Director of Faculty Lifecycle Services

Summary

Job Summary

The Director of Faculty Lifecycle Services is part of the Faculty Personnel Support (FPS) functional area within the Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA) and provides leadership for faculty lifecycle policies and services, ensuring consistent, high-quality, compliant, and timely execution of documentation-intensive and cycle-based faculty personnel processes across the institution. “Faculty” includes Lecturers, Instructional Associates and Visiting and Adjoint Faculty; Research Faculty; Specialized Faculty (i.e., Clinical, In-Residence, and Teaching Faculty); Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty.

The role serves as a campus subject-matter expert on faculty employees in the context of a higher education institution. In collaboration with the vice provost for faculty affairs, the director sets the vision, strategic goals, and operational standards related to faculty lifecycle activities (e.g., appointment, tenure, promotion, leave, retirement), translating institutional policy into scalable tools, guidance, and workflows aligned with faculty needs, OFA priorities, and compliance expectations.

The director leads institution-wide faculty lifecycle design, and processes (e.g., organizational development, tools, templates); supervising a team of staff, focuses on building relationships and trust within OFA and Academic Affairs and across campus; fosters a culture of customer care and positivity; handles challenging situations, such as conflicts with campus partners or difficult employees; models a solution-oriented approach; establishes documentation standards and cycle calendars; oversees compliance and audit responses; defines governance with HRSC and partners with Academic Affairs data teams for consistent reporting, insights, and decision making support.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The Provost's Office is the face of Academic Affairs; as such, the work unit is oriented toward providing service that supports the institution's academic role and mission. The Division of Academic Affairs is led by the Provost and exists to nurture, foster, and support the development of outstanding academic research and instructional programs on the University of Colorado Boulder campus to ensure our students are offered academic excellence in their undergraduate and graduate educations!

Responsibilities

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

• Serve as a high-level strategic partner and advisor to the vice provost for faculty affairs
• Have primary accountability for all Faculty Personnel processes across campus. This includes, for example, annual merit, appointments (e.g., primary and additional appointments, addenda, MOUs, administrative, endowed, emeriti), comprehensive reviews, post-tenure review, promotions, reappointments, recruitment authorizations, reporting to the Board of Regents and CU System, retirements, sabbatical and other academic leaves, salary equity, tenure, tenure clocks, and tenure transfers.
• Collaborate closely with staff at the CU System administration, chancellor’s office, provost’s office, academic affairs, campus human resources, dean’s offices, office of information technology, and faculty affairs
• Work independently to lead all aspects of the Faculty Lifecycle functional area within the Faculty Personnel Support area of the Office of Faculty Affairs
• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Faculty Lifecycle functional area, including policy monitoring and implementation, service priorities, staffing design, capacity planning, supervision, and performance oversight
• Develop positive and collaborative relationships with academic leaders, HR leaders, and faculty specialists in units across the campus, ensuring strong communication and partnership, as well as reciprocal relations. This includes regularly convening faculty specialists and their supervisors as appropriate, for trainings, communications, and updates
• Lead, coach, and develop managers and staff; set expectations for fast work, deliverables, quality standards, and continuous improvement
• Translate institutional goals and policies into helpful, scalable service offerings, guidance, and enablement resources (e.g., toolkits, templates, standards of practice, frequently asked questions, web pages and resources, Sharepoint sites, trainings)
• Establish service standards, intake practices (as applicable), critical issue pathways, and documentation expectations to ensure consistent policy/process application
• Partner with HR practitioners, leaders, and other campus constituents to ensure aligned, consistent support and effective adoption of FPS guidance and tools
• Define roles, handoffs, and governance with HRSC, Central HR Centers of Excellence, RIO, Provost’s Office, Chancellor’s Office, Dean’s Offices, and other key support teams to ensure seamless end-to-end support
• Partner with Academic Affairs, faculty data experts, and data offices to standardize definitions, strengthen reporting, and advise strategic decisions
• Monitor and handle lifecycle-related risks including compliance, consistency of interpretation, and audit readiness, as well as ensure appropriate documentation and routing
• Lead change management, communications content, and readiness planning for new or evolving FPS accountabilities
• Contribute to FPS-wide planning and cross-functional coordination to strengthen shared practices across Faculty Lifecycle, Faculty Relations, and Faculty Development
• Have working knowledge of software, architecture, and applications such as Avature, BoardDocs, CU Boulder Elements, Docusign, Faculty Information System, Faculty Report on Professional Activities, Human Capital Management (HCM), Microsoft Teams, OnBase, Sharepoint, Tableau
• Oversee execution of faculty lifecycle cycles (e.g., hiring, reappointment, promotion, tenure, annual faculty reporting and merit, retirement), ensuring timelines, documentation, and guidance are consistently applied across units
• Ensure integrity, completeness, and audit readiness of faculty lifecycle documentation and records.
  
  

What You Should Know

• This position may provide a hybrid work schedule.
• A moving allowance may be available within department guidelines
  
  

What We Can Offer

The annual salary range is $136,300-$175,000 per year.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder , we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be creative. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute

What You Will Need

• Demonstrated knowledge of faculty employment and academic personnel practices within higher education, as well as the full faculty lifecycle.
• Experience developing operational processes, workflows, guidance documents, and training resources.
• Strong project management, change management, and collaborator engagement skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data and use information to support decision-making.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  
  

What We Would Like You To Have

• 7 years of progressively responsible experience in higher education administration, faculty affairs, academic personnel, human resources, or a closely related field.
• 3 years of direct supervisory and people management experience.
• Demonstrated experience administering complex faculty personnel processes such as appointments, promotion and tenure, faculty reviews, compensation, leaves, and retirement.
• Experience interpreting and applying institutional policies, regulations, and governance requirements.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving academic leaders, HR professionals, and administrative collaborators.
• Master's degree in Higher Education Administration, Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field.
• Knowledge of processes for all faculty personnel actions, faculty compensation parameters (campus, CU System, State Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (CEPEWA), and federal policies), and University of Colorado Board of Regent approvals.
• Experience using faculty information systems, HR systems, workflow/document management platforms, and business intelligence tools.
  
  

Special Instructions

To Apply, Please Submit The Following Materials

• A current resume.
• A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.
  
  

We may request references at a later time.

Please apply by August 12, 2026 for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.