will oversee the academic promotion review process for Research, Teaching, and Extension (RTE) Faculty.

This position is hybrid (up to two days remote per week) at the Ithaca campus located in Ithaca, New York.

Candidate Profile 

We seek candidates with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management or other relevant discipline with 5 years or more of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. In addition, to those qualifications, we seek the following skills, knowledge, and experience:

• A high level of leadership acumen.
• A proven track record of successfully leading teams and managing change.
• A track record and strong commitment to building and sustaining equity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility within a complex organization.
• Proven success with a broad range of human resource management, including employee relations, dispute resolution, organizational development, operational management, recruitment, retention, compensation, and job design.
•  Demonstrated knowledge of dealing with delicate and confidential matters with tact and discretion and sustaining ethical workplace practices.
• Proven experience working collaboratively to set priorities, steward competing needs, and provide timely replies to urgent issues.
• Comfortable developing and delivering presentations to large and small audiences.
• Experience with standard desktop productivity tools.
• An appreciation of libraries and a willingness to learn the intricacies and complications of libraries.

Additionally, we would prefer candidates with prior experience in higher education or a complex library system.

Rewards and Benefits

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: https://hr.cornell.edu/benefits-pay.
• Generous leave provisions include paid vacation, health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation, and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1.
• Cornell’s impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children’s Tuition Assistance Program.