Salary: $85,000.00 - $110,000.00 Annually
Location : Denver, CO
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: AHEC-4263-06.2026
Department: Auraria Higher Education Center
Division: Auraria Business Services Division
Opening Date: 07/10/2026
Closing Date: 7/24/2026 11:59 PM Mountain
FLSA: Determined by Position
Primary Physical Work Address: Auraria Campus
FLSA Status: Exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation.
Department Contact Information:
Type of Announcement: This announcement is not governed by the selection processes of the classified personnel system. Applications will be considered from residents and non-residents of Colorado.
How To Apply: Please submit an online application for this position at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado. Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed.

Department Information
This is a Non-Classified position, performing the outlined duties with the Auraria Higher Education Center.
This position is eligible for hybrid work after an initial training period and based on business needs/operations. Hybrid work schedule may include up to 2 days remote and will include at least 3 days in office.

Description of Job
Job Summary:
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.
Essential Job Functions: Leadership & Team Management:

• 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.

Performance Management:

• 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.

Strategic Partnership & Organizational Change:

• 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.

Operational & Fiscal Stewardship:

• 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.

General:

• 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.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Application Requirements:

• 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.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 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.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 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.

Conditions of Employment:

• 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.

Attributes and Abilities:

• 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.

Supplemental Information
Colorado Partnership for Quality Jobs and Services Act information

After careful review of this position and the duties that it performs, it has been designated in accordance with the Colorado Partnership for Quality Jobs and Services Act as a "Not Covered" position, it does not fall in the category of employees that are eligible for representation by COWINS, also known as the union. To learn more about this designation please visit this link: http://coloradowins.org/
Applicant Checklist & Minimum Qualifications
We request that you include the following in your application:

• Cover Letter detailing how your experience & education meet minimum and preferred qualifications.
• Resume (Optional) detailing a summary of work history.

E-mail Address
All correspondence regarding your status in the selection/examination process will be conducted by email.

Minimum Qualifications
Your application as submitted is used to determine if you meet Minimum Qualifications. Please read the Minimum Qualifications and ensure that information in your application "draw correlations" to the Minimum Qualifications. Human Resources Analysts will not infer that you meet the Minimum Qualifications if information isn't detailed in your application.

*Years of experience will be expressed in terms of full-time equivalent service with full-time workload equal to one (1) Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) year. No more than 1.00 FTE year may be credited in any twelve (12) month period. Positions working 40 hours or less per week will be pro-rated (30 hrs/wk=0.75 FTE=9 mos credit; 20 hrs/wk=0.5 FTE=6 mos credit; 10 hrs/wk=0.25 FTE=3 mos credit.)*

01

How many years of full-time professional experience do you have in human resources or people experience roles?

• Less than 3 years
• 3-4 years
• 5-7 years
• 8-10 years
• More than 10 years

02

How many years of experience do you have supervising and directing the work of an HR team or HR staff?

• No supervisory experience
• Less than 1 year
• 1-2 years
• 3-4 years
• 5 or more years

03

Which best describes your experience conducting employee relations investigations and advising leaders on performance or conduct issues?

• No employee relations experience
• Assisted with investigations under supervision
• Conducted basic investigations and supported recommendations
• Independently led complex investigations and provided formal recommendations to leadership
• Extensive experience leading high-risk or executive-level employee relations investigations and strategy

04

Which statement best describes your professional experience interpreting and