Assistant Director of Faculty Affairs

Colby College; Benton (ME); On-site; USD 70,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Colby College is seeking an assistant director of faculty affairs to oversee HR processes for faculty appointments across the career lifecycle. This role reports to the director of academic administration and chief of staff and serves as a key liaison to People Services and Payroll, ensuring consistent practices across the college.

The position requires professionalism, initiative, multitasking, and excellent communication as you support recruitment, onboarding, merit review, salary surveys, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and experience.
• Minimum of three years of progressively responsible professional experience in higher education preferred.
• Ability to maintain confidential information.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills; experience with database software and HCM systems preferred.
• High level of professionalism; strong organizational, communication, and writing skills.
• Excellent decision‑making, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
• Strong attention to detail; accuracy with data entry and analysis is essential.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team in a diverse community.

Responsibilities

• Manage HR processes across faculty career stages (recruitment, onboarding, merit review).
• Ensure Workday records are accurate and up-to-date for new and current faculty.
• Liaise with IT, Payroll, and People Services to resolve HR-related issues.
• Analyze faculty data and support salary surveys (AAUP/IPEDS).
• Train and supervise student workers performing routine clerical tasks.

Skills

HR policy knowledge

Data analysis

Communication skills

Project management

Confidentiality

Education

Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and experience

Tools

Workday

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Summary

The assistant director of faculty affairs will manage human resources processes related to faculty appointments across all stages of a faculty career. Reporting to the director of academic administration and chief of staff, the assistant director will provide support related to the faculty employment experience, including, but not limited to, areas such as recruitment and appointment, budgeting, orientation, faculty review, and faculty research support. The assistant director will be the key liaison from the Office of the Provost to the Office of People Services and the Payroll Office, ensuring collaboration and consistency of practices across the College. A key member of a high‑profile and fast‑paced office, the assistant director will need to exercise professionalism, sound judgment, initiative, problem‑solving, multitasking, flexibility, and outstanding communication in order to represent the office to a variety of constituencies.

Essential Functions

To be successful in this position, an individual should be able to perform the essential duties and bring the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities that support the role. Colby College supports the Americans with Disabilities Act and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. This list of duties is intended to be representative rather than exhaustive, and additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed.

• Manage processes across different stages of the faculty career life cycle (recruitment, arrival, orientation, merit review, etc.).
• Manage the timely completion of appointment and reappointment letters for faculty.
• Ensure complete Workday records are established for new faculty hires, and existing faculty records are updated as necessary.
• Liaise with IT to develop solutions to Workday issues; troubleshoot Workday issues and bring concerns to Workday meetings.
• Maintain and analyze faculty data; serve as data steward for Office of the Provost in data governance.
• Work with Payroll and People Services to coordinate payroll issues relating to faculty.
• Manage business processes and data entry for all faculty appointments, ensuring accurate tracking of faculty academic appointments, FTEs, review dates, sabbatical eligibility, and key deadlines.
• Manage annual faculty notification processes.
• Liaise with outside counsel on faculty visa questions/issues.
• Collaborate with the associate provost for academic programs to manage January Program faculty hiring processes.
• Train and supervise student employees performing routine clerical tasks.
• Partner with the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment to provide data for faculty salary surveys (AAUP/IPEDS), requesting information from other constituents as needed.
• Perform additional duties as assigned; duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in education and experience.
• Minimum of three years of progressively responsible professional experience (higher education experience strongly preferred).
• Ability to maintain confidential information.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills; experience with database software and HCM systems preferred.
• High level of professionalism; strong organizational, communication, and writing skills.
• Excellent decision‑making, problem‑solving, and analytical skills.
• Strong attention to detail; accuracy with data entry and analysis is essential.
• Ability to deal effectively with a wide range of people in a helpful, positive, and constructive way.
• Excellent time management skills; deadline‑driven with proven ability to manage changing priorities.
• Proven talent dealing with complex issues in a fast‑paced, multi‑tasking environment.
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team, establish priorities, and work collaboratively as a member of a diverse community.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with Workday preferred.
• Broad based HR generalist experience with thorough competency in staffing, recruitment, and employee relations.
• Knowledge of HR policies, procedures, and best practices.

Physical / Mental Demands

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this position and/or may be encountered while performing essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• To perform this role effectively, an employee is expected to handle employee information, documents, and sensitive matters with care, professionalism, and respect for privacy.
• This position involves working with a variety of timelines, including some that require quick turnaround and responsiveness to urgent needs.
• In this role, the employee will interact with members of the public and others in a variety of situations and conversations. Presenting oneself in a professional, respectful, and thoughtful manner at all times is an important part of the role.
• This position includes regular movement throughout office spaces, hallways, meeting rooms, and other campus locations.
• Daily work may involve extended use of a computer, including keyboard and mouse.
• Physical requirements differ by position. In general, most roles involve lifting up to 10 pounds regularly, with some positions requiring occasional lifting of up to 35 pounds or, in more physically demanding roles, up to 50 pounds.
• Vision requirements for this position include the ability to see clearly at close and far distances and to adjust focus as needed.
• The work environment is dynamic and engaging, often involving multiple tasks and projects that require shifting focus and strong organizational skills.
• The noise level is generally moderate; however, there may be occasional moments of louder sounds depending on campus activity.