Executive Associate Athletics Director and Chief Human Resources Officer

Stanford’s Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (“DAPER”) is the premier intercollegiate athletics program in the country. We are the proud Home of Champions. DAPER leads the nation with 139 NCAA championship titles, supports nearly 900 student-athletes across 36 varsity sports, and advances the university’s physical education, recreation, and wellness priorities. Our staff is guided by the core tenets of the DAPER Way: Embrace Scholar-Athleticism, Pursue and Revere Excellence, Lead with Courage, and Work Cohesively.

Position Summary

The Executive Associate Athletics Director and Chief Human Resources Officer serves as the HR leader for DAPER and is responsible for leading the people operations, talent strategy, employee relations, performance management, and HR execution required to support a complex, high-performing athletics enterprise.

Reporting to the Chair of Stanford Athletics and Athletic Director of DAPER, this role leads the DAPER HR function and partners closely with University HR, Finance, Legal, and senior department leaders to ensure HR services are consistent, timely, compliant, and aligned with the department’s strategic priorities. The role requires both strategic judgment and hands-on execution: the ability to advise senior leaders, strengthen manager capability, improve HR operations, support complex employee matters, and ensure the department has the people, systems, and processes needed to operate effectively.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Culture: Serve as a key advisor to the Athletic Director and leadership team, translating departmental strategy into people initiatives that strengthen culture, engagement, and organizational accountability.
• Operational Excellence: Lead the end-to-end HR function for DAPER, building a high-performing operating model that ensures timely, consistent, and compliant service delivery across the employee lifecycle.
• HR Organization Design & Team Leadership: Architect and continuously evolve the HR team’s structure, roles, and capabilities; recruit, develop, and coach HR team, define operating rhythms, service standards, and KPIs, and optimize budget and vendors to ensure scalable, high quality HR service delivery.
• HR Transformation & Systems: Drive the local implementation of university-wide HRIS transformations (Oracle HCM), modernizing HR workflows and utilizing data-driven insights to improve operational reliability.
• Talent Strategy & Acquisition: Oversee recruitment strategy for staff and leadership roles, ensuring equitable, high-quality search processes and providing executive-level partnership for senior coaching and administrative hires.
• Performance & Talent Management: Design and lead performance management cycles and succession planning, providing practical coaching to managers on team dynamics, accountability, and professional development.
• Employee & Labor Relations: Act as the primary lead for complex employee and labor relations matters, navigating workplace concerns and investigations in partnership with University HR and the Office of the General Counsel.

Stanford’s Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (“DAPER”) is the premier intercollegiate athletics program in the country. We are the proud Home of Champions. DAPER leads the nation with 139 NCAA championship titles, supports nearly 900 student-athletes across 36 varsity sports, and advances the university’s physical education, recreation, and wellness priorities. Our staff is guided by the core tenets of the DAPER Way: Embrace Scholar-Athleticism, Pursue and Revere Excellence, Lead with Courage, and Work Cohesively.

Position Summary

The Executive Associate Athletics Director and Chief Human Resources Officer serves as the HR leader for DAPER and is responsible for leading the people operations, talent strategy, employee relations, performance management, and HR execution required to support a complex, high-performing athletics enterprise.

