Assistant Director of Central Business Operations

Position Details
University of Colorado | Denver
Official Title: Business Services Assistant Director
Working Title: Assistant Director of Central Business Operations
FTE: Full-time 
Salary Range: $102,496 - $113,286
Position #00652077 – Requisition #39949

About the University of Colorado Denver
Millions of moments start at CU Denver, a place where innovation, research, and learning meet in the heart of a global city. We’re the state’s premier public urban research university with more than 100 in-demand, top-ranked bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. We partner with diverse learners—at any stage of their life and career—for transformative educational experiences. Across seven schools and colleges, our leading faculty inspires and works alongside students to solve complex challenges and produce impactful creative work. As part of the state’s largest university system, CU Denver is a major contributor to the Colorado economy, with 2,000 employees and an annual economic impact of $665 million. To learn more about how CU Denver helps learners meet their moment, visit ucdenver.edu.  

Job Description
* Applications are accepted electronically ONLY at www.cu.edu/cu-careers *
This position will lead the CU Denver Central Business Operations unit supporting administrative areas, working closely with human resources, budget, executive assistants and finance leaders across the organization, to build processes that support collaborative, effective and efficient work within the operational unit and with campus partners. This position is responsible for and leads the unit and work to ensure compliance with university, state, federal and departmental fiscal and budget rules, policies and procedures. Other duties include providing day-to-day operation management of staff, leading various teams and groups for projects as assigned, and streamlining and redefining processes to improve internal operations.
The position exercises initiative to achieve organizational goals and objectives, establishes and maintains positive working relationships. This position provides guidance and consultation to ensure departments are adhering to all necessary policies, procedures, rules and regulations.  This individual ensures close collaboration and effective communication across operational units resulting in excellent customer service in Academic & Student Affairs and Central Services & Administration (ASA & CSA). The successful candidate will possess a high level of related experience and be able to demonstrate a high level of discretion and analytical, technical, and problem-solving skills.

Assistant Director of Central Business Operations 
What you will do:

Customer Relationships:
•    Establish and maintain strong working relationships with leaders of the Central Services Administration (CSA) and Academic and Student Affairs (ASA) areas served to ensure alignment, proactive communication, and clear understanding of operational and financial needs, including workforce planning, major procurements, and strategic initiatives. 
•    Collaborate with campus and University Subject Matter Experts, such as CU Denver Human Resources, Budget, Fiscal Compliance, Controller’s Office, and CU System Procurement Service Center to ensure compliance and alignment with new and existing policies and procedures in the SME areas.
•    Develop and implement communication strategies through website updates, emails and meetings to keep departments apprised on campus processes, incorporating relevant updates from Procurement, Financial Services and Budget where appropriate.

Process Development:
•    Lead the development, standardization and continuous improvement of shared services processes and workflows to enhance the work and operational efficiency of the service delivery. 
•    Leverage data, reporting tools, and performance metrics to assess service effectiveness, including workload analysis, transaction types (journals entries, PETs, procurements, etc.) and turnaround times.
•    Utilize data-driven insights to identify risks, recommend solutions, and implement process improvements and proactive mitigation with customer departments.
•    Provide strategy and recommendations to unify disparate processes amongst the CSA and ASA teams.

Leadership:
•    Lead, train and manage the Central Business Operations team, including collaboration on process enhancements, distribution of work, understanding of pain points, development of growth and training plans, and annual performance evaluations.
•    Develop and support the team to excel within their existing skillsets and provide opportunities for learning and development of enhanced skills as needed to support the team.

Financial Administration:
•    Provide oversight and management of procurement, expenses, travel, and associated contracts for administrative departments in CSA and ASA.
•    Ensure purchase orders are kept current with funds and are closed in a timely manner.
•    Review and approve (or delegate when necessary) travel reports, expense reports, and other invoices.  Recommend efficiencies based on review and monitoring of contracts and spending patterns.
•    Identify Payroll Expense Transfers (PETs) and Journal entries (JEs) as needed in compliance with internal and external policies and procedures.  Work to identify if there are processes to reduce the need for these entries.  
•    Lead large scale procurement processes to assist department managers with competitive/sole source processes and any expenditures requiring purchase orders.
•    As needed, serve as Approving Official for CSA or ASA department procurement card holders; monitor, allocate, and evaluate department’s expense reports, department travel request forms in accordance with internal and external policies and procedures.
•    Partner with Financial Services-Fiscal Compliance to provide training on policies and procedures to administrative departments.

