Director, Payroll and Employment Services

Engineering a world of possibilities

The Colorado School of Mines is a public R1 research university focused on applied science and engineering, producing the talent, knowledge and solutions to service industry and benefit society. Mines has a strong reputation and celebrates high rankings due to its STEM-focused education and research results.
The Director of Payroll and Employment Services is a critical position on the Controller's Office team. This unit provides critical support to Mines' mission by providing comprehensive support for vital university financial services, including Accounting, Bursar, Business Systems, Payroll & Employment Services, Procurement, and Service Excellence.
The Payroll & Employment Services Team supports administrative functions for campus in the process of onboarding new employees and payroll processing for an average total pay of $235 million annually. It is essential for the Director to have strong analytical skills to assess accuracy and efficiencies in business processes and provided the strategic leadership to manage change across the university.
As the director, you will be responsible for developing and maintaining close relationships and partnerships with all constituents and users of Payroll and Employment Services - virtually everyone on campus! You'll be responsible for developing and fostering a culture within Payroll and Employment Services that promotes teamwork and exceptional customer service that is collaborative and customer focused.
You'll work closely with various units to ensure compliance with all legislative and regulatory requirements and University policies while ensuring Payroll and Employment Services provides services that exceed customer expectations. You will support the institution through the assessment and development internal infrastructure/frameworks and policies; including continual improvement of developing effective, efficient, and customer centric processes and systems that maximize the operational success of the institution and will seek to improve operations and service levels. If you are a driver of innovative approaches with a focus on business improvements, ensuring effective people and processes are aligned to performance and outcomes, we welcome your application.
This position is hybrid in Colorado. The Colorado School of Mines provides dedicated professional development and training. Onboarding for this position includes training on financial systems, policies, procedures, regulatory compliance requirements, and processes.

Leadership of Payroll and Employment Services

• Lead the Payroll and Employment Services function ensuring unit goals and practices clearly align with university objectives. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Evaluating current systems, procedures, and structure, recommending and implementing changes for improvement
  • Coaching and developing professional and classified technician positions.
  • Developing and maintaining collaborative partnerships with users of Shared Services and foster a collaborative and productive culture and work environment.
  • Leading process improvements across many functional units on campus and mentoring the team on transactional processes and systems to effectively and successfully move the department forward.
  • Stewarding change management through effective collaboration, communication, and the formation of relationships across the university, in particular, senior staff and division leads.
• Effectively identify and address system configurations and process challenges that create barriers for accurate and timely reporting. This includes the development and implementation of recommendations, training, and procedural documentation.
• Ensure campus constituents are trained on payroll processes and policies are updated, well documented, and easily accessible.

Payroll Process management

• Ensure university compliance and timely transmission of applicable information to federal, state, banking, and other external organizations.
• Provide guidance, and leadership for internal control processes that include reconciliation of monthly payroll liability accounts to the supporting payroll, HR records and external bills received, monthly, quarterly, and annual federal and state reporting.
• Lead the calendar year-end preparation and distribution of W-2 and 1042-S statements to all employees and applicable vendors.
• Ensure proper management and system administration for the University's payroll accounting system including, but not limited to, testing and implementation of system upgrades, web-time entry system for hourly employees, reconciliation of payroll data with the University's general and operating ledgers, while ensuring appropriate segregation of duties surrounding the payroll functions.

Customer Service and Metrics

• Analyze and re-design business processes, elicit and document requirements, test and validate technology solutions, and provide end user support that includes but is not limited to:
  • Providing continual assessment and improvement for efficient and effective systems, practices, and processes.
  • Develop transactional processes in partnership with functional managers to ensure highly effective services.
• Ensure rapid response to campus inquiries regarding payroll processing, appropriate HR related forms that impact payroll processing, trouble-shooting potential errors and implementing the appropriate changes to ensure payroll is properly processed and recorded in the accounting system.
• Prepare ad hoc reporting and responses for payroll and Employment Service related information received from internal and external parties, which may include supporting schedules required for the annual external audit, legislative requests, and Board materials.
• Lead the development and implementation of performance metric reporting and service level agreements.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or related field
• Demonstrated experience in change management in a complex organization
• Experience in evaluation, implementation and upgrades of payroll and employment systems
• Five plus years of progressive leadership roles
• Demonstrated focus on customer service and compliance
• Ability to transfer knowledge to co-workers in a collaborative and engaging manner
• Strong analytical skills and experience and an understanding of how metrics and measures can drive innovation and service level quality
• Demonstrated ability to consider implications of complex problems and solutions and taking necessary actions to resolution
• Strong strategic thinking skills and the ability to contribute to high-level decision-making processes.
• Experience in developing and implementing strategic plans aligned with organizational goals.
• Exceptional communication skills
• Exceptional organizational skills to manage various responsibilities and priorities effectively.
• Possessing a can-do attitude that can flex with changing priorities and work in a dynamic environment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Familiarity with the State of Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association reporting requirements.
• Deep understanding and appreciation for automation and the use of technology as an enabler of high-quality services and performance levels
• Experience with WorkDay Payroll system
• Advanced computer proficiency with Windows-based or other similar software packages involving spreadsheets, databases, word-processing, and presentation applications, including experience working with large and complex data sets.
• Professional experience with federal and state regulations related to payroll activity
• Higher Education or State of Colorado work experience
• Certified Payroll Professional

