Business Operations & Program Management Principal Professional

University of Colorado • Denver, CO

12d • $74,000 - $79,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The CU System Office of Advancement (“System Advancement”) is part of System Administration Office, providing excellent customer service, strategy, expertise, and efficiency to our partners on CU’s campuses, Central Advancement, and the University of Colorado Foundation. We support CU’s fundraising and engagement goals through advancement operations that include constituent research and development, data management, business intelligence, technical architecture, annual giving, gift planning, gift administration, marketing and communications, IT, budget and finance, and more. We believe that a balanced office culture is foundational to our success. We build this by bringing together a diverse team of colleagues and infusing our core values—Work Together, Think Big, Be Good and Have Fun — into our work every day. This position plays a key role in providing support for workforce optimization to the unit overall. Workforce optimization focuses on creating people-centered systems to simplify and optimize the business operations areas of finance, budget, employee onboarding and experiences as well as general operations within System Advancement. This role also includes providing cross-functional support for financial transactions and reporting as needed. Successful incumbent must possess excellent customer service, communication and organizational skills and be adept at understanding complex rules and applying them accurately. The position will be expected to quickly switch between projects and areas of focus as priorities shift. While the primary focus of this position will be on managing the workforce optimization program for employee experiences and onboarding, this role will also be responsible for supporting financial functions within the team and seamlessly engaging with System HR to enable streamlined experience for overall recruitment. This is a newly revised role within System Advancement and is expected to grow and evolve over time. As a member of the Business Operations team, this position will collaborate closely with the Director of Budget, Finance & Business Operations and the Business Operations Program Manager for Finance and General Operations and will serve as a trusted partner to System Advancement hiring managers/directors and campus partners. This role will have the opportunity to help reshape the business operations unit for System Advancement through active collaboration and cross-functional teams, as well as collaborating to develop and improve electronic workflows and tool use.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education in business, business administration, finance, accounting, human resources, education, social sciences, healthcare administration, public administration, communications, information systems, or a directly related field. (professional experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis)
• Four (4) years of progressively responsible experience including policy development and financial tracking
• One (1) year experience coordinating group meetings/events
• Experience with CU system/tools (Smartsheet, CU Marketplace, Concur Travel & Expense, HCM, PeopleSoft Finance) and MS Office or similar programs.

Nice To Haves

• Three (3) or more years’ experience working in higher education
• Experience in process development/improvement
• Experience with managing/maintaining complex spreadsheets in MS Excel
• Demonstrated experience adopting and implementing new tools to streamline processes and procedures
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills with a focus on customer service
• Ability to understand and apply complex rules, processes, and operational standards accurately
• Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with employees at all levels across the organization
• Demonstrated skill in managing and tracking multiple ongoing projects and priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a continuous improvement mindset
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, exercising sound judgment and proactive follow-through
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite applications (Excel, Outlook, Word, Teams), SharePoint, and other digital productivity tools
• Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail while handling confidential information with discretion
• Familiarity with business operations tools (e.g., workflow platforms, project management systems, or HR/finance system navigation)
• Knowledge of best practices in employee onboarding, engagement, or operational workflow design
• Ability to analyze feedback and engagement data to inform operational improvements

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the System Advancement Leadership team and department management to administer and manage employee initiatives for the department including, but not limited to: System Advancement callback weeks including logistics, planning activities tied to professional development and employee engagement, and identifying and inviting speakers in partnership with System HR and managers.
• Oversee and participate in the development, continuous improvement, and streamlining of processes, policies, and standards to increase effectiveness and efficiency of business operations.
• Oversee and manage department-specific onboarding and offboarding activities including building out of electronic onboarding tools, working with hiring managers to develop onboarding plans at the time of recruitment, and maintaining and developing a library of onboarding materials for all System Advancement teams.
• Develop and execute policies, procedures, and programs supporting System Administration Campus and Workplace Culture survey (CWC) and System Advancement specific culture initiatives.
• Use surveys and metrics to develop and implement strategic plan initiatives as assigned by Director of Business Operations and Leadership Team.
• Develop, implement, and manage online tools to create efficient and effective business processes across System Advancement.
• Supervise student employee(s) who support projects as needed and defined under business operations.
• Create, edit, and update internal training documents for training and onboarding of student employee(s).
• Serve as a thought partner for developing and streamlining business operations within System Advancement through the creation of new tools and/or expanding use of existing ones.
• Actively assist in managing and making expenditures for bi-annual callback week events and other training events as needed.
• Provide support for financial transactions during periods of heavy volume and teammate’s absences.
• Hold and manage a p-card for callback week expenditures as appropriate and provide back-up for other purchasing needs. Incumbent will have a large dollar volume p-card ($20K monthly limit) to make purchases for System Advancement Team.
• Stay abreast of fiscal rules, policies and regulations governing procurement procedures at the University.
• Maintain skills, knowledge, and training to use Concur, m-Fin, Monday.com, and other systems.
• Assist in tracking/managing complex/multi-year contracts via shared and linked spreadsheets (MS Excel)
• Track and manage procurement requests through Monday.com (project management) board and ensure necessary files are maintained either on the System Advancement server or in MarketPlace and Concur
• Assist with year-end close processes including accruals as needed
• Update complex linked spreadsheets that provide monthly financial reports for budget managers. Track and manage consulting contracts and expenditures across fiscal years.
• Assist in developing processes, procedures, and guidelines for policies and procedures as they pertain to System Advancement. Assist in tracking and updating as needed, but at a minimum annually.
• Assist in the development and publication of online resources via Monday.com, MS Teams and SharePoint as appropriate. May include managing annual calendar of policy/procedure document updates, events and SharePoint site access for internal System Advancement employees. Coordinating and cross-referencing information between the CU Success SharePoint site (the System Office intranet) and System Advancement site/pages, etc.
• Support any additional training/educational programming that System Advancement may develop and offer. Include cataloging offerings and working collaboratively with System HR training team to build and/or package training for System Advancement employees. Assist with tracking trainings and professional development activities as needed.
• Provide back-up general operations as needed

Benefits

• No-cost or low-cost medical & dental plan options, some inclusive of IVF assistance.
• Disability, Life, Vision Insurance options.
• Multiple retirement planning options including a mandatory 401(a) plan where CU contributes 10% of your gross pay, a 401k or 403b plan and a 457 deferred compensation plan.
• Pre-tax savings plans, such as Health care and Dependent care flexible spending accounts.
• Embrace a healthy work-life balance with ample sick and vacation leave, along with at least 12 paid holidays. This includes a dedicated week off for winter break.
• 6 weeks of parental leave to adjust to the joys of parenthood.
• A tuition benefit program for you and/or your dependents.
• Free RTD EcoPass and Free Onsite Parking at our 1800 Grant Street Office.
• Many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees