Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer

Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)

Position Profile

Appalachian State University (App State) seeks a dedicated and innovative leader to serve as its Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer.

University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of seventeen campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high‑quality, cost‑effective education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student‑to‑faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online.

Appalachian State University aspires to strengthen its role as a leading public institution in the Southeast. We commit to empowering learners through innovative academic programs accompanied by experiences that take place beyond the classroom, access and excellence in all our activities, and the cultivation of scholarship, engagement and creativity.

Founded in the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1899 to provide North Carolinians with expanded access to education, Appalachian State University is located in a place of great beauty, cultural heritage and recreational opportunity. App State’s core values include:

• Faculty excellence in teaching and all forms of scholarship.

• Student success.

• Sustainability and resilience.

• Public service and engagement with community.

• Global perspective.

Appalachian State University is led by Chancellor, Heather Hulburt Norris, who was named to the position by University of North Carolina System President, Peter Hans, effective March 1, 2025, after having served as the Interim Chancellor of Appalachian State since April 2024.

With more than two decades of academic leadership, vision and expertise at App State, Chancellor Norris’ career has been characterized by her strong, collaborative leadership and service to both App State and the greater community. The university celebrated its 125‑year anniversary as a leader and innovator in higher education under Norris’ leadership. Her leadership has been defined by a strong emphasis on developing and expanding new models and markets for academic delivery and expanding access to education for more people in North Carolina.

For more information on Chancellor Norris, please visit:
Office of the Chancellor.

Position

Reporting to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer, the CHRO is the University’s Chief Human Resource Officer and is responsible for comprehensive and strategic leadership of all aspects of the Office of Human Resources and its operations for the campus, including employment opportunity compliance in talent acquisition, classification and compensation, position management, employee engagement, employee rewards and recognition, employee relations, performance management, and learning and organizational development to attract, recruit, onboard, engage and retain a high‑performing workforce.

The CHRO will collaborate with campus leaders to understand their business needs; build organizational trust in HR operations; provide consultation and expertise; optimize resources to better enable the University to fulfill its mission and the goals set forth in App State’s Strategic Plan.

The CHRO will lead the HR operation to develop and implement: a modern HR strategy, philosophy and organizational structure; HR services and business processes that align with University strategic goals and organizational needs; operationalized and standardized HR communications; an integrated human capital management system and an issue tracking/knowledge management solution; a culture of continuous improvement; and metrics to monitor HR performance and capabilities.

The CHRO will lead change and generate buy‑in for those changes; advocate for HR employees and stakeholders; tackle problems head on and invite opinions and solutions from others; provide expertise in HR and University technology systems; cultivate a knowledge base for the…