Title: Director of Human Resources (HR Director)

Reporting Relationship: Chief Operations Officer

Executive Leadership Team (ELT), Department Directors/Managers, Quality/Compliance, Finance, Nursing Leadership, and Board of Directors (as needed)

Direct reports: HR Generalist (operational lead); may also oversee HR Assistant/HR Clerk and/or Organizational Development support

Position Summary

The Director of Human Resources is a senior leader responsible for advancing and aligning the hospital's people strategy, organizational effectiveness, and culture with the mission of exceptional patient care. This role serves as a trusted advisor to the CEO and leadership team, bringing strategic leadership across workforce planning, talent acquisition strategy, employee relations, total rewards, compliance, performance management, and leadership development.

This position is designed to be primarily strategic, while also ensuring operational continuity in core HR functions until an additional operational HR resource is identified. The HR Director will provide oversight, prioritization, coaching, and escalation support for day-to-day HR activities primarily carried out by an HR Generalist, while maintaining hands-on involvement as needed in sensitive matters, compliance, urgent staffing needs, and high-impact employee relations.

The HR Director champions a high-trust, psychologically safe, strengths-based environment and leads initiatives that improve employee engagement, retention, and leadership effectiveness-strengthening the workforce that supports outstanding clinical outcomes and service excellence.

Key Responsibilities

1) HR Strategy, Leadership & Executive Partnership (Primary Focus)

• Partner with the CEO and ELT to align HR initiatives with organizational strategy, growth plans, and operational goals.
• Lead the hospital's people strategy: workforce planning, succession planning, talent pipelines, retention initiatives, and organizational design.
• Provide regular reporting and analysis on workforce metrics (turnover, vacancy rates, time-to-fill, engagement indicators, labor trends, and risk).
• Serve as a confidential coach and advisor to senior leaders on leadership effectiveness, team dynamics, and culture-building.

2) Organizational Development, Culture & Engagement

• Champion a psychologically safe, strengths-based culture; model and promote values-based leadership and accountability.

• Lead initiatives to enhance the employee experience across the lifecycle-onboarding, engagement, recognition, development, and retention.
• Partner with leaders to assess needs and implement organizational development programs, change management initiatives, and leadership training.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners (Quality, Nursing, Education, Safety, Marketing/Communications as applicable) to support employee-facing programs and communication.

3) HR Operations Oversight (Through HR Generalist; Hands-On as Needed)

• Provide oversight and ensure consistent execution of operational HR functions including:
• Recruiting and hiring workflow support (requisitions, job postings, interview support, offer process, onboarding)
  • HRIS/Payroll coordination and employee record maintenance (ADP and related systems)
  • Benefits administration support and vendor coordination
  • Time & attendance policy guidance
  • Leave administration (FMLA/medical leave), accommodations, workers' compensation coordination
  • Licensing/certification tracking and compliance documentation
  • Employee relations intake and resolution support
• Establish clear role division: the HR Generalist owns day-to-day execution, with the HR Director providing:
  • Prioritization and workflow direction
  • Escalation support for complex employee relations, investigations, accommodations, and regulatory matters
  • Audit oversight and quality control
  • Training for managers and HR staff on process adherence and documentation

4) Talent Acquisition Strategy & Hiring Governance

• Build and maintain a consistent, compliant hiring framework across departments, including:
  • Position approval controls (budgeted vs. non-budgeted tracking, FTE worksheet governance)
  • Job description standards and annual review cycle
  • Standardized behavioral interviewing practices and hiring manager tools

• Ensure an efficient and compliant recruitment process from requisition through onboarding, including:
  • Candidate flow and communication expectations
  • Offer/compensation governance (wage sheets, grade ladder alignment, sign-on approvals)

• • Pre-employment requirements (background checks, registries, licensure verification, health screenings)
  • New hire documentation and system setup (HRIS, performance management, E-Verify, state reporting)

5) Employee Relations, Performance Management & Manager Support

• Provide counsel to leaders on performance concerns, coaching, progressive discipline, and documentation standards.
• Lead or guide investigations and resolution strategies for employee complaints, policy violations, and sensitive matters.
• Strengthen performance management processes including:
  • Introductory period (90-day) practices, competencies, and required training completion
  • Annual evaluation cycle, manager training, calibration, and documentation quality
  • Improvement plans (PIPs), performance coaching, and follow-through
• Promote an open-door and relationship-centered HR approach while maintaining firm accountability and consistency.

