Assistant Vice President, Payroll And Workers Compensation

Department

F&A FIN - Financial Services

About the Department

The primary goal of Financial Services is to support the core mission of the University through exemplary fiscal stewardship. Our services and programs are geared toward providing our customers outstanding response and service while fulfilling compliance and fiduciary obligations. Among many duties, Financial Services has responsibility for accounting and financial reporting; cash, endowment, and debt management; payroll; sponsored award accounting; and purchasing and paying for goods and services.

Job Information

Job Summary:

The Assistant Vice President, Payroll and Workers Compensation leads the strategy and operations for payroll, workers compensation, student employment, and HR data management to ensure compliance, efficiency, and alignment with University and stakeholder needs. This role oversees regulatory interpretation, compliance with tax and employment laws, foreign national payment processing, and employment transactions audits. The incumbent leverages technology to drive process improvements, participates in University-wide initiatives, and maintains accurate reporting for IRS and other regulatory requirements. Managing a team of five direct reports and 25 total FTEs, the Assistant Vice President is responsible for talent development, continuous process enhancement, and ensuring robust internal controls and documentation. This role collaborates with cross-functional partners, supports workers' compensation and unemployment claims, and evaluates software solutions to optimize service delivery across critical HR and financial operations.

Responsibilities:

• Establish a strategy and vision that aligns with University needs, Financial Services' service delivery model and stakeholder requirements.  Utilize and leverage existing and new technologies to drive excellence across the payroll, student employment and HR data management organizations.
• Research and interpret government regulations affecting departmental procedures.  Lead and oversee staff responsible to implement adjustments to procedures and system automation as required.  This includes quarterly and year end reporting such as IRS forms W-2, 1099, 1042-S and any necessary amendments.
• Oversee issuance of payments made to all foreign nationals by the University.  This includes employee, student, visitors, and contractor-based payments.  Must be certain that payments are allowable under the different agencies and that payments are classified appropriately.  Maintain accurate record of documentation required that payment decisions were based on.  Ensure tax and tax treaty benefits are administered properly.
• Ensure that HR team properly reviews and audits staff employment transactions for compliance with University policies as well as bargaining unit agreements.  This would include job requisition postings, background check compliance, job and salary changes.
• Manage workers' compensation and unemployment claims to efficiently, timely and fairly settle claims, establish internal processes and policies for orderly settling of claims, collaborate with University stakeholders including Risk Management, HR and OLC to ensure claims are managed in accordance with University policy and practices, provide data analytics for outstanding claims and manage the third party administrator in these functions.
• Work with the student employment team to streamline student employment processes, audit and correct employment transactions so that they meet University policies and conform to federal Work Study regulations.  Also assist with student payment initiatives set forth by the University's Provost.
• Oversight of team members responsible for the review of reportable accounts payable payments. Must be certain that payments are allowable, classified properly for 1099 and 1042-S reporting and taxed when appropriate. 
• Perform audits of HR data and payroll calculations to ensure accuracy of payments to employees.
• Participate in the planning and implementation of University led initiatives.
• Drive for continuous improvement by contributing to the evaluation and selection of software solutions to serve the needs of the group.  Reevaluate current solutions to see if they are cost-effective and meet current University IT standards.
• Ensure processes are documented and well-controlled through annual business continuity audit and associated testing.  Review and update requirements for internal controls and procedures.  Perform root-cause analysis of escalated matters and make recommendations for resolution. 
• Partner across the institution with key stakeholders to determine and define user needs to better align processes and deliver services.
• Evaluate team for current and future staffing needs.  Determine skill sets needed and assess if they can be accommodated by current staff or if new resources are needed. 
• Create and develop opportunities for team members.
• Use knowledge of different process to look for opportunities for improvement in service delivery in cross-functional areas.  Suggest software or procedural solutions that might be implemented.
• Manage a team of 5 direct reports and 25 total FTEs, including directors and managers that manage the critical cross functional areas described above.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Competencies:

• Team-oriented professional that can collaborate with diverse members across the organization.
• Encourage and facilitate professional development opportunities for team members to further their career growth.
• Capable of directing and leading cross-functional teams.

Additional Responsibilities

Education, Experience or Certifications:

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of payroll or tax accounting experience.
• Extensive payroll tax expertice.
• Background in a large university or a not-for-profit organization.

Technical Knowledge or Skills:

• Strong knowledge of federal, state and local laws that govern reporting of earnings, taxation and agency reporting requirements.
• Working knowledge of accounting and payroll principles, procedures and practices.
• Superior computer skills with online and/or cloud-based applications, as well as with common Microsoft Office software, such as word processing and spreadsheets.

Required Documents:

• Resume/CV

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Senior Administrators

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Frequency

Monthly

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$250, $300,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.
 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.
 

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at:  Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

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