Assistant Director, Student Program Staffing Operations

About the department

The Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice has a long-standing history in shaping the field of social work. It is part of the University of Chicago, sharing the institution's core values and intellectual culture. Faculty, staff, and students at the Crown Family School focus on finding solutions to complex social issues through research, training, and community engagement. The school conducts innovative research to tackle interconnected challenges like educational inequality, health disparities, crime and violence, poverty, and child and family welfare, working at various scales, from individual to policy-level interventions. More than 10,000 graduates from the school hold leadership roles in academia, nonprofits, businesses, and governmental agencies. The school houses three academic centers: the Susan and Richard Kiphart Center for Global Health and Social Development, the Kersten Institute for Urban Education, and the Center for Climate, Health, and Society (CHAS).

The Neighborhood Schools Program (NSP), established in 1976, connects University of Chicago students with local schools, public service offices, and community organizations. Each year, University students serve as teaching assistants, tutors, mentors, technology coordinators, administrative interns, and support staff, positively impacting the learning experiences of approximately 2,500 to 5,000 children. NSP also serves as a key connector between University resources and local schools, collaborating with campus programs, supporting student organizations, and consulting with faculty to enhance educational partnerships. The program embodies the University's civic mission by fostering sustained, mutually beneficial relationships with schools and families, enriching the University's engagement in PreK-12 education and providing valuable learning experiences for its students.

Job Summary

The Assistant Director, Student Program Staffing Operations is a matrix position, directly supervised by the Crown HR Director, with a dotted line to the Director of the Neighborhood School Partnerships. This role manages hiring, employment changes, time tracking, and payroll reconciliation for 200+ student employees serving as tutors and teaching assistants to local schools, community centers, and government offices, as well as hiring and employment changes for seasonal and temporary employees in career and college readiness programs. The Assistant Director oversees a part-time van driver and several student workers. This role requires a deep understanding of Workday for creating positions and onboarding employees, managing bi-weekly payroll, and maintaining databases in Airtable.

Responsibilities

• Manage bi-weekly payroll of 200+ paid employees, ensuring Time Sheet and Workday compliance for the Neighborhood Schools Program.
• Hire and manage employment changes for high school students in career and college readiness programs.
• Create Workday positions and hire 200-300 employees into various programs and sub-programs within NSP and CCR, including Maroon Tutor Match and Homework Help Centers.
• Onboard employees into Workday and ensure University and government compliance.
• Onboard NSP volunteers and track volunteer hours.
• Engage in high-volume correspondence and interactions with students, superiors, co-workers, HR specialists, Financial Manager, Workday Support team, Payroll Support team, etc.
• Perform payroll reconciliation for nearly 200 paid student and temp employees, involving filing Bi-Weekly Adjustment Forms in Service Now, adjusting hours in Workday, and communicating with students and/or University departments to ensure accuracy.
• Submit student reimbursements (e.g., awards, stipends) in Service Now.
• Maintain student employment, time tracking, and payroll modules in the Airtable database to ensure accurate employee record tracking, payroll reconciliation, and compliance with University and government regulations; identify opportunities to streamline hiring and payroll processes across systems.
• Advise students in all stages of the hiring process, payment process, and general program matters.
• Manage employee files in Workday to reflect changes in employee status and comply with Workday regulations and file upkeep schedules.
• Leverage Excel worksheets to merge Workday, biweekly payroll, and Airtable information for audits and reconciliations.
• Provide backup support for submitting payments through Oracle as needed for workshop speakers and other NSP payment needs.
• Provide data regarding student employment and positions for budget planning, forecasting, and financials to support fundraising and budgeting work of the Director of Neighborhood Schools Program and finance team.
• Participate in one-on-one and team meetings for Crown HR and NSP teams, as well as Crown/Kersten Institute all employee convenings.
• Manage 1-2 student workers performing operational and administrative tasks, a part-time staff van driver, and 5-7 student drivers, including a student transportation coordinator; provide backup support for scheduling and email inbox management for student riders.
• Ensure vehicle maintenance, including oil changes, repairs, fuel tracking, and adherence to safety standards.
• Initiate the hiring process of students and staff for a unit, which includes processing payroll.
• Train office staff on office procedures and compliance protocols.
• Coordinate special projects.
• Perform other related work as needed.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications: A college or university degree in a related field. 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Preferred Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in a related field. Experience working with HR operations, specifically hiring and payroll management. Proficiency with Workday and Airtable. Microsoft Suite skills (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).

Benefits

The University of Chicago offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health, retirement, and paid time off. For more information, refer to the Benefits Guidebook.