Job Details

Associate Vice President for People and Culture

Position Number: 6616957
Location: Aurora, IL
Position Type: Human Resources

Aurora University (AU) invites nominations and applications for the position of Associate Vice President for People and Culture (AVPPC). Located in Aurora, Illinois, AU is a four-year, private, nonprofit higher education institution offering baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees to nearly 4,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students. AU is home to approximately 425 full-time faculty and staff and another 1,000 part-time faculty and student workers. The new AVPPC is expected to take office in Fall 2025.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President for Business and Finance, the AVPPC serves as the Chief Human Resources officer for Aurora University with responsibility for university-wide strategic, people-centered human resources leadership. As a strategic partner to the leadership team, the incumbent will spearhead the university's evolution toward becoming an employer of choice, and this role represents a pivotal position in advancing President Rivera-Mills' vision of transforming AU into an institution renowned for its exceptional treatment of faculty and staff. Leading a team of four individuals, the AVPPC will provide direction and thought leadership across the university on matters involving recruitment and retention, comprehensive onboarding experiences, leadership development and succession planning, employee relations, total rewards, performance management, and human resource technology and data. The salary range for this position is $135k-$175k commensurate with experience.

AU seeks a visionary leader who understands that effective people and culture work transcends traditional HR functions. The AVPPC's foremost responsibility is to ensure delivery of timely, effective, responsive, and customer-focused HR services, and the AVPPC will play a key role in providing strategic leadership and transformational vision for leading the human resources team as a high-functioning office of people and culture. Central to this role will be the implementation of AU's strategic plan's "Engage and Value" pillar, which provides a clear framework for the AVPPC's work in establishing AU as an employer of choice through comprehensive management strategies, policy improvements that support shared governance, and the creation of an inclusive learning and working community where all members thrive. The successful candidate will be a proven administrator who brings strong leadership capability and a steady focus on delivering excellence in people and culture services that aligns with AU's strategic goals and commitment to making the institution an employer of choice.

The search for Aurora University's next Associate Vice President for People and Culture is being assisted by Maya Ranchod Kirkhope at Academic Search. Applications, nominations, and expressions of interest can be submitted in confidence to AuroraAVPPC@academicsearch.org. The search committee will begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis and will continue to review applications as they are received until the position is filled. For more information about the institution, position, qualifications, and application process, please review the search profile, available for download on the Academic Search website. Additional information about Aurora University is available at https://www.aurora.edu.

Aurora University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.