HR & Payroll Assistant - AAP

The Opportunity

Join the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) at Cornell University as an HR & Payroll Assistant. In this highly collaborative role, you will support human resources and payroll operations for multiple academic departments, serving as a trusted resource for faculty, staff, student employees, and managers. You will play a key role in student and graduate employment administration, payroll processing, recruitment support, and employee services, helping ensure an exceptional employee experience while maintaining compliance and operational excellence.

Success in this role requires curiosity, adaptability, and a proactive mindset. We are looking for someone who is comfortable navigating ambiguity, embraces change, and enjoys finding opportunities to improve processes and service delivery. The ideal candidate approaches challenges with a solutions-oriented perspective, takes initiative, and is committed to empowering stakeholders through excellent customer service, clear communication, and strong partnerships. Just as importantly, they value accountability, follow through on commitments, and contribute positively to a collaborative team culture.

Because this is a broad role within a small, highly engaged HR team, it offers an exceptional opportunity to gain exposure to many facets of human resources and higher education administration. The successful candidate will have opportunities to cross-train across multiple HR specialties, develop a well-rounded understanding of university operations, and build skills that support long-term professional growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate hourly student and graduate student employment processes, including hiring, onboarding, appointments, changes, and terminations.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for student and graduate employment matters.

• Process and maintain employment transactions and records in Workday.

• Audit employee time entries and support payroll processing, adjustments, and overpayment resolution.

• Assist with staff and temporary employee recruitment, onboarding, and employment documentation.

• Provide HR and benefits-related guidance and direct employees to appropriate resources.

• Support HR data reporting, compliance monitoring, and records management activities.

• Collaborate with HR leadership on employment-related policy implementation and process improvements.

• Provide administrative support to the Finance & HR Services Center as needed.

About the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University (Cornell AAP) includes the departments of Architecture, Art, City and Regional Planning, the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate, jointly led by AAP and the SC Johnson College of Business, the multicollege Department of Design Tech, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities. The college spans three locations in Ithaca, New York City, and Rome, Italy, each with world-class facilities and cutting-edge technologies.

Cornell AAP is about acts of transformation. We are committed to reimagining and reshaping the world in new ways, every day. A vital college at one of the nation's foremost research universities, Cornell AAP brings faculty, staff, and students together from around the world to take up some of today's most urgent challenges and advance research, inquiry, and collaborative approaches to designing, making, and doing that make a more just and resilient future.

What We Need

• Associate's degree and at least two years of relevant professional experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment.

• Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills with the ability to build productive relationships across a diverse community.

• Experience using business software applications, including Microsoft Office and Outlook.

• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively as part of a team.

• Experience interpreting and applying policies, procedures, and administrative processes.

• Commitment to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming work environment.

• Ability to learn HR policies, employment procedures, and payroll processes.

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it's ok if you don't.

• Bachelor's degree.

• Experience working in higher education.

• Experience with Cornell University HR policies, practices, and procedures.

• Familiarity with Workday and other Cornell administrative systems.

• Experience supporting payroll, recruitment, or employment administration functions.

• Knowledge of student employment or graduate student employment processes.

• Experience generating reports and using HR data to support operational decisions.

• Demonstrated ability to identify and implement process improvements.

Rewards and Benefits

Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability.

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.

• Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell

• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell

• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

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