DIR, SOM HR Service Center

School of Medicine Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe.

Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

Duke University's School of Medicine is looking for a Director, HR Service Center to lead a high-performing team that delivers payroll, leave administration, immigration support, onboarding, and other HR transactional services across more than 40 departments, centers, institutes, and administrative units.

In this role, you'll shape the future of shared HR services by leading a team of HR professionals focused on providing consistent, efficient, and customer-centered support. You'll partner with leaders across the School of Medicine and Duke University to streamline operations, improve service delivery, ensure compliance, and develop scalable processes that support a complex and growing organization.

If you enjoy building strong teams, solving operational challenges, driving continuous improvement, and creating exceptional customer experiences, this is an opportunity to make a significant impact across the School of Medicine.

• Work requires a general business or personnel background generally equivalent to a bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Work requires five years of business and/or administrative experience, with exposure to human resources activities, to acquire knowledge of human resources policies and procedures necessary to manage the personnel activities of a major department or division.
• OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE.

• Progressive experience leading HR operations, shared services, payroll, employee services, or related functions.
• Minimum 2 years' experience managing and developing professional staff, including supervisors/managers.
• Strong knowledge of HR policies, procedures, compliance requirements, and employee lifecycle processes.
• Experience in higher education, academic medicine, healthcare, or a similarly complex organization.
• Demonstrated ability to lead process improvement initiatives and implement operational efficiencies.
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and relationship management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and navigate complex organizational environments.
• Experience leveraging data and metrics to measure performance and drive improvements.
• Demonstrated success building partnerships across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Experience developing service standards, training programs, and operational procedures.

• Hybrid eligible - The position is partially remote, and the employee must reside in a Duke University-approved state, and be willing and able to be on-site in Durham, NC as needed to support operational needs.

• Must maintain confidentiality and adhere to Duke's record retention policies

Lead the School of Medicine HR Service Center, providing strategic direction, operational oversight, and coaching for a team of HR professionals supporting payroll, leave administration, immigration services, onboarding, and other transactional HR functions.

Develop and optimize scalable, compliant, and data-driven HR processes that improve efficiency, standardization, service quality, and the overall customer experience across the School of Medicine.

Partner with departmental HR teams, Payroll, Benefits, Finance, Information Technology, Staff & Labor Relations, Visa Services, and Health System HR to address complex employee transactions, resolve escalated issues, and implement operational improvements.

Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and…