Careers @ MSU

Department Summary 

The Office of the Vice Provost and Associate Vice President for Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs (FASA) reports to the Provost. Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs has three primary priorities:  

• Provide leadership consultation and guidance on complex employment matters throughout faculty and academic staff career lifecycles (to include but not limited to recruitment, retention, tenure and promotion policies; evaluation and promotion of non-tenure-system faculty and academic specialists; compensation and salary equity matters; and retirement processes).  

• Develop, revise, and implement policies, resources, and processes relevant to academic careers and work to enhance a culture of excellence. Advise academic leaders and other constituencies on the interpretation and application of University policies and labor contracts related to faculty and academic staff. 

• Promote professional development, leadership development, and mentoring opportunities for academic leaders, executive leaders, and faculty and academic staff. Collaborate with academic leadership to cultivate strong, accountable leadership through structured reviews, mentorship, and orientation programs.   

Job Summary 

The Director serves as a critical leadership partner with unit leaders across the University on all human resources-related functions for 5,700 faculty, academic staff, and executive management. The Director reports directly to the Assistant Provost for FASA.  

Responsibilities 

• Partner with the FASA team to identify, revise, and implement policies that foster a positive and inclusive work environment — reinforcing the institution's commitment to an excellent academic workforce where every employee feels valued for their contributions. 

• Coordinate closely with the Senior Director for academic leadership affairs and college relations to ensure and support effective stakeholder support and/or with the Assistant Provost for policy, governance, and labor to ensure compliance and leadership accountability.   

• Advise, coach and partner with college, school, department, and unit leaders on strategic human resources and employee relations matters in alignment with MSU policies. 

• Work with unit leaders to ensure adherence to university, state, and federal employment laws and policies, collective bargaining agreements, Title IX, Clery, and other compliance requirements. 

• Provide faculty and academic staff with consultation and guidance regarding employment-related concerns, workplace matters, academic personnel policies, and career processes.  

• Serve as a trusted resource, maintaining confidentiality to the fullest extent possible while complying with applicable legal, policy, safety, and reporting obligations. 

• Collaborate with FASA’s development team to design and promote faculty/academic staff success, advancement, and leadership programs. 

• Collaborate with MSU Human Resources, Office of the General Counsel, Office of Vice President for Research and Innovation, Office of Institutional Equity, Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Audit, Risk and Compliance, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, the Faculty Grievance Office, and other units to provide/exchange information, advise on, and/or resolve issues.  

• Represent the Office for Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs on workgroups, taskforces, projects, and search committees. 

• Perform other related duties as required. 

Academic Labor Relations 

• Participate as a member of the administration’s academic collective bargaining teams, including but not limited to negotiations with the Union of Tenure-System Faculty, Union of Non-Tenure Track Faculty, MSU Extension United, and the Graduate Employees Union.  

• Serve on labor/management committees as assigned.  

• Communicate with central and college human resources offices, union representatives, managers and employees to resolve workplace issues governed by academic collective bargaining agreements, including conducting grievance investigations, making recommendations for resolution of grievances, and providing guidance to senior university officials about academic employee relations. 

• Provide strategic analysis of academic labor agreements and employment policies at other institutions to inform negotiation strategy and/or policy development.  

• Compile, analyze data, and create reports to support university labor strategy.  

Core Competencies that contribute to success and effectiveness of the role: 

• Sound judgment, integrity, discretion, and the ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters. 

• Deep understanding of academic organizations and the shared-governance, policy, employment, and cultural contexts of a complex research university. 

• Ability to synthesize policy, contractual, legal, operational, and human considerations and communicate practical options and recommendations. 

• Strong consultation, facilitation, coaching, conflict-resolution, negotiation, and relationship-building skills. 

• Demonstrated ability to influence without relying solely on formal authority and to work effectively across organizational levels and differing viewpoints. 

• Excellent written and oral communication, including the ability to prepare clear executive-level analysis, guidance, and reports. 

• Strategic and systems thinking paired with disciplined execution, project management, and attention to detail. 

• Commitment to inclusive excellence, fairness, respectful engagement, and continuous learning and improvement. 

As an institution of higher learning, Michigan State University is committed to providing a safe environment for its students, faculty, and staff in support of its educational mission. With this commitment, the University conducts criminal background checks and professional misconduct reviews of all applicants for employment in faculty, academic staff, and executive management searches.

Professional Misconduct Review

A professional misconduct review is a prerequisite for a candidate to be selected for this position. Applicants will be asked to disclose whether they are subject to any pending investigation, findings or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Professional misconduct includes misconduct related to a person’s employment, including, but not limited to, theft, embezzlement, research integrity, discrimination, or harassment under civil rights laws and policies, including protected identity harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct (sexual assault, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, etc.), and retaliation. All applicants will be asked to sign an authorization and release, which authorizes the University to contact the candidate’s current and former employers, for a period of 7 years prior to the date of application, related to any pending investigations, findings of responsibility and/or sanctions related to professional misconduct. Nothing will be sent to current or former employers unless the candidate reaches the semi-finalist stage.

The existence of professional misconduct history does not automatically exclude a candidate from employment. The University will assess the history, including any information provided by the candidate, in determining whether it is compatible with the position. The University may decline to hire a candidate based on the professional misconduct review. All records obtained from external employers will be kept in a secure location, separate from personnel files. If an applicant fails to sign the authorization and release, the application will be deemed incomplete and will be withdrawn.