Director of Staff Affairs

University of Colorado Boulder; Boulder (CO); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 112,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Colorado Boulder is seeking a Director of Staff Affairs to oversee staff HR processes, compliance, and improvements across the College of Arts and Sciences. The role partners with the Sr. Director of Personnel and college leadership to align HR strategies with campus priorities.

The position directs staff lifecycle activities, equity reviews, and recruitment support for research faculty, coordinating across multiple divisions and Centers of Excellence.

Qualifications

• Progressive experience in HR leadership (4+ years) in higher education or large orgs.
• Experience supervising a team (4+ years).
• Strong knowledge of HR policies, compliance, and data analytics.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with federal/state/university regulations (EEO, FLSA, ADA, Title VII).
• Monitor HR risk areas and advise leadership on mitigations.
• Bridge between Staff Affairs transactional team and four college divisions.
• Develop and review equitable staff affairs policies across units.
• Document procedures clearly and maintain robust, timely processes.

Skills

HR leadership

Employee relations

Policy compliance

Data analytics

Communication

Education

BA/BS degree

MA/MS/MBA degree

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

HRIS systems

Job description

Job Summary

The College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) is encouragingapplications for the Director of Staff Affairs role! TheCollege of A&S comprises more than 60 departments, programs,and centers: over 1,000 faculty, approximately 400 researchfaculty, and 500 non-faculty employees. The Dean’s Office personnelunit is responsible for assessing and managing the human andorganizational needs of the college. This position reports to thecollege’s Sr. Director of Personnel and holds responsibility forthe day-to-day oversight of A&S staff affairs. This positionwill be responsible for ensuring the staff affairs life cycle -cradle to grave - is comprehensively supported, processes andprocedures are accurate and efficiently delivered, compliance iscounseled and maintained, recognizing nuances that may requireinnovative solutions, ensuring that the appropriate and approvedprotocol is followed, and stakeholders are served in an accurateand timely manner. Additionally, this position will newly supportresearch faculty with basic personnel actions: recruitment, hiring,promotions, merit, leave administration, performance management,and separation. This position will implement and oversee Staff Affairs processes while partnering with their supervisor(s) and campus Centers of Excellence. This position will manage day-to-day execution of Staff Affairs HR strategies and functions while supervising Unit HR staffmembers. This position serves as an advisor to department leaders and the HR Senior Director to support unit priorities andoperations. This position will support unit employees in all Staff Affairs HR matters while being responsible for HR standardprocesses and ensuring compliance with HR policies andregulations. Areas of oversight include but are not limited to: recruitment, hiring, leave administration, performance management/merit, compensation, promotion, training/engagement, separation/retirement. CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with allapplicable federal, state, and local laws governingnondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating aworkplace where all individuals are treated with respect anddignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds toapply, including protected veterans and individuals withdisabilities.

Who We Are

The College of Arts and Sciences comprises more than 80departments, programs, and centers: approximately 375 permanentstaff, and 100 temporary employees. The Dean’s Office Personnelunit is responsible for assessing and managing the human andorganizational needs of the college.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Administrative Leadership and Compliance

• Ensures compliance with federal, state, and universityregulations, including EEO, FLSA, ADA, and Title VII.
• Monitors risk areas related to HR practices and advisesleadership on mitigating strategies.
• Serve in an oversight capacity to bridge between the StaffAffairs transactional team and the 4 college divisions.
• Ensure compliance and equitable staff affairs policies in allunits.
• Collaborate with team and necessary stakeholders to develop andreview operational improvements.
• Document procedures in a clear and consistent manner.
• Maintain processes and procedures and ensure they are robust,reliable, timely and reportable.
• Ensure data is accurate and complete in order for data to beanalyzed by various collaborators and used to align policy andprocedure, inform deans and senior leadership (college and campus)to facilitate consistent high-level decision making and commitmenttracking.
• Represents A&S at various college and campus-widemeetings.
• Responsible for completing continuous improvement initiativesthat support HR practices and processes within the unit and are inalignment with campus priorities.
• Policy implementation : Ensure adherence to college,campus, system, Regents, and governmental policies, procedures, andcompliance with relevant regulations.
• Ensure compliance with college standards and support leadershipin gathering materials for review.
• Understand and communicate campus and unit compensationstructures and pay practices. Responsible for addressing andresponding to compensation inquiries.
• Provides oversight of the staff performance evaluation cycle,including development and execution of goal-setting and managerguidance.
• Responsible for working with supervisors on compensationadjustments, promotional increases, and annual reviews.
• Conduct annual equity reviews for classified and universitystaff, identifying compression and pay disparities.
• In partnership with A&S Sr. Director, campus HR Directorand Centers of Excellence, develop unit-specific HR procedures andguidelines.

Workforce Planning, Recruitment, and Offboarding

• Supports the development and execution of onboarding strategiesthat are consistent and align with campus HR practices, led byA&S Engagement Director

Workforce Planning

• In partnership with the officers and A&S Sr. Director,leads planning for staffing positions and organizationaldevelopment.
• Applies workforce analytics efforts to inform staffing trends,retention, and succession planning across the college.
• Evaluates classification needs and supports divisions anddepartments in position reorganization to meet division andcollege-wide priorities.

