Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Fairfax, Virginia
Valley Center, California
Posted: 30-Mar-23
Location: Evanston, Illinois
Salary: Open
Internal Number: 47495
Department: Office of Human Resources
Salary/Grade: EXS/14
Job Summary:
The Associate Director, HR Systems, Process & Analytics leads a team of functional experts responsible for the support of Human Resources systems and processes, internal and external reporting and analytics, and unit-wide project management and process design. The Associate Director is a subject matter expert who acts as a liaison between Human Resources and Northwestern IT, researches and analyzes current processes and systems, and makes recommendations to improve effectiveness and efficiency across the entire Human Resources division. The Associate Director works collaboratively with other managers to support the askHR, Operations, Payroll, and Tax teams, while providing crucial underpinning for the Director of Operations, Payroll and Support.
Specific Responsibilities:
Project and Process Management
- Directs the HR Project Manager role, which oversees a portfolio of projects for Human Resources, ensuring milestones and deliverables support the strategic objectives of HR.
- Collaborates with Northwestern IT, HR colleagues, and school administrators to improve or implement new systems, standards, and processes utilizing new or existing technology.
- Oversees business process design and documentation for all HR units, but particularly in support of askHR, Operations, Payroll and Tax initiatives.
- Provides leadership on the development and maintenance of project schedules, adjusting team assignments as necessary to accommodate new requests, urgent issues, scope changes, and resource availability constraints.
HR Data & Analytics
- Leads a team of analysts to develop and maintain routine and ad hoc data and analytics for internal reporting, external compliance, and annual audits.
- Maintains data definitions and recommended system procedures to ensure consistency in employment records and reporting output.
- Collaborates with the Director to act as a data steward of all HR data access, reviewing and approving requests for end-user systems, web services, and reports.
Systems Management
- Supervises employees that provide training, support, and security administration for all HR-owned systems.
- Manages the business use and configuration for HR systems, including HCM, Timekeeping, I-9 Processing, and more.
- Leverages advanced analytical skills to conduct root cause analysis of system errors and data discrepancies, resolving real-time production issues with processes or scheduled jobs.
- Leads team in applying best practices for testing software functionality, facilitating iterative feedback events between users, developers, and analysts, to ensure new or updated software functionality aligns with requirements.
Administrative and Customer Support
- Oversees functional roll-out of new systems, technology updates, and process enhancements.
- Manages multiple annual audits, including those directly related to HR systems and others that indirectly require HR data or process reviews.
- Reviews and verifies accuracy of documentation, security policies, and system/application configuration.
- Supports data entry into HR systems as needed, and provides backup for Operations, Payroll, and Tax responsibilities.
- Serves as an escalation point for the askHR service center to review and resolve complex issues and difficult customer interactions.
Staff Management
- Supervises and coordinates the work activities of managers and staff, including performance evaluation, hiring, firing or administration of discipline.
- Establishes goals and performance objectives.
- Coaches staff members relative to performance improvement, training and development, and team effectiveness.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent combination of education, training and experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired.
- Ten or more years of experience in higher education administration, including designing and maintaining multiple operational processes.
- Experience using several business systems and technologies, including identifying and overcoming gaps in technology to improve efficiency.
- Demonstrated excellence in leadership, communication, relationship building, and success leading a team of diverse roles and responsibilities.
- Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills and tactful in dealing with people.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Well-rounded experience in higher education with a detailed understanding of faculty and research processes, including grant funding and administration.
- Knowledge of the software development process, cloud implementation process, and/or industry standards to support such processes.
- Proven ability to orchestrate multiple activities and resources to accomplish a goal effectively and efficiently.
- Advanced expertise in data analysis, project management, and problem resolution.
Northwestern requires all staff and faculty to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to limited exceptions. For more information, please visit our COVID-19 and Campus Updates website.
The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.
Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.
