Assistant Director, Human Resources

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $70,000-$76,000

Position Summary

University Life is a central division that works with Columbia's 17 schools and colleges and serves as a student life hub. We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive campus culture where students can thrive in all dimensions of their lives. We focus on connecting students to each other, to the broader University and surrounding community, and to opportunities beyond their schools.

University Life was created to develop and enhance the student experience at Columbia University. Working in collaboration with students, faculty, and staff, University Life focuses on enhancing the student experience by strengthening resources, policies, and conversations, and building community outside of the classroom. Our efforts all connect to core values for the Columbia community:

• Inclusion and belonging
• Health and well-being
• Sexual respect
• Community citizenship

Reporting to the Director of Human Resources, the Assistant Director, HR plays a key role in the overall operations of the University Life Human Resources team, supporting and coordinating HR activities and initiatives for the entire University Life team.

Responsibilities

• Partners with unit managers on the recruitment process for full-time and student staff, consulting with the Director for guidance as necessary. Assist in the recruitment process by posting job openings and maintaining candidate records.
• Works with the Director to identify talent acquisition strategies including enhancing sourcing channels, focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion, leveraging technology, and improving the candidate experience.
• Prepares and processes employee transactions including new hires, terminations, leaves, and payroll issues.
• Maintains employee records and manages the time and attendance process for all University Life staff and students.
• Prepare and process employee lifecycle documents including new hire paperwork, scheduling orientation sessions and exit interviews, and assist with onboarding and offboarding logistics.
• Communicate with candidates and new hires to provide updates and answer questions about the hiring process.
• Serve as the first point of contact for employee inquiries, directing them to the appropriate resources or HR team members.
• Help communicate company policies, benefits information, and HR updates to employees.
• Support employee engagement initiatives and assist in planning and coordinating HR events and activities.
• Provide information and answer routine HR- and benefits-related questions.

• Organize and maintain personnel files, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with company standards.
• Support the HR team with special projects, research, and various initiatives to improve HR processes and policies.
• Assist with processing additional compensation payments for staff within the division and staff from across the University that assist with University Life initiatives.
• Prepare reports and support data entry needs for HR analytics and reporting.
• Ensure compliance with policies and federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Assist with coordinating professional development (PD) initiatives, including communicating Divisional guidelines and University policies, sharing PD opportunities, and recommending division-wide processes to the Director and/or University Life leadership.
• Coordinates and plans team and divisional events, with a focus on creating experiences that foster a positive, inclusive team culture across the broader University Life division.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance or a related field, or equivalent experience required.
• 2-4 years related experience.
• Impeccable attention to detail.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to exercise a high degree of professionalism, diplomacy, discretion, firmness, and collaboration in dealing with individuals at all levels.
• Experience with Oracle/PeopleSoft or comparable human resource software.
• Experience working in higher education or non-profit organizations.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and work independently.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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