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Senior Academic Payroll Analyst

UCLA
Los Angeles, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 1/12/2026 CLOSED ON 2/10/2026

What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Academic Payroll Analyst position at UCLA?

Department Summary

UCLA Life Sciences Division is one of the largest and most dynamic academic divisions on campus, comprising seven academic departments, seven interdepartmental degree programs, three institutes, and nine research centers dedicated to advancing knowledge of living systems. With more than 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students, nearly 380 faculty, over 250 teaching assistants, and 40 lecturers, the division fosters a vibrant academic and research community. Supported by hundreds of millions of dollars in annual research funding, UCLA Life Sciences drives scientific discovery and innovation that address some of the world’s most pressing biological and environmental challenges.

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Executive Director of Research Administration (EDRA), the Senior Academic Payroll Analyst independently manages all personnel and payroll actions for faculty and other academics across the biology units within the Division of Life Sciences, which includes seven departments, seven interdepartmental degree programs, three institutes, and nine centers. The role involves analyzing transactions, prioritizing workload, and ensuring accurate processing using systems such as UCPath, CDW, QDB, and OPUS. The position is based in the Life Sciences Dean’s Office. Key responsibilities include: coordinating payroll and personnel actions; maintaining electronic personnel records; tracking sabbatical accruals and histories; managing leaves of absence; processing special compensation actions (e.g., NSP, summer ninths, summer sessions); submitting funding entries and direct retros; resolving payroll and benefits issues; and serving as the departmental subject matter expert for UCPath and Tracker I-9 administration. The analyst ensures compliance with university and school academic policies and completes special projects as assigned. The Senior Academic Payroll Analyst also serves as a liaison to central academic and administrative units, including the College Dean's Office, Academic Personnel Office, Academic Planning and Budget, CRU, UCPath, Campus HR, and the Dashew Center, to coordinate personnel and payroll actions. The role involves tracking faculty sabbatical credits, leaves, fellowships, academic commitments, and outside activities; interpreting academic personnel policies; and advising Department Chairs, Interdepartmental Program and Center Directors, faculty, CAOs, and departmental academic personnel analysts on proper implementation. Additionally, the analyst provides analytical support to department leadership, preparing reports and data to inform strategic decision-making related to academic personnel policies and procedures.

Salary & Compensation

  • UCLA provides a full pay range. Actual salary offers consider factors, including budget, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business considerations. Salary offers at the top of the range are not common. Visit UC Benefit package to discover benefits that start on day one, and UC Total Compensation Estimator to calculate the total compensation value with benefits.

Qualifications

  • 4-6 years Working in an administrative department with Academic personnel and payroll responsibilities within the University. (Required) And
  • Advanced knowledge of University Academic Personnel and Payroll policies, procedures, and organizational structure. Demonstrated working knowledge of the academic personnel process related to faculty appointments, promotions, advancements, and reviews. (Required)
  • Detailed working knowledge of on-line personnel and payroll system and personnel forms; University on-line Payroll system; ability to process on-line entries and forms required to accomplish various academic personnel transactions. (Required)
  • Detail working knowledge of University of California academic personnel policies and procedures contained in the UCLA CALL and Academic Personnel Manual (APM). Working knowledge of University of California hiring and payroll procedures for faculty. (Preferred)
  • Demonstrated working knowledge of, and proficiency in using UCPath, QDB, OPUS, Academic UC Recruit, Interfolio, Tracker I-9 and other campus personnel and fiscal tools. (Preferred)
  • Ability to analyze task requirements and to coordinate and manage a number of projects simultaneously and to prioritize work in order to meet deadlines. Analytical ability to resolve conflict and implement new procedures for department chairs, vice chairs, and CAOs. (Required)
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently, accepting challenging circumstances and taking initiative to solve problems where solutions are not always readily apparent. (Required)
  • Advance organizational skills to maintain materials and information in a systematic way. Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and acute attention to detail. (Required)
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently, accepting challenging circumstances and taking initiative to solve problems where solutions are not always readily apparent. (Required)
  • Working knowledge of University health plans, FML, Leave of Absence, retirement plans, and other employee benefits. (Required)
  • Advanced mathematical and quantitative skills to calculate salaries, payroll documents, formulas, expense transfers, leave accruals, payroll changes, and the creation of financial analysis. Intermediate to advanced excel skills (Required)
  • Superior writing and editing skills sufficient to compose and edit correspondence and emails that are professional, clear, concise, and grammatically correct. Ability to make oral, group, and one-on-one presentations to provide information, explain policies and procedures, and answer questions. (Required)
  • Ability to prioritize and adjust a heavy workload to meet deadlines. Demonstrate the ability to determine the relative importance of job responsibilities to meet these deadlines. (Required)

Education, Licenses, Certifications & Personal Affiliations

  • Bachelor's Degree in a related field and/or equivalent experience/training. (Required)

Special Conditions for Employment

  • Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation.
  • Live Scan Background Check: A Live Scan background check must be completed prior to the start of employment.

Schedule

8am to 5pm

Union/Policy Covered

99-Policy Covered

Complete Position Description

https://universityofcalifornia.marketpayjobs.com/ShowJob.aspx?EntityID=38&JDName=Academic Human Resources Analyst 3 (TBD_189888)

Salary : $78,500 - $163,600

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