6) Total Rewards, Benefits Strategy & Compensation Governance

• Provide strategic oversight and partnership with brokers/vendors for medical, dental, vision, LTD/STD, life, EAP, HSA/FSA, retirement, and related programs.
• Lead annual renewal strategy and open enrollment planning in partnership with Finance and vendors.

• Oversee compensation governance:
  • Salary survey participation and market benchmarking
  • Grade ladder updates, COLA audits (if applicable), equity review
  • Offer approvals above formula/structure with CEO approval process
• Ensure benefit compliance processes are executed (COBRA, ACA tracking, eligibility, qualifying events).

7) Compliance, Risk Management & Accreditation Readiness

• Ensure compliance with applicable federal/state employment regulations and hospital policies.
• Oversee HR-related regulatory requirements and audit readiness, including:
  • I-9/E-Verify compliance, personnel file audits, credential/licensure tracking
  • ACA measurement and reporting coordination
  • EEOC reporting, affirmative action support (if applicable), and related documentation

• • Subpoena response coordination and employment verifications
• Partner with Quality/Compliance teams to support accreditation readiness and documentation standards (e.g., onboarding, competencies, training, personnel file completeness).

8) Systems, Process Improvement & HR Infrastructure

• Evaluate and improve HR workflows for efficiency, compliance, and manager/employee experience.
• Strengthen HR checklists, templates, training guides, and manager toolkits (hiring, onboarding, evaluations, leaves, discipline).
• Ensure HRIS and performance management tools are fully utilized, accurate, and user-friendly; drive adoption and training.

9) Team Leadership & Development

• Provide leadership, coaching, and accountability for the HR Generalist and any additional HR staff.
• Build scalable HR infrastructure to support growth, including future hiring of operational HR roles as needed.
• Foster a service-oriented HR culture that supports leaders and employees with clarity, responsiveness, and consistency.

Operational Responsibilities (Current-State Coverage - Oversight + Support)

The HR Director will ensure the following functions are executed effectively (primarily through the HR Generalist/HR team), stepping in as necessary:

• Hiring workflow governance and offer approvals
• Pre-employment compliance (background checks, registries, licensure verification)
• Onboarding oversight and new hire orientation quality
• Leave management strategy and escalations (FMLA/medical leave/RTW)
• Workers' compensation oversight and risk mitigation
• Policy interpretation, discipline escalations, and investigations
• Benefits strategy, vendor coordination, and annual open enrollment leadership
• HR audits (employee files, I-9, ACA hours, HRIS data quality)
• Joint Commission / competency / training documentation alignment in partnership with leaders

Success Measures (KPIs)

• Reduced turnover in key roles; improved retention and engagement indicators
• Time-to-fill and quality-of-hire improvements; hiring process compliance/adherence
• On-time completion of onboarding, competencies, and required training
• Improved performance management quality (timeliness, documentation, manager consistency)
• Audit readiness and reduction in compliance gaps (I-9, ACA, licensure tracking, personnel files)
• Vendor cost management and benefits strategy effectiveness
• Decreased employee relations escalations through proactive coaching and leadership support

Job Qualifications:

Education:

Required: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or related field (Master's preferred).

Experience:

Required: 8+ years of progressive HR leadership experience; healthcare or regulated environment strongly preferred.

Strong working knowledge of employment law, HR compliance, employee relations, and workplace investigations.

Experience leading benefits/compensation strategy, performance management, and manager coaching.

Proven ability to partner effectively with executive leadership; high discretion and sound judgment.

HRIS experience required (ADP experience strongly preferred).

Preferred: Experience in hospital/clinical settings; familiarity with accreditation readiness and documentation requirements.

Background in organizational development, engagement strategy, and leadership development.

PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP certification.

License/Certifications:

License/Certifications: Current and valid Class "O" Nebraska driver's license or the equivalent