Senior HR Business Partner
Location: Stanford, CA, United States · Reference: 108798
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday onsite position based in Palo Alto, CA with
reasonable flexibility of schedule.
Budgeted Salary: The budgeted base salary range for this position is
$153,642 - $179,896 per annum.
The Department of Athletics, Physical Education & Recreation (DAPER) is
seeking an exceptional Senior Human Resources Business Partner (Senior HRBP)
to serve as a strategic advisor to senior leaders and a key driver of
organizational effectiveness. This role goes beyond traditional HR
partnership—requiring an experienced partner who can assess, shape, and
influence people strategy in a complex, high-performance environment.
The Senior HRBP will partner closely with the DAPER Varsity Athletics
departments to diagnose organizational needs and elevate leadership
effectiveness. You will lead critical initiatives across a diverse array of
athletic functions ranging from our Athletic Training, Sports Nutrition, and
Sports Performance teams, to our Facilities, Ticket & Operations, and Fan
Experience teams. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to make a
meaningful contribution to the continued success of Stanford Athletics.
This role includes a mix of activities such as Performance Consulting,
Employee Engagement programs, Organization Design & Development, Talent
Management, and Compensation Management. Reporting to DAPER's Chief Human
Resources Officer, this position generally requires an on-site presence from
Monday to Friday on the Stanford Campus, with reasonable flexibility of work
hours.
Success in this role requires strong business acumen, sound judgment, and the
ability to influence senior stakeholders with credibility. The ideal candidate
brings a demonstrated track record of earning the trust of others, developing
strong partnerships, and delivering measurable positive impact on the employee
experience.
All DAPER coaches, administrators, and staff are responsible for the integrity
of Stanford's intercollegiate athletics program and for the reputation of
Stanford University. This position shares the responsibility to ensure that
department activities maintain the integrity of the University's reputation
and do not negatively impact the relationship between the University and its
faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Additionally, this position must comply
with University policies and procedures, and ACC rules and regulations.
Are you ready to help extend Stanford's 50-year tradition of NCAA
Championships? If yes, we encourage you to apply by including a cover letter
and resume with your application.
Preferred Qualifications:
Demonstrated interpersonal skills and understanding of group dynamics.
Successful track record of establishing credibility and trust with a
diverse client group.
Strong analytical, critical thinking, problem-solving, judgment,
negotiating, influencing, and decision-making skills. Ability to maintain
confidentiality, tact, and diplomacy.
Excellent facilitation and oral and written communication skills; ability
to prepare clear and concise reports and deliver formal presentations or
training to senior management and other audiences.
Experience operating in complex, decentralized, or higher education
environments is strongly preferred.
Demonstrated proficiency with business applications, such as Microsoft
Office, Google Suite, and human resource information systems.
Direct work experience working with a college athletics organization would
be ideal.
Experience in other areas of academia would be of value.
Core Duties:
Employee & Labor Relations: Provide expert guidance on employee
relations matters, with a focus on the most complex and/or specialized
investigations, corrective actions, workplace accommodations, etc. Educate
and train managers and senior leaders to meet university guidelines.
Compensation: Consult with managers and senior leaders on complex
compensation-related matters. Consult with UHR Compensation on highly
complex or specialized matters, including the
development of incentive and bonus programs. May partner with DAPER's Director
of Human Resources and CHRO on implementing the unit's salary planning
program.
Employee Engagement: Serve as project lead, developing surveys and
initiatives to assess and support a positive work environment for the
organization. Analyze resulting survey data and partner on the development
of programming and action plans.
HRIS/People Analytics: Support, provide guidance on, and/or design
complex functions and record retention processes. Analyze, interpret, and
present data (turnover, movement, accrual usage, etc.) to senior leaders
regarding their teams and the broader organization, utilizing human
resources expertise to provide analysis and recommendations. Develop
custom reports upon request and consult with subject matter experts as
needed.
Performance Management: Consult with managers and senior leaders on
performance management matters (setting expectations and goals, regular
check-ins, developing positive performance/behaviors, conducting annual
reviews), partnering with subject matter experts as needed. Educate and
train managers and senior leaders on best practices to foster strong
performance.
Talent Acquisition: Consult with managers and senior leaders on talent
acquisition matters (hard-to-fill and high turnover roles critical to
unit, determining job-specific competencies). Serve as project lead in
the development of new talent acquisition programming or revision of
existing programming to align with overall organizational strategy.
Collaborate with subject matter experts as needed. Educate and train
managers and senior leaders to foster a positive candidate experience and
meet university guidelines.
Talent Development: Consult with senior managers on talent development
matters (aligning business goals with personal motivation & talents,
promoting professional development opportunities,
coaching/mentoring/networking), liaising with subject matter experts as
needed. Develop new, local professional development initiatives for
managers and employees.