Recruitment

• Approves staff hiring proposal paperwork in partnership withthe officers and ensures strategic alignment of staff positions andworkloads.
• Offboarding
• Responsible for conducting exit interviews when requested andsupporting unit HR staff to ensure a smooth employee exitprocess.

Team Supervision

• Direct and manage duty responsibility assignments to meet staffaffairs goals.
• Develop and ensure the team is providing unit-level trainingprograms in partnership with HR Director and Centers ofExcellence.
• Support unit leadership and A&S Engagement Director/Managerto create action plans from the regular employee engagement surveyresults. In partnership with A&S Sr. HR Director createassessment strategies to continuously review and improve employeeengagement.
• Analyze and review data to make informed decisions as itrelates to the employee experience.
• Supervise Unit Staff Affairs HR staff members.

For Direct reports:

• Provide consistent feedback and suggestions for teamprofessional development.
• Ensure direct reports receive training and tools needed to besuccessful in role.
• Approve direct reports' timesheets. Ensure there is alwayscoverage. Provide backup for each as needed.
• Cross-train team members to ensure a point-of-contact is alwaysavailable for constituents within A&S.
• Set goals and conduct performance planning and evaluation.
• Ensure personnel actions are tracked and documentation ismaintained.
• Conflict mediation: Address disputes or grievances between teammembers and address resolutions.
• Diversity and inclusion: Promote a culture of equity,diversity, and inclusion within the team; foster a collaborativeand productive work environment.

Communication

• Ensure clear, proactive, and consistent communication with teamand all interested parties.
• Ensure staff affairs web presence is maintained by providingupdated content whenever necessary and reviewing entire siteannually for accuracy.
• Serve as point of information regarding staff affairs campusand university policy, and federal and state law, fordivisions/units.
• Develop and provide staff affairs trainings (scheduled and adhoc).
• Liaise with campus stakeholders (Provost Office, HR Centers ofExcellence, Affluent Action Officer, etc.).

Operational Management

• In collaboration with the Sr. Director of Personnel and othercritical college and campus collaborators (Budget office,Communication team, divisional leadership, and campus), takesownership of process and tool clean up by participating in meetingswith other partners, assisting with the identification anddevelopment of process efficiencies involving resources and tools,and assisting with the implementation and communication of updates,to improve and align college wide processes and/or policies.
• Serves as a subject matter expert and strategic advisor tocollege leadership on all matters related to personnel policy,risk, and best practice.
• Assist with building/integrating technology and other tools andresources to ensure effective use of administrativeoperations.
• Work with A&S Director of Faculty Affairs, A&S Budgetand Finance, etc. to regularly evaluate, update, and align sharedpolicies/procedures.
• Leads efforts to streamline and enhance college-wide personnelprocesses in collaboration with campus HR, and other interestedparties.
• Champions continuous improvement initiatives and ensures newpolicies and tools are implemented with appropriate communicationand support.
• Responsible for accurate employee records and compliance withcampus practices for all HR documents and contracts.
• Represents the college at campus-level HR and administrativemeetings.
• Other duties/projects as assigned that supports theHRoperations of the college.

Other/Projects

• Other duties or projects as assigned that support theoperations and success of A&S HR.

What You Should Know

• Standard Hours: 40 hours/week (full-time)
• Standard Business Hours: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Monday -Friday
• Hybrid Schedule: At least 2-3 days a week on campus
• This can be subject to change based on the business needs ofthe department.

What We Can Offer

The annual salary range for this position is $99,700 - $112,150.Onboarding assistance may be available.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder , we arecommitted to supporting the holistic health and well-being of ouremployees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical,dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuitionassistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for localtransit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulderoffers an inspiring academic community and access to world-classoutdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one of Forbes' America's BestLarge Employers , ranking #4 among large employers in Coloradoand #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks andprograms through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be ambitious. Be pioneering. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• BA/BS degree.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience maysubstitute.
• 4+ years of demonstrable progressive experience providingoversight with regard to HR related areas (Employee Relations,Recruitment, Performance Management, etc.).
• 4+ years of experience directly supervising a team.

What You Will Need

• The ability to work successfully independently and as part of ateam.
• Computer proficient in Microsoft applications, including Wordand Excel.
• High degree of professionalism and ability to maintainconfidentiality.
• Ability to build and sustain positive and cooperative workingrelationships.
• Proven track record of communicating effectively and buildingrelationships at all levels of organization.
• An understanding of operational improvement principles used tooptimize operations (i.e. Lean, BPE, Six Sigma).
• Demonstrated problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communicationskills.
• Organizational skills and strong ability to manage severalpriorities.

What We Would Like You to Have

• BA/BS -or- MA/MS/MBA degree.
• 5-6+ years of experience.
• 5-6+ years of demonstrable progressive experience providingoversight with regard to HR related areas (Employee Relations,Recruitment, Performance Management, etc.).
• 5-6+ years of experience of directly supervising a team.
• Working knowledge of complex human resources information.
• Experience working within the regulatory framework (especiallyprevious experience within higher education in the state ofColorado).
• An understanding of process improvement principles used tooptimize operations (i.e. Lean, BPE, Six Sigma).
• A demonstrable knowledge of employment-related concepts(employee relations, EEO & Affluent Action, organizationaldevelopment, job evaluation, recruitment, etc).