Director, HR Services - Wellbeing

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The Director, Wellbeing is responsible for leading the development, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of Duke University Health System's enterprise wellbeing strategy. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Employee Experience, this role serves as the strategic leader for workforce wellbeing initiatives that support employee thriving, resilience, engagement, retention, and organizational performance across DUHS.

The Director provides strategic and operational leadership for the DUHS Wellbeing Strategic Plan, the Caring for Each Other (CFEO) Emotional Support Program, the Caring for Each Other Fund, wellbeing education and training initiatives, and systemwide wellbeing governance structures. The role leverages workforce data, employee feedback, utilization trends, and industry best practices to identify opportunities, influence organizational priorities, and advance a culture that supports the holistic wellbeing of all team members.

The Director collaborates closely with senior leaders, People & Culture, Employee Occupational Health & Wellbeing (EOHW), Personal Assistance Service, Live for Life, Behavioral Health, Chief Clinician Wellbeing Officer, Employee Experience colleagues, clinical and operational leaders, and community partners to ensure wellbeing efforts are integrated, sustainable, and aligned with Duke Health's mission, values, and strategic priorities.

The Director supervises a multidisciplinary team to include Wellbeing Program Managers, Program Specialist, and other wellbeing support personnel responsible for delivering wellbeing programs and services across DUHS.

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous enhancement of the DUHS Wellbeing Strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, workforce needs, and Employee Experience priorities.
• Establish a comprehensive framework for workforce wellbeing that addresses emotional, social, physical, financial, and professional wellbeing.
• Partner with executive leadership to integrate wellbeing principles into organizational strategies, policies, and workplace practices.
• Identify emerging workforce challenges, risks, and opportunities that impact employee wellbeing and develop proactive approaches to address them.
• Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert and strategic advisor on workforce wellbeing, resilience, and psychological safety.
• Promote a culture where wellbeing is recognized as a shared responsibility of leaders, teams, and the organization.
• Develop enterprise resources, campaigns, and initiatives that strengthen awareness, utilization, and accessibility of wellbeing services across DUHS.

• Provide strategic oversight and leadership for the Caring for Each Other (CFEO) Emotional Support Program across all DUHS entities and care settings.
• Establish vision, priorities, standards, and service delivery models that ensure consistent, high-quality emotional support services across the health system.
• Direct the development and expansion of peer support, emotional support rounding, individual support services, and group-based interventions within the ambulatory platform (DPC and DHIP).
• Collaborate with CFEO Program Managers to ensure effective implementation, alignment, and continuous improvement of services.
• Evaluate workforce emotional support needs and ensure services evolve to address changing organizational and environmental demands.
• Partner closely with Behavioral Health, EOHW, PAS, Live for Life, Employee Experience, and operational leadership to ensure coordination of resources and support.
• Oversee program protocols, service standards, training frameworks, and quality improvement initiatives related to emotional support services.
• Participate in and provide leadership for the rotating 24/7 on-call coverage model supporting urgent emotional support needs across DUHS.

• Lead systemwide wellbeing governance structures, including the Wellbeing Leadership Council and other advisory groups or committees.
• Develop and facilitate strategic planning processes that advance wellbeing priorities across entities and departments.
• Partner with leaders to build organizational capability in supporting workforce wellbeing, resilience, and healthy workplace practices.
• Provide consultation and coaching to leaders regarding employee wellbeing challenges, critical incidents, team recovery, and organizational stressors.
• Direct the development and implementation of wellbeing education, training, and learning opportunities for leaders, managers, peer supporters, and team members.
• Ensure wellbeing education aligns with evidence-based practices and the evolving needs of the workforce.

• Provide strategic oversight and governance for the DUHS Employee Emergency Assistance Fund (Caring for Each Other Fund).
• Ensure the Fund's policies, processes, and administration remain compliant with applicable legal, tax, regulatory, and organizational requirements.
• Partner with Development, Human Resources, Legal, Communications, and executive leaders to sustain funding and enhance awareness of available support resources.
• Chair or oversee governance structures responsible for reviewing fund utilization, outcomes, and policy adherence.
• Evaluate program effectiveness and identify opportunities to improve accessibility, responsiveness, and impact.

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to workforce wellbeing, program utilization, employee experience, emotional support services, resilience, and workforce health.
• Utilize engagement survey data, wellbeing assessments, utilization metrics, operational data, and qualitative feedback to inform decision-making and strategy development.
• Develop executive-level reporting and dashboards that communicate the impact of wellbeing initiatives and services.
• Partner with HR Analytics, Employee Experience, and operational stakeholders to evaluate outcomes and identify trends.
• Conduct benchmarking activities and remain informed regarding emerging evidence, healthcare workforce trends, and best practices in employee wellbeing.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives based on data, feedback, and organizational priorities.

• Provide direct supervision, coaching, professional development, and performance management for wellbeing program staff, including:
  
  
  
  • Wellbeing Program Managers
  • Program Specialist
  • Other assigned staff and volunteers
  
  
  
  
• Foster a culture of collaboration, inclusion, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement within the Wellbeing team.
• Establish priorities, work plans, staffing models, and resource allocation strategies to ensure successful execution of wellbeing initiatives.
• Oversee departmental budgets, grants, contracts, vendor relationships, and external partnerships supporting wellbeing programs.
• Ensure compliance with applicable organizational policies, procedures, accreditation standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead volunteer engagement strategies supporting peer support, wellbeing committees, and other workforce wellbeing initiatives across DUHS.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Assistant Vice President of Employee Experience and senior leaders regarding wellbeing strategy and workforce support.
• Collaborate closely with leaders across Employee Experience, People & Culture, Communications, Organizational Development, Behavioral Health, Clinical Operations, EOHW, PAS, and Live for Life to create integrated employee experience solutions.
• Facilitate enterprise committees, workgroups, and leadership discussions related to workforce wellbeing and organizational health.
• Influence organizational priorities through data-driven recommendations and evidence-based practices.
• Represent DUHS in external professional organizations, collaborative networks, benchmarking groups, and conferences focused on workforce wellbeing and healthcare workforce sustainability.

• Master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Public Health, Counseling, Healthcare Administration, Organizational Leadership, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Clinical licensure or clinical practice experience preferred.
• Experience leading workforce wellbeing, emotional support, resilience, mental health, employee experience, or organizational health initiatives.
• Experience within healthcare, academic medicine, or other large, complex organizations.
• Supervisory experience leading professional staff, enterprise programs, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience utilizing workforce data, engagement surveys, utilization metrics, and qualitative insights to inform strategic decisions.

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field required. Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field preferred.

Work requires the ability to develop enterprise strategies, lead complex organizational initiatives, direct multiple programs, manage budgets, influence senior leaders, and supervise professional staff, generally acquired through five years of progressively responsible experience in wellbeing, employee experience, behavioral health, public health, healthcare administration, organizational development, workforce strategy, or a related field.

• Workforce Wellbeing Strategy
• Organizational Health & Resilience
• Employee Experience Leadership
• Emotional Support Program Administration
• Strategic Planning & Execution
• Healthcare Workforce Wellbeing
• Program Development & Evaluation
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Crisis Response & Recovery Support
• Executive Communication
• Leadership Coaching & Consultation
• Partnership & Influencing Skills
• Budget & Resource Management
• Team Leadership & Talent Development
• Change Management & Continuous Improvement

This role serves as the strategic and operational leader for workforce wellbeing across Duke University Health System, ensuring that every team member has access to meaningful resources, support systems, and programs that promote resilience, connection, health, and thriving throughout their employee experience.