Reporting to the Chair of Stanford Athletics and Athletic Director of DAPER, this role leads the DAPER HR function and partners closely with University HR, Finance, Legal, and senior department leaders to ensure HR services are consistent, timely, compliant, and aligned with the department’s strategic priorities. The role requires both strategic judgment and hands-on execution: the ability to advise senior leaders, strengthen manager capability, improve HR operations, support complex employee matters, and ensure the department has the people, systems, and processes needed to operate effectively.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Culture: Serve as a key advisor to the Athletic Director and leadership team, translating departmental strategy into people initiatives that strengthen culture, engagement, and organizational accountability.
• Operational Excellence: Lead the end-to-end HR function for DAPER, building a high-performing operating model that ensures timely, consistent, and compliant service delivery across the employee lifecycle.
• HR Organization Design & Team Leadership: Architect and continuously evolve the HR team’s structure, roles, and capabilities; recruit, develop, and coach HR team, define operating rhythms, service standards, and KPIs, and optimize budget and vendors to ensure scalable, high quality HR service delivery.
• HR Transformation & Systems: Drive the local implementation of university-wide HRIS transformations (Oracle HCM), modernizing HR workflows and utilizing data-driven insights to improve operational reliability.
• Talent Strategy & Acquisition: Oversee recruitment strategy for staff and leadership roles, ensuring equitable, high-quality search processes and providing executive-level partnership for senior coaching and administrative hires.
• Performance & Talent Management: Design and lead performance management cycles and succession planning, providing practical coaching to managers on team dynamics, accountability, and professional development.
• Employee & Labor Relations: Act as the primary lead for complex employee and labor relations matters, navigating workplace concerns and investigations in partnership with University HR and the Office of the General Counsel.
• Strategic Compensation: Administer a competitive and sustainable compensation program, managing unique coaching salary pools, equity reviews, and job classifications within university guidelines.
• Workforce & Financial Planning: Partner closely with Finance to align headcount planning and workforce decisions with the department’s budget, long-term organizational design, and mission-critical needs.
• Compliance & Risk Governance: Ensure all HR practices adhere to employment law, University policy, NCAA regulations, and Title IX obligations, maintaining audit readiness and institutional alignment.
• Organizational Effectiveness: Support leadership transitions and organizational change initiatives, providing the tools and templates necessary to improve consistency in how DAPER leaders supervise and support their teams.

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree and 12 years of relevant human resources experience or a combination of education and relevant experience. Advanced Degree preferred.
• 7 years of people manager experience with multiple direct reports. 2 years of experience leading HR function for a complex organization preferred.
• Experience in other administrative areas strongly preferred (e.g., faculty & academic affairs, operations & facilities management, finance, etc.).
• Strong experience in employee relations, talent acquisition, talent development, compensation administration, and HR operations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage HR work in a high-volume, fast-paced, matrixed environment.
• Experience partnering with legal, finance, central HR, and senior leadership on complex people matters.
• Strong operational discipline, sound judgment, and ability to manage multiple priorities with urgency and follow-through.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in higher education, athletics, healthcare, nonprofit, public sector, or similarly complex environments preferred.
• Experience with HRIS implementation, change management, or large-scale HR process improvement preferred.
• SHRM-SCP / SPHR achieved or equivalent HR experience; Executive Leadership Certificate or equivalent preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Frequently stand/walk, sit, perform desk-based computer tasks, and use a telephone.
• Occasionally write by hand, twist/bend/stoop/squat, reach/work above shoulders, grasp lightly/fine manipulation, grasp forcefully, lift/carry/push/pull objects that weigh up to 10 pounds, sort/file paperwork.
• Rarely kneel/crawl, operate foot and/or hand controls.

Working Conditions:

• Travel on campus to schools/units, out of town.

Work Standards:

• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates the ability to work well with Stanford colleagues and clients and with external organizations.
• Promote Culture of Safety: Demonstrates commitment to personal responsibility and value for safety; communicates safety concerns; uses and promotes safe behaviors based on training and lessons learned.
• Subject to and expected to comply with all applicable University policies and procedures, including but not limited to the personnel policies and other policies found in the University's Administrative Guide.

The expected pay range for this position is $235,697 - $281,081 per annum.

Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage the university reasonably expects to pay for a position upon hire. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs.

At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website provides detailed information on Stanford’s extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position may be discussed during the hiring process.

The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact Stanford University Human Resources by submitting a contact form.

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Additional Information

• Schedule: Full-time
• Job Code: 1713
• Employee Status: Regular
• Grade: N
• Requisition ID: 109076
• Work Arrangement : On Site

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