Associate Vice President Human Resources & Chief Human Resources Officer (Elon)

Elon University ( ), located in Elon, North Carolina, seeks an innovative and visionary leader to serve as Associate Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). This is an exceptional opportunity for a people-centered leader to shape the future of a thriving institution and elevate and enhance the workplace experience for all its employees.

Reporting to the Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer, the CHRO is a member of Elon’s senior staff and plays a central role in shaping and implementing effective human resource strategies that align with the university’s goals and foster a positive work culture. The CHRO serves as a strategic and consultative partner with Elon’s leadership and leads a dedicated and forward-thinking team of 23 human resources professionals serving an employee base of approximately 1,600 faculty and staff. The CHRO provides direction and strategy on issues involving:

1. Talent acquisition and management
2. Employee relations and engagement
3. Organization and professional development
4. Compensation and benefits administration
5. Compliance and risk management
6. Human resources technology

The successful candidate will possess experience in leading high-performing teams through organizational change within a complex enterprise, and a record of developing and implementing innovative HR strategies and initiatives that align with an organization’s mission and values. The community will welcome a leader who actively contributes to Elon’s shared responsibility of inclusive excellence and supports Elon’s commitment to relationships, mentoring, and collaboration in a close-knit community. Additionally, this leader will bring broad and contemporary knowledge of all areas of human resources with a demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion and a reputation for being both service- and employee-centered. Evidence of progressive human resources leadership roles and a bachelor’s degree are required. An advanced degree and prior experience in higher education are strongly preferred.

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile found at ( ).

WittKieffer is assisting Elon University in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by September 15, 2024 . Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal ( ).

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to Sarah Palmer, Werner Boel, and Luis Bertot at

Elon values and celebrates the diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences and perspectives of our community members. As an equal opportunity employer, Elon’s principles of diversity extend to race and gender identity, age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of one’s identity. At Elon, our employees respect human differences, passion for lifelong learning, emphasis on personal integrity and an ethic of service.