Assistant Director, Human Resources

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $70,000 - $75,000 Annually

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Associate Director of Human Resources, the Assistant Director of Human Resources serves as a critical operational partner within the Columbia College HR (CCHR) team, executing day-to-day HR and payroll activity. This role plays a key part in ensuring data integrity, streamlining administrative workflows, and compiling actionable HR reports and metrics. Combining exceptional attention to detail with a proactive, customer-centered philosophy, the Assistant Director acts as a knowledgeable resource—fielding questions across all levels of Columbia College on policies, procedures, and best practices. As an integral member of the College HR team, the Assistant Director plays a direct role in HR initiatives for the entire College employee population, making this an ideal opportunity for a highly engaged professional with a strong aptitude for learning looking to expand their HR expertise in a dynamic higher education environment.

Responsibilities

Operations and Policy

• Manage all personnel transactions across Columbia College, actively refining established operational workflows and standards for increased efficiency.
• Serve as a primary resource for department managers and unit leaders regarding HR and payroll policies, routine personnel matters, and general inquiries.
• Exercise sound judgment to identify issues requiring escalation, partnering with the Senior Associate Director and Executive Director as needed to address sensitive and non-standard cases.
• Maintain HR activity logs and tracking documents, collaborating with central partners to ensure the flawless and timely processing of transactions.
• Manage the hiring process for temporary, student, and part-time employees, advising managers on required documentation and action items.

Time, Attendance, and Payroll Management

• Manage communications related to all time and attendance processes, including bi-weekly payroll processing, quarterly absence reviews, and relevant systems updates.
• Oversee bi-weekly payroll processing for hourly employees within the electronic time reporting system.
• Conduct and refine pre- and post-payroll auditing to ensure accurate time submissions, policy adherence, and pay allocations within University systems.
• Guide managers and staff on policy interpretation and application.

Payroll Budget Management

• Independently maintain the payroll budget accounting for vacancies, position changes, and other budget impacts.
• Conduct complex salary calculations and reconciliations, executing correction transactions, overpayment recovery requests, stop payments, and reissues for missing paychecks with absolute precision.
• Initiate regular salary accounting reconciliation activities, working with the salary budget model and reporting alongside the Senior Associate Director, Executive Director, and Columbia College Finance staff.

Employee Onboarding

• Lead the onboarding program for new full-time employees, ensuring a high-touch, welcoming experience and smooth integration into the College. Review and refine the onboarding process as needed.
• Prepare and process all new hire paperwork for full-time and part-time hires. Perform rigorous data audits in PeopleSoft to maintain electronic records, swiftly correcting any discrepancies.
• Advise managers on onboarding workflows, best practices, and expectations.

Reporting, Data Management, and Compliance

• Maintain comprehensive employment and organizational records, including personnel files and organizational charts.
• Conduct regular data audits to confirm accuracy and inform strategic HR actions.
• Build reports and other analytical tools to measure key HR metrics, empowering leadership to make informed, data-driven decisions.
• Ensure strict compliance with institutional requirements, including mandatory trainings offered through Columbia College, the Office of Institutional Equity, and central University offices. Maintain accurate completion records for trainings outside of the University’s Enterprise Learning Management (ELM) system.

Perform other duties as assigned, including supporting any College-wide human resources initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and/or its equivalent required (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• 2-4 years of related experience required.
• Communication: Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Organization & Prioritization: Exceptionally organized and task-oriented, with mastery in prioritizing, managing, and following up on multiple competing workflows in a time-sensitive environment.
• Precision: Superior attention to detail is essential.
• Autonomy & Judgment: Ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision, exercising sound, independent judgment.
• Relationship Building: Capacity to develop and maintain strong working relationships, including with senior leadership, and a demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively.
• Problem Solving: Must have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Discretion: Ability to exercise a high degree of diplomacy, discretion, and collaboration when dealing with individuals at all levels and handling highly confidential information.
• Technical Proficiency: Excellent technical skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio) and Google Workspace (Mail, Docs, Sheets). Experience with Excel must include the use of formulas, pivot tables, and foundational data analytics. Experience with data maintenance, reporting, or analysis.
• Agility & Learning Aptitude: Demonstrated eager aptitude to quickly learn, master, and navigate complex environments, policies, procedures, and systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant experience in a college or university setting.
• Experience in HR operations, including managing a high volume of transactional HR responsibilities.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.