Qualifications you already possess (Minimum Qualifications) 
Applicants must meet minimum qualifications at the time of hire. 
•    A bachelor’s degree in business, business administration, finance, accounting, public administration, or a directly related field from an accredited institution;
•    Five (5) years of extensive, diverse, and progressively responsible professional fiscal management experience at the manager level.  Substitution: A combination of education and related technical/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for the bachelor’s degree on a year for year basis.

Preferred Qualification to possess (Preferred Qualifications) 
•    Leadership level experience working within the University of Colorado system in a Business Services, Finance, or Budget role in a department or academic unit.
•    Preferred fiscal management and budget related experience working in higher education or government;
•    Experience developing Standard Operating Procedures in areas of procurement, contracts, accounts payable and finance;
•    Experience supervising professional employees;
•    Experience with PeopleSoft or other financial system is highly desired; and,
•    Experience training others on processes, procedures and tools.
•    Experience with process improvements within responsibility areas.  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 
•    Ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and orally; 
•    Demonstrated competence in the use of MS Office applications, particularly MS Excel and MS Access;
•    Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees at all levels throughout the institution;
•    Ability to successfully plan, organize, implement, and coordinate financial and administrative activities in a diverse system;
•    Demonstrated ability working with business functions in a complex organization
•    Outstanding customer service skills;
•    Demonstrate an exceptional understanding of access and engagement with commitment to developing equitable practices;
•    Must be able to initiate communication and communicate work effectively with leaders across campus;
•    Ability to analyze and interpret financial data to support decision making; and,
•    Demonstrate adaptability and flexibility.

Conditions of Employment 
•    Occasional work during the evening and/or weekends may be required. 
•    This position follows a hybrid work structure where employees can work remotely or from the office, as needed, based on demands of specific tasks or personal work preferences. Working from the office is encouraged when working on tasks that require a high degree of collaboration.

Mental, Physical, and/or Environmental Requirements  
•    This position may be performed on site, and will require the ability to sit for extended periods, stand and walk occasionally, reach with hands and arms, use hands to manipulate a keyboard and mouse, and have good near vision for computer work; often requiring minimal lifting, but may involve bending or reaching to retrieve items from shelves or drawers. 
•    This position may be performed in a hybrid or remote environment, requiring the ability to work effectively in a remote setting. This includes maintaining a dedicated workspace free of excessive noise or distractions, reliable internet connectivity, and the ability to participate in virtual meetings for extended periods. Employees must be able to independently manage time, remain stationary for prolonged computer-based work, and transport necessary equipment (such as a laptop and peripherals) between their remote work location and the office as needed.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at workplaceengagement@ucdenver.edu .

Employment Sponsorship
Please be advised that this position is eligible now and in the future for visa sponsorship. While the hiring unit is willing to pursue visa sponsorship, an offer of employment will be contingent on the candidate having a visa status that allows employment with the University as of the start date for the position or the University’s petition being approved and on the candidate being able to obtain the appropriate visa status.

Compensation and Benefits
The salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established at $102,496 - $113,286.
The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.
The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
This position is not eligible for overtime compensation.
Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado Denver provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.
Benefits: https://www.cu.edu/employee-services/benefits
Total Compensation Calculator: http://www.cu.edu/node/153125

Application Deadline
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Preference will be given to complete applications received by May 29th, 2026. Those who do not apply by this date may or may not be considered.

Required Application Materials:
To apply, please visit: http://www.cu.edu/cu-careers and attach:
•    A cover letter which specifically addresses the job requirements and outlines qualifications
•    A current CV/resume
•    List of three references (we will notify you prior to contacting both on and off-list references)

Questions should be directed to Tawnya Boulier, Tawnya.Boulier@UCDenver.edu

Background Check Policy
The University of Colorado Denver strives to maintain a safe and productive educational, clinical, research and employment environment. All prospective employees and current employees must, therefore, consent to and pass background checks prior to any final appointment/employment.