(Auraria) People Ops/HR Assistant Director

Welcome to the Auraria Campus located in the Platte River Valley in downtown Denver. The Auraria Campus is the service provider for 38,000 students and approximately 5,000 faculty and staff working at and attending the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Colorado Denver. Learn more about us through this link:  The Auraria Campus

Auraria employees enjoy an excellent benefits package which includes paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave, multiple medical, dental and vision options, discounted RTD Pass, BenefitHub and outstanding retirement plan. Learn more through this link: Non-Classified Benefits Package.

So, if you're interested in a great job working alongside great people, this may be the opportunity for which you've been waiting for.

Auraria Higher Education Center is seeking a dynamic and employee focused Assistant Director of People Operations/HR to work alongside the Director. The Assistant Director of People Operations/HR serves as a strategic partner to the People Operations/HR Director, providing leadership, operational oversight, and subject-matter expertise across all areas of People Experience and Human Resources. This role supervises HR team members, leads complex employee relations matters, supports organizational change initiatives, and ensures a positive and engaging employee experience. The Assistant Director of People Operations/HR acts as the department’s second-in-command and serves as the primary back-up to the People Operations/HR Director in their absence. The position also plays a key role in continuous process improvement, fiscal stewardship, and effective management of our people resources.

• HR team supervision– Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and performance management for HR staff to ensure high-quality service delivery.
• Workload coordination – Assign and monitor work, ensuring alignment with departmental priorities, deadlines, and service standards.
• Professional development – Support skill-building, training, and growth opportunities for HR team members.
• Acting Director – Serve as the department lead when the Director is unavailable, ensuring continuity of operations.
• Executive collaboration– Represent the department in meetings, committees, and cross-functional initiatives as needed.

• Complex employee relations – Lead investigations, coach leaders on performance and conduct issues, and ensure consistent, legally compliant practices.
• Policy interpretation – Provide guidance on HR policies, contracts, and employment laws.
• Risk Mitigation – Partner with Director and appropriate resources (internally and externally) to reduce organizational risk and ensure fair, equitable outcomes.

• Change management support – Collaborate with the Director to design and implement organizational change initiatives.
• Employee experience initiatives – Help develop and execute strategies that enhance engagement, culture, and retention.
• Process improvement – Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, modernize HR practices, and improve service delivery.

• Resource planning – Support workforce planning, staffing strategies, and organizational structure reviews.
• Budget support – Assist the Director with budget development, monitoring, and cost-effective decision-making.
• Data-driven decision support – Use HR metrics and analytics to inform recommendations and evaluate program effectiveness.

• Support team with audits, and act as a point of contact when needed.
• Performs a variety of special projects as requested by the Director.
• Other duties assigned and directed.

• Completed online application. The determination of whether an applicant meets the minimum qualifications will be based on the information provided in the work experience and job duties sections of the online application in conjunction with the complete and thorough answers to the pre-screening questions. 
• Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completed online application. Cover letter required. The cover letter must specifically describe how your education and professional experience meet the minimum qualifications and any preferred qualifications listed in this posting. 
• Failure to submit a cover letter or provide sufficient information in the application materials may result in removal from further consideration. 

• A bachelor's degree in public administration, public policy, business, higher education administration, social sciences, behavioral sciences, human resources, human relations, or a directly related field from an accredited institution. 
• Five (5) to seven (7) years of full-time professional work experience in people experience/human resources, including three (3) to four (4) of those years being in a role that supervised and directed the work and functions of the HR team. 
• Professional level work expertise in employee relations, including conducting investigations and advising leaders on complex performance and conduct situations. 
• Please provide full responses to all required supplemental questions. Your answers will be used as part of the application screening. 

• Experience and subject matter expertise in the areas of (FLSA, FMLA, ADA, EEO, I-9, payroll taxes, etc.). 
• Professional full-time experience in a union setting. 
• Demonstrated experience and success in change management and continuous process improvement. 

• This position is open to both Colorado residents and non-residents. The selected candidate must establish and maintain residency in Colorado no later than their date of hire. 
• Must be able to successfully pass a criminal background check. 
• Must be able to maintain confidentiality, consistently contribute to a positive environment, and professionalism. 
• Must be able to work on-site 3-5 days/week, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8am - 5pm. Additional or broader hours may be required based on operational and business needs. 
• Must be able to operate standard office equipment such as computers, phones, copy machines, virtual meeting tools, and digital filing systems. 

• Proven experience in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with a diverse population at all levels throughout the institution—and into the community.
• Ability to communicate in a positive and effective manner, across various modalities. 
• Ability to balance multiple projects and tasks in parallel to maintain attention to detail.
• Outwardly contributes to a respectful, positive, and professional workspace. 
• Ability to establish work priorities, follow through, and meet established deadlines.
• Strong judgment and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to deliberately listen and communicate relevant information, anticipate problems, and offer suggestions for resolution.
• Experience driving strategic HR operational initiatives. 
• Experience with human capital management systems. 
• Knowledge of applicable local, Federal, and State of Colorado laws, rules, and regulations. 
• Ability to build modern, scalable HR processes and drive continuous improvement initiatives.