Senior Data and Business Analyst

This role serves as a key strategic resource within the College of Arts and Sciences Budget Office, providing advanced data analysis, business process improvement, and systems support for the College's four academic divisions and more than 60 departments, programs, and centers. The position leverages financial, payroll, human resources, and operational data to support informed decision-making, enhance business processes, and ensure the integrity of college-wide reporting and analytics.

About the College

The College of Arts and Sciences at CU Boulder is the intellectual core of the university, conducting research, scholarship, creative work and education in more than 60 fields. Our research generates new knowledge, solving some of the world’s most critical problems. The college leads nationally in undergraduate and graduate education in the natural sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities, bringing world-class research and scholarship to our students, both in and out of the classroom.

Responsibilities

• Payroll Reporting and Data Analysis
  • Serve as the primary College resource for payroll planning, reporting, reconciliation, and data analysis across all divisions and units within the College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Maintain the integrity, accuracy, confidentiality, and security of payroll and personnel data across multiple systems and reporting platforms.
  • Analyze payroll funding, salary distributions, position funding changes, and labor allocations to ensure compliance with university, state, federal, and sponsor requirements.
  • Calculate and process permanent and temporary payroll funding adjustments, earnings changes, retroactive corrections, and labor redistributions.
  • Monitor payroll transactions and conduct regular audits to identify discrepancies, errors, and compliance concerns, recommending corrective actions as needed.
  • Partner with department administrators, HR professionals, business managers, and campus offices to resolve complex payroll and funding issues.
  • Develop and maintain payroll planning tools, forecasting models, and reconciliation processes to support departmental and college budget management.
  • Lead and coordinate the annual College merit allocation process for all employee groups, including data validation, allocation calculations, reporting, communications, and implementation support.
  • Create and deliver payroll reports, dashboards, presentations, and ad hoc analyses for department leadership, divisional leadership, college administration, and campus collaborators.
  • Develop, document, and communicate payroll-related procedures, business processes, guidelines, and training materials.
  • Train departmental staff on payroll reporting tools, report interpretation, funding management, payroll timelines, and related processes.
• Budget IT, Reporting, and Project Management
  • Provide functional leadership, data analysis, reporting expertise, and project management support for budget-related systems, processes, and initiatives.
  • Design, develop, maintain, and enhance college-wide budget and financial reporting tools using technologies such as Power BI, Tableau, SQL-based reporting tools, and enterprise reporting systems.
  • Create and maintain dashboards and reports that support strategic decision-making, budget forecasting, resource allocation, and operational planning.
  • Analyze financial and workforce data to identify trends, risks, opportunities, and process improvement recommendations.
  • Serve as a subject matter expert on financial reporting and budgeting systems applied by the College.
  • Serve as secondary administrator for the College Financial Portal, including user support, testing, troubleshooting, security access review, and process improvement recommendations.
  • Gather business requirements, document functional specifications, and collaborate with technical teams to implement system enhancements and process improvements.
  • Lead or participate in system implementations, upgrades, testing activities, data validation efforts, and post-implementation support.
  • Coordinate project activities, timelines, deliverables, partner communications, and change management efforts related to financial systems and reporting initiatives.
  • Develop training materials and provide consultation to departments regarding budget reporting tools and financial data interpretation.
• HR IT, Reporting, and Project Management
  • Provide advanced workforce analytics, HR systems support, reporting expertise, and project leadership for college and campus initiatives.
  • Develop, maintain, and enhance workforce reporting, dashboards, and analytics tools to support strategic workforce planning and operational decision-making.
  • Create and maintain reports related to employee demographics, organizational structures, compensation, position management, workforce trends, vacancies, and staffing metrics.
  • Develop and maintain HCM versus Base Salary reporting and reconciliation processes.
  • Conduct PeopleSoft and HR data audits to ensure data quality, integrity, compliance, and reporting accuracy.
  • Identify reporting gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for automation or process improvements within HR and payroll operations.
  • Gather business requirements and provide functional analysis for HR-related technology solutions and system enhancements.
  • Collaborate with campus HR, Employee Services, Information Technology, and institutional data teams on reporting initiatives, system implementations, testing, and process improvements.
  • Provide training, consultation, and technical support to departmental users regarding HR systems, reporting tools, and workforce data.
• Other IT and Project Management
  • Support strategic initiatives, cross-functional projects, and continuous improvement efforts impacting the College.
  • Serve as the College Payroll Liaison and represent the College on campus committees, working groups, and task forces related to payroll, HR, finance, data governance, and enterprise systems.
  • Collaborate with campus partners to find opportunities for improved reporting, automation, data integration, and operational efficiencies.
  • Lead or participate in special projects involving data analysis, business process redesign, system implementations, and organizational change initiatives.
  • Develop project plans, timelines, documentation, and partner communication strategies to ensure successful project outcomes.
  • Research emerging technologies, reporting solutions, and analytical tools to improve operational effectiveness and decision-making capabilities within the College.
  • Perform other duties and special projects as assigned in support of College and University priorities.

Schedule

• Hybrid schedule: at least 3 days a week on campus per campus and college policies and guidelines (subject to change based on business needs).
• Standard business hours: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Mountain Time), Monday - Friday.
• May be expected to be on campus Monday-Friday during onboarding, training, and/or professional development events/meetings.
• Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Pay

The annual salary range for this full-time position is $105,000-$118,000. Relocation assistance may be available.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• Medical, dental, and retirement plans.
• Generous paid time off.
• Tuition assistance for you and your dependents.
• ECO Pass for local transit.
• Access to world-class outdoor recreation and additional perks through the CU Advantage program.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Information Systems, Computer Information Systems, Data Analytics, Business Analytics, Management Information Systems (MIS), Computer Science, Public Administration, Human Resources, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and professional experience may substitute.
• 5+ years of experience with data integration, automation tools, SQL, or other data management tools.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible professional experience in business analysis, data analytics, financial analysis, payroll, human resources, information systems, or a related field.
• Experience developing and maintaining reports, dashboards, and data analyses to support business operations and decision-making.
• Experience working with enterprise Human Resources, Payroll, Finance, or ERP systems.

Skills

• Strong relationship-building and collaborator engagement skills.
• Collaborative change leadership and transformation management.
• Sophisticated problem-solving and issues management.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills within a highly complex organization.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret complex financial, payroll, human resources, and operational data.
• Ability to translate business needs into reporting solutions, process improvements, and system requirements.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple priorities and complex projects.
• Strong relationship-building and collaboration skills with diverse collaborators across the College and campus.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to communicate technical information to non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment while maintaining data integrity, confidentiality, and information security.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and business intelligence, reporting, or data visualization tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Data Analytics, Public Administration, Finance, Human Resources, or a related field.
• 10 years of experience with data integration, automation tools, SQL, or other data management tools.
• 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in business analysis, data analytics, financial analysis, payroll, human resources, information systems, or a related field.
• Experience in an academic or higher education environment.