Talent Management/Workforce Planning: Generate, analyze, interpret,
and apply relevant reports for insights on talent metrics. Present
findings and recommendations to senior leadership. Support the development
and implementation of action plans (e.g., succession and workforce
plans).
Change Management: Support local and university-wide change management
efforts (stakeholder analysis, measures of success, risk assessment,
implementation, monitoring), serving as a lead on local workstreams.
Collaborate with subject matter experts on highly complex or specialized
matters as needed. Participate in developing, drafting, and implementing a
communications strategy.
Disability and Leaves / Worker's Comp: Consult with managers on
complex disability/leave and workers' compensation matters (eligibility,
process, accommodations), liaising with subject matter experts as needed.
Partner with senior leaders in the development of staffing plans resulting
from absences of critical managers and staff, ensuring alignment with
organizational goals.
Provide research, data analytics, reporting, etc., to support and inform
decision-making.
Other duties may also be assigned
Minimum Education and Experience:
Bachelor's Degree and 10 years of relevant human resources experience or
combination of education and relevant experience.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :
Technical competencies:
Strong HCM/ATS experience and proficiency with business applications,
Microsoft Office suite, Google suite, etc. Demonstrated ability to manage
sensitive issues with professionalism, confidentiality, and care.
Experience leading an HR initiative/program.
Trust and Accountability
Understands the link between own job responsibilities and overall
organizational goals and needs.
Accepts responsibility for all outcomes of own work.
Looks beyond the requirements of own job to offer suggestions for
improvements of overall organizational operations.
Takes ownership of job responsibilities, seeks and integrates feedback,
and communicates proactively when assistance is needed or issues to
expected timelines arise.
Cooperates and works to gain support and commitment from others when
performing tasks.
Develops trusting relationships with others within and outside of the team
through strong communication, collaboration and accountability.
Demonstrates behaviors that are consistent with standards for professional
and ethical conduct.
Operational and Organizational Insights
Considers organization's capabilities, mission, vision, values, and
strategic goals and objectives in work efforts.
Knows capabilities, capacities and constraints of the organization.
Reviews external information and news to learn about political and social
issues that might affect the organization.
Knows both when and how to effectively escalate issues that warrant
immediate attention.
Understands relevant policies and procedures and their integration in work
activities.
Utilizes network to collaborate on issues requiring specific influence or
expertise.
Analyzes data to make sound decisions and explores opportunities to
integrate technology into HR processes and services.
Customer Focus
Works to gain insights into customer needs.
Balancing the needs of customer expectations and delivering on solutions.
Establishes and maintains effective customer relationships.
Reliably resolves customer issues and requests fully and quickly.
Leverages customer point-of-view when identifying priorities and
presenting solutions.
Sets expectations for delivery and quality with customers.
Articulates impacts to customers completely and in a timely fashion.
Communication
Always demonstrates empathetic, attentive listening.
Asks thought-provoking questions to peers and superiors to clarify and
align understanding.
Regularly checks for understanding.
Takes action based on understanding.
Expertly demonstrates understanding of audience by custom-tailoring
messaging and style.
Engages audience effectively.
Adjusts style and messaging on the fly if necessary.
Helpful and timely when providing information.
Collaborative Problem Solving
Effectively and reliably solves problems.
Consistently delivers high-quality work products on time in the field of
service, while effectively solving problems and developing new technical
skills for personal and team benefit.
Demonstrates proficiency in solving problems requiring a developed
understanding of disciplines, using judgment to provide solutions of
moderate scope and complexity.
Actively contributes to team goals by providing ideas, participating in
team activities, and resolving conflicts positively and constructively.
Coordinates efforts with stakeholders early and often to ensure awareness,
share information, and provide updates until completion.
Builds effective networks across teams and departments, identifying when
to escalate issues to senior professionals.
Courage
Draws sound, fact-based conclusions, particularly when under pressure or
faced with ambiguity.
Demonstrates ability to influence others when appropriate.
Anticipates impact to projects and/or work when there is a shift in
strategic direction.
Remains calm and focused, maintaining composure, when things are
uncertain.
Develops scenarios or options in response to uncertain conditions to
anticipate possible outcomes.
Shifts gears when presented with new information, priorities, and/or
direction.
Works to achieve task or project outcomes even when the complete picture
or scope is unknown.
Exhibiting Leadership
Evaluating the organization's readiness for change through surveys,
interviews, and assessments.
Making informed decisions based on data, analysis, and consultation with
relevant stakeholders.
Offering coaching and support to managers and leaders to help them
effectively lead their teams through change.
Providing support and resources to help employees adapt to change and
overcome resistance.
Certificates and Licenses Required:
SHRM-CP / PHR or specialized certification preferred (e.g., compensation,
employee & labor relations, project management).
