Chief Human Resources Officer

University of Maine System

Chief Human Resources Officer

The University of Maine System (UMS) seeks an experienced strategic and visionary leader to serve as its Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).

Established in 1968, the University of Maine System is the state’s largest educational enterprise. UMS unites Maine’s distinctive public universities comprising the University of Maine, including its regional campus the University of Maine at Machias; the University of Maine at Augusta; the University of Maine Farmington; the University of Maine at Fort Kent; the University of Maine at Presque Isle; the University of Southern Maine; and The University of Maine School of Law. UMS is in the early stages of implementing an innovative “unified accreditation” model for academic collaboration between its universities, proposed in September 2019 by University of Maine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy and approved by the Board of Trustees in January 2020.

The UMS CHRO will lead a Human Resources department consisting of sixty HR professionals who are hardworking, interconnected and geographically dispersed but centrally managed – in some cases with matrixed reporting relationships within the universities they serve well. The CHRO will report directly to the UMS Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Chief Legal Officer, who also serves as the UMS Chancellor’s Chief of Staff. The CHRO will join an outstanding, talented and energetic team, and will be responsible for supervising and developing a collaborative, high-performing HR leadership team tasked with the strategic leadership and supervision of the UMS HR enterprise. This includes establishing supervisory responsibilities for each HR function and campus leadership in alignment with UMS’s overall business strategy and objectives.

The UMS CHRO will demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion with a proven record of collaboration and inclusive engagement to steward a mission-driven workforce of more than 5,000 faculty and staff throughout the state of Maine. The ideal candidate will have experience with workforce stabilization; strategic change management; and proficiency in growing environments that foster connection and deep collaboration across the varied units of a large state-wide public organization.   

A successful candidate will be an activist and advocate for strategic human resources and an experienced change champion, capability builder, strategic positioner, HR innovator and integrator, and proponent for the effective application of technology. Additionally, a successful candidate will be approachable and collaborative, with the ability to lead with a vision for the University of Maine System as an intentional community and employer of choice. The individual will be creative and agile in designing, implementing, and administering human resources programs, processes, and initiatives.

More information about the University of Maine System can be found at https://www.maine.edu/.

The full position profile can be accessed here and the job description is available here. For best consideration, please send all nominations and applications to:

Jim Sirianni, Partner

Amy Sugin, Managing Director

Mark Halligan, Senior Associate

Sara Swisher-Anderson, Senior Associate

Storbeck Search

ums-chro@storbecksearch.com

The University of Maine System is an EEO/AA employer, and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies:  Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME  04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).