Senior Operations Manager

HU101 The Howard University; United States; On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

PTO and holidays

Flexible work arrangements

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Howard University seeks a Senior People Operations Officer to serve as the principal operational administrator for HR, payroll, and hiring transactions. You will ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely processing for faculty, staff, adjuncts, and student workers, acting as the main coordination point between leadership, HR, Payroll, and the Provost's Office.

This role emphasizes end-to-end workflow execution, Workday processing, onboarding, offboarding, and maintaining SOPs while advising

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, business administration, or related field is required.
• Minimum of five years in higher-education operations with Workday experience.
• Proficiency in Workday HR and Finance and Excel reporting is essential.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the college’s senior Workday transaction specialist for hires and changes.
• Coordinate job postings with HR Recruiting and funding alignment.
• Draft offers, term sheets, and background check requirements with governance.
• Manage onboarding/offboarding workflows including I-9, taxes, direct deposit.
• Maintain weekly hiring and transaction status reports for leadership.
• Conduct monthly HR/payroll compliance audits and cost allocations.
• Provide training on Workday processes and SOPs to staff.
• Liaise with HR, Payroll, and Provost Office to resolve issues promptly.

Skills

Executive-level guidance

Operational optimization

Stakeholder communication

Workday knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance or related field

5+ years higher-education operations experience

Tools

Workday HR

Workday Finance

Excel

Job description

The Talent Acquisition department hires qualified candidates to fill positions which contribute to the overall strategic success of Howard University. Hiring staff “for fit” makes significant contributions to Howard University’s overall mission. At Howard University, we prioritize well-being and professional growth. Here is what we offer: Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture Join Howard University and thrive with us! https://hr.howard.edu/benefits-wellness

JOB PURPOSE:

The Senior People Operations Officer serves as the College’s principal operational administrator for all HR-, payroll-, and hiring-related transactions. This role ensures the accuracy, compliance, and timely processing of personnel actions for faculty, staff, adjuncts, student employees, wage workers, and stipend-supported personnel. The incumbent functions as the College’s primary point of coordination between CEA leadership, HR, Payroll, the Office of the Provost, and departmental administrators. This is not an HR strategic role; instead, it is a senior-level operational and transactional position responsible for end‑to‑end workflow execution, Workday processing, onboarding, offboarding, and compliance.

SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY:

Responsible for supervising the Budget Coordinator, Administrative III. Formally plans, assigns, directs, and evaluates work performed. Makes merit and promotion recommendations to the Dean and ensures professional development alignment with institutional expectations.

NATURE AND SCOPE:

The Senior People Operations Officer interacts daily with academic departments, program directors, faculty, HR Business Partners, the Budget Office, Payroll, and the Office of the Provost. The incumbent must exercise a high degree of accuracy and judgment in handling sensitive personnel information, navigating complex approval processes, and ensuring compliance with University policy, hiring standards, and audit expectations.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Serve as the College’s senior Workday transaction specialist for all hires, job changes, faculty terminations, PAPs, compensation changes, funding changes, and academic appointments.
• Coordinate all job posting requests with HR Recruiting and ensure funding alignment prior to submission.
• Draft and monitor term sheets, offer letters (where applicable), hiring packets, and background check requirements.
• Manage onboarding workflows including I‑9, tax documentation, direct deposit, employee access, and new employee orientation tracking.
• Initiate and track offboarding workflows for employees, adjunct faculty, and student workers.
• Ensure accurate student hiring through FRFs, HAFs, wage-hire classifications, and Workday setup.
• Maintain weekly hiring and transaction status reports for CEA leadership.
• Conduct monthly HR and payroll compliance audits including cost allocations, active/inactive positions, and pending transactions.
• Provide training and guidance to department administrators, chairs, and coordinators on Workday processes and personnel workflows.
• Maintain and update standard operating procedures (SOPs) for hiring, onboarding, terminations, PAPs, and Workday routing.
• Liaise with HR, Payroll, and the Office of the Provost to resolve transactional issues and ensure timely processing.
• Serve as subject‑matter expert for Workday HR and Workday Finance functionality relevant to personnel transactions.
• Provide people‑data inputs to the Assistant Dean for reporting and planning (not financial analysis).
• Manage confidential personnel information in accordance with University policies.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Demonstrated ability to provide executive-level financial and operational guidance in a complex academic environment.
• Deep knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, accounting controls, and resource stewardship.
• Ability to interpret policy, influence adoption, and lead change with diplomacy and clarity in evolving systems.
• Ability to supervise, develop, mentor, and evaluate staff performance and ensure accountability.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; ability to present complex financial and operational issues clearly.
• Skilled in Workday Financials, procurement systems, and advanced spreadsheet and reporting tools.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Business Administration, or related field (required)
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience working in higher‑education operations.
• Workday HR and Workday Finance familiarity.
• Experience working with academic departments.
• Administrative operations experience
• Proficiency in Workday HR required.
• Proficiency in Workday Finance preferred.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and shared workflow systems.
• Ability to run reports, analyze personnel data, and maintain accurate records.

Compliance Salary Range Disclosure Compensation Range: $85,000 - $95,000

Howard University is a comprehensive, research-oriented, historically Black private university providing an educational experience of exceptional quality to students of high academic potential with particular emphasis upon the provision of educational opportunities to promising Black students. Further, the University is dedicated to attracting and sustaining a cadre of faculty who are, through their teaching and research, committed to the development of distinguished and compassionate graduates and to the quest for solutions to human and social problems in the United States and throughout the world.

Howard University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, sex,sexual orientation,gender or gender identity, marital status, religion, disability or protected veterans status. Veterans and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Inquiries regarding provisions for persons with disabilities or veterans status, Equal Employment Opportunity and Title IX should be directed to the Office of Employee Relations and Equal Employment Opportunity at 202-806-1280.

This position description should not be construed to imply that these requirements are the exclusive standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as may be required.

The university has the right to revise this position description at any time.

This position description is not be construed as a contract for employment.