The People & Culture department is dedicated to making the Thunder an extraordinary place to work and, as Director, you will be involved in the processes that support our employees every day. Responsibilities will include overseeing payroll, benefits and perks, professional development, intern and work study programs, recruiting and onboarding and much more. Top skills include excellent listening and communication skills, a sense of calm under pressure, creativity, critical thinking and a talent for connecting people and fostering collaboration. This position requires an advanced HR professional with highly developed employee relations skills as well as a deep working knowledge of payroll functions – a heart for people and a head for numbers.

In this role you will supervise full-time HR, benefits, recruiting and payroll staff, helping to develop their strengths and cross-train for career development, engagement and department stability. As a director, you will serve as a member of the Leadership Council, collaborating on projects and sharing strategies to find common ground to support our overall business goals.

Payroll and Compliance:

• Oversee the accuracy for $100+ million, multi-jurisdictional payroll
• Review and track player and other employment contracts to ensure accuracy and timing of payments, bonuses, titles or other outlined changes
• Responsible for quarterly and annual legal compliance filings such as EEO-1 as well as semi-monthly filing and reporting on 401(k) and league-specific retirement plans
• Oversee the accuracy of traveling party duty days and out-of-state wage allocations semi-monthly
• Stay up-to-date on legal compliance, employment trends and HR and payroll technologies
• Help create and present the annual department business plan and budget

Employee Relations:

• Support supervisors with employee relations conversations which may involve performance improvement plans, training for employee or supervisor, and potential separation steps
• Collaborate with the VP, People & Culture to redesign and maintain a robust performance review process
• Coach employees at all levels, C-suite to entry level, throughout their time with the organization
• Conduct investigations as needed, working with legal council when appropriate
• Respond to employee inquiries on payroll and benefits questions, legal compliance, policies and procedures and assist with updating policies and procedures as needed

Recruiting and Onboarding:

• Participate in the recruiting process which may include attending and representing the organization at recruiting events, interviewing candidates, reviewing job descriptions, etc.
• Guide managers through onboarding and offboarding processes and ensure consistency with traditions
• Manage the employee orientation for full-time employees and continually refine and update content
• Communicate onboarding process steps with all full-time new hires and meet with each to discuss benefits and other onboarding details
• Work with basketball operations staff and player representatives to collect player payroll and benefits enrollments, forms and documents

Benefits:

• Provide information and reporting to auditors for annual audits including but not limited to: 401(k), NBCA 401(k), worker’s compensation and financial year-end
• Monitor flexible spending accounts and conduct annual Section 125 testing
• Communicate with employees and supervisors as needed on FMLA, family leave details and worker’s compensation
• Conduct market surveys and research on various benefits trends

What you’ll bring to the role:

• Minimum 5 years of human resources management experience
• SHRM certification or similar designation strongly perferred
• Certified Payroll Professional designation plus advanced payroll calculation knowledge strongly preferred
• Proficiency using LinkedIn and other social media search and communication platforms
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Word, Outlook and Excel skills that include use of formulas and pivot tables
• Deep understanding of payroll including pre-tax earnings and deductions, taxable fringe benefits and the ability to reconcile 941 and W-2 Box 1
• Extensive experience using HRIS; Paycom experience a plus
• Proven respect for confidentiality and protecting sensitive information
• Experience with interviewing and an understanding of legal compliance including ADA, ADEA and more
• Familiar with avoiding bias in recruiting and hiring and strong focus on all things through an inclusion lens
• Critical thinking skills and ability to apply a common sense filter to double-check data and reports
• Strong communication talents including written communication and listening skills and comfortable speaking with individuals or groups of all demographics or hierarchies
• Leadership experience including the supervision and development of full-time individuals or teams and the ability to present confidently in small or large groups

Additional details:

Work schedule will include Monday-Friday business hours and may include additional weekends or holidays as needed for seasonal activities, audits or deadlines. Driver’s license and insurance required along with reliable transportation as some local or regional travel will be required. May include occasional overnight travel for out-of-state conferences. Primary work location will be the Thunder corporate office located in downtown Oklahoma City at Paycom Center. This is a full-time, exempt position, reporting to the Vice President, People & Culture. Employees are encouraged to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

We offer a positive office environment and a robust benefits package including excellent medical, dental and vision coverage, 401k with matching funds, paid downtown parking, tuition reimbursement, employee ticket options, family gym membership subsidy, parental leave, team shop discount, and more!

We invite you to apply online here.

At the Oklahoma City Thunder and Oklahoma City Blue we value diversity, equity and inclusion, and we know that teams with a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills make a stronger company. As an Equal Opportunity Employer we consider applicants fairly on the basis of qualifications, experience and business needs and provide equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, age, sex, gender identity, religion, disability, ethnicity, national origin, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, or any other legally protected status. We also consider applicants regardless of past legal system involvement, considering the needs of the role, nature of and recency of legal history. We are committed to a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees through our culture of RAVE – Respect and Value Everyone.