Salary and Benefits

$109,000 - $123,800

Mines takes into consideration a combination of candidate's education, training and experience as well as the position's scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required in the role, work location, and external market and internal value when determining a salary level for potential new employees.

Colorado School of Mines offers a robust portfolio of benefits for all employees. For this role, that includes:

• Flexible health and dental care options
• Generous sick/vacation time: 13 paid holidays per year - including a week-long winter break for entire campus.
• Fully vested retirement plan on first day of employment, with generous employer contribution
• Tuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for dependents)
• Free RTD Ecopass

All Mines employees also have access to discount programs through the State of Colorado and free tickets for Mines Athletics home games, as well as access to the on-campus Recreation Center (fitness classes and training, swimming pool and more), equipment rentals through the Outdoor Rec Center and the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program (CSEAP). Coming soon is an on-campus daycare center. For more information about benefits at Mines, go to mines.edu/human-resources/benefits.

How to Apply

Applicants must:

Complete an online application (personal information, demographic information, veteran status)

• Upload a resume or CV
• Upload a cover letter

This posting will close September 18, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Applications may not be received or reviewed after that date.

References will not be contacted until later in the selection process and you will be informed before that contact is made.

Mines welcomes everyone to our team; in your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example - she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc).

Mines welcomes all qualified candidates to apply. It is the intent of Mines to comply with the applicable requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, and their implementation rules and regulations, in support of equal opportunities for qualified applicants with disabilities to promote diversity and inclusion at Mines. To meet this goal, Mines will make reasonable accommodations during the employment selection process and within our working environment.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job openings or apply for a job on our site as a result of your disability. You can request a reasonable accommodation by contacting our Human Resources team at or 303.273.3250 for assistance.

Successful Completion of a Background Investigation is Required for this Position.

About Mines & Golden, CO

When the world looks for answers, the world looks to Mines.

Mines graduates are change makers, boundary breakers and problem solvers. Since our earliest days, a Mines education has been and continues to be a transformational opportunity, with one of the strongest returns on investment out there for talented STEM students of all backgrounds.

At the same time, Mines faculty members are pushing their fields in new directions, whether that's manufacturing, space resources, quantum engineering, carbon capture or more. Mines was recently classified as a R1 "Very High Activity" research institution by Carnegie, a notable feat for any university but particularly one of our size.

Community Alliance groups bring together employees for professional development, networking, cultural awareness and community involvement, and all Mines employees also have access to the wealth of activities happening every day on campus - nationally-renowned speakers, special events and Mines traditions like Engineering Days, just to name a few.

And don't get us started on our hometown. We are located in the heart of Golden, Colorado --with its charming historic downtown and nearby hiking trails - and in close proximity to all that Denver and the Rocky Mountains have to offer. That includes the sunny, high-altitude climate and outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities that make the Denver area an ideal place to live, work and play.

Are you looking for an inspiring, mission-driven workplace where you can contribute to solving the world's problems and educating the next generation of change makers? Are you an individual who values a diverse and inclusive community, where our different perspectives, experiences and cultures enrich the educational and work experience?

Look to Mines.

Equal Opportunity

Colorado School of Mines is committed to equal opportunity for all persons. Mines does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), ancestry, creed, marital status, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status or current military service. Further, Mines does not retaliate against community members for filing complaints regarding or implicating any of these protected statuses.

Mines' commitment to nondiscrimination, affirmative action, equal opportunity and equal access is reflected in the administration of its policies, procedures, programs and activities and in its efforts to achieve a diverse student body and workforce.

Through its policies, procedures and resources, Mines complies with federal law, Colorado state law, administrative regulations, executive orders and other legal requirements to prevent discrimination (including harassment or retaliation) within the Mines campus community and to address potential allegations of inequity or concerns for safety.

Colorado's premier engineering and applied science university for 150 years and counting