Director, Human Resources and Faculty Affairs

Position Summary

The Director of Human Resources and Faculty Affairs plays an integral role in managing the infrastructure that supports the operational functions of Human Resources and Faculty Affairs within the Department of Medicine and within the Medicine POD service line.

The Director will support various research areas and clinical units across the department and will be responsible for optimizing processes in support of organizational goals.

Utilizing a hands-on, collaborative approach and decision-making process, this position assists in the development of HR strategies and implementation of human resources best practices in talent acquisition, employee / labor relations, professional development and engagement, compensation, and performance management.

The Director will utilize a ticketing system, such as Service Now, to track and monitor processes to ensure a consistent and efficient workflow.

S / he will also identify inefficiencies and recommend improvements as needed. The ideal candidate is enthusiastic with a focus on customer service, problem-resolution, proven project management experience, creativity and innovation.

The Director, in conjunction with the Department Administrator / COO will oversee the department’s preparation and processing of payroll, roster and labor distributions.

The incumbent will direct and / or provide counsel with respect to employee and labor relations, progressive discipline, compensation, and policies and procedures interpretation and communication.

The incumbent will act as the department's liaison for internal and external constituents to ensure compliance with institutional policies, federal and state regulations, employment laws and internal controls.

Other related duties as assigned.

Responsibilities

People Management and Professional Development

Oversee the department’s HR / FA team to ensure team members are meeting defined deliverables such as, quality customer service, timely and accurate delivery of information, and ensuring meeting compliance needs.

Responsible for their professional development, engagement, and overall performance.

In collaboration with the Senior Director of HR / FA and other subject matter experts, provide training and education related to HR / FA operations and develop and maintain Job Aids for operational systems and processes.

Provide leadership training and guidance on various topics related to organizational needs.

Talent Acquisition / Recruitment

• Set Talent Acquisition and recruitment workflows and objectives in alignment with department stakeholders’ goals and University guidelines.
• Liaise with internal and external constituents to resolve issues and to ensure timely processing of new-hire / appointments and other related transactions.
• Utilize HR Request / Ticketing System (Service Now) to review HR / FA transactions to ensure requests are processed on time and accurately.
• Manage the recruitment of staff through use of Columbia’s job site (Talentlink and ASR / Interfolio) as well as use of external sites.

Train staff to ensure use of best practices.

Manage the pre-boarding and on-boarding process used by the HR / FA team to ensure use of best practices. This includes ensuring effective management and compliance of the I-9 process;

completing pre-hire background checks, processing all new hires and any employment related changes.

• In collaboration with the POD Sr. Director and school leadership, develop and oversee Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for key requests.
• Work with HR / FA team to complete requests in a timely manner and in compliance with established SLAs and other Columbia University established deadlines.
• Demonstrates skills at troubleshooting problems to determine the best solution(s).

Escalate time-sensitive or high priority issues to Sr. Director in a timely manner.

Identify gaps and inefficiencies, provide standardization and improvement to all HR operational processes / systems. Incorporate feedback into a continuous improvement initiative to make HR transactions more efficient and more accurate;

collaborate with technical teams as required for the work.

Oversee and manage the maintenance of electronic employee files working with outside vendor.

Faculty Appointments, Reappointments & Promotions (In addition to the tasks noted under Talent Acquisition)

• Manages HR / FA team to work with the Office of Faculty Affairs to manage the onboarding process so that new faculty and other academic officers are able to on-board smoothly and function in the capacity for which they were hired.
• Oversees the reappointment process. Works with colleagues in the department to manage the reappointment process with focus on adherence to deadlines.

Compensation

• Conduct compensation reviews / analysis to ensure internal and market equity and work with departmental leadership in creating comprehensive compensation plans;
• Conducts internal reviews to ensure compensation structure meets best practices and is equitable. Raises and addresses concerns as needed.
• Work with department finance to manage salary roster process and ensure all positions, vacancies and promotions / salary increases and salary allocations are implemented in alignment with the budget and in a fair and equitable fashion.

Employee Engagement

Manages strategic initiatives to foster a culture aligned with department and University values and mission.

Employee & Labor Relations

Proactively responds to employee relations issues. Escalates all employee concerns, issues or complaints to Sr. Director of the Medicine POD.

All issues related to harassment allegations and civil rights complaints will be escalated to Sr. Director and other key stakeholders within the department, school, CUIMC HR and medical center as relevant and appropriate.

• Builds and maintains working relationship with union delegates and CUIMC Labor Relations team and adheres to terms of labor contract by monitoring day-to-day implementation of policies concerning wages, hours and working conditions.
• Provide counsel, guidance and direction to employees / faculty and management on employee relations, conflict management, and performance management issues;

conducting investigations and terminations, as appropriate.

Compliance and Immigration

• Ensure the department follows all ISSO policies and procedures. Maintain communication with ISSO as appropriate.
• Oversee and ensure compliance concerning I-9 processing, HIPPA Training, Conflict of Interest, Medical Surveillance, Upcoming / Past Visa End Date Status, etc.

Off Boarding

Oversees and / or conducts exit interviews and follows up as appropriate. Discusses data from exit interviews with Sr.

Director and Department Administrator to make recommendations to the management team for corrective action and continuous improvement.

Systems and Project Work

• Use ServiceNow HR Ticketing System to effectively manage all requests via reports and dashboards and communicate with the HR / FA team.
• Manage special projects as designated by the Associate Vice Dean for Human Resources / CAO.
• Other : Cross cover other related administrative positions and perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree plus five (5) years of related experience, or the equivalent in education, training and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree in a related field preferred. HRCI / SHRM Certification desirable. Experience in university, academic environment or healthcare environment a plus.

Experience in a unionized environment preferred