Our Ability Jobs

Employer Name: Columbia University

Job Type: Officer of Administration Regular/Temporary: Regular Hours Per Week: 35 Salary Range: $90,000 to $100,000 The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Position Summary Reporting to the Managing Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3), the Finance Manager is responsible for managing the day-to-day financial transactions and the Center?s accounting operations in The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). The Manager administers the $3.5-6M annual Center budget, implements and enforces internal controls, provides reporting and analyses on financial activities, budget projections, and burn rate, and collaborates closely with internal financial offices of SEAS, Columbia University, and partner institutions. The Manager will also work closely with the Managing Director to oversee related budget transfers and salary distribution requests. As a member of a collaborative staff for the Center, this person contributes to event planning and implementation. Responsibilities (40%) Budget Administration, Financial Controls, and Reporting: Budget Administration and Reconciliation. Under the direction of the Managing Director, actively administers the Center?s administrative operating budget. Performs monthly reconciliation of Center accounts, actively monitors Center expenditures to prevent overdrafts, and provides projections to the Center. Investigates and resolves variances and recommends budget modifications to adjust levels of spending. Works with Central University offices on setting up activities, scopes on the grant, and any budget modifications. Collaborating with the Managing Director, the incumbent will be responsible for entering and updating the annual budget for the Center in the budget tool. This includes developing and loading revised financial projections for the annual budget as well as multi-year future forecasts. Internal Controls. Assists in developing, and is responsible for implementing and enforcing, the Center?s financial transaction- and accounting-related standard operating procedures (SOPs). Monitors the Center?s financial activity to ensure compliance with departmental, SEAS, and University policies and procedures. Coordinates with SEAS Finance, CU Internal Audit, SPA/SPF, and other internal stakeholders, including sub-awardees, to comply with any audit requirements. Closing and Reporting. Provides data analysis and reporting and works in close collaboration with the SEAS Finance team and partner institutions to complete all year-end transactions for the Center. Prepares monthly budget projections and burn rate, and provides budget reports for the Center?s annual report, as well as post-award reporting to the NSF. Collaboration. Serves as a liaison with A/P, Procurement, the Dean?s Office, Sponsored Projects Finance, and other internal CU stakeholders on financial and operational matters. In addition, serves as a liaison with external partners and their financial professionals on financial and operational matters, which are funded through subawards. Monitors and processes subaward to partner institutions. Annual Reviews. Assist the Managing Director in annual compliance reviews of CS3 activities. (25%) Daily Financial Operations, Payroll Accounting, and HR Support: Hands-on Leadership. Demonstrates day-to-day leadership and guidance to staff by proactively managing and providing clear, timely and University-compliant solutions on a wide range of financial and other administrative matters. Initiation of Financial Transactions. Initiates all Center financial transactions including but not limited to Travel and Business Expense Reimbursements (TBERs), purchase orders (PO), and processing invoices, creating vendor profiles when applicable. Reviews and reconciles all Pcard transactions associated with the Center, as applicable. Processes any receipt of funds associated with Center activities and ensures funds are recorded on the appropriate projects. Creates projects and chartfields as needed to help manager the center budget. Initiation of Payroll Accounting Transactions. Initiates or reviews cost transfers and prepares salary distribution requests (SDRs) to ensure proper allocation of expenditures within the Center, and departmental and Dean?s Office accounts. Manages the Center?s casual and work-study payroll. Oversees the bi-weekly and semi-monthly payroll for casual employees or student officers associated with the center operations (verification /reconciliation of time work, timesheet approval, liaising with SEAS central HR to resolve any payroll issues). Journal Entries. Initiates / reviews journal entries and internal costs, and oversees the allocation of expenses and recoveries. Support the hiring and appointment functions of the Center. This includes understanding the various appointment and hiring processes, advising Center faculty on these processes, and working with them to procure relevant paperwork for hires. Initiates various hiring and appointment transactions in PAC. Development and Documentation of SOPs. Works with staff to document workplace procedures and processes and to optimize efficiency through standardization. (20%) Awards Proposal and Grants Management: Researches, identifies, and tracks additional grant funding and business development opportunities to further sustain and broaden CS3 activities. Drafts letters of interest, grant proposals supporting budgets, and budget justifications in coordination with CS3 PIs and the Managing Director. Helps coordinate grant proposal submission, including but not limited to organizing materials, in coordination with CS3 PIs and the Managing Director. Maintains a master calendar of grants and prospects, all associated files and correspondence, and a library of grant support documents (e.g., resumes, CVs, bios, forms, etc.). (10%) Event planning support. Assist with knowledge transfer, Diversity and Culture of Inclusion (DCI) and educational events organization and event support. Service Tickets. As needed, initiates service tickets and works with SEAS Facilities and CU Facilities to follow-up on facilities-related needs within the Center. (5%)Related duties and projects as assigned. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor?s Degree required. 4-6 years of hands-on experience in financial administration and management. Experience in fundraising, business development, or grant writing. Experience with running a financial report for project reconciliation and budgeting. Ability to quickly learn detailed knowledge of university and NSF policies, procedures, and systems. Excellent interpersonal, organizational, communication, and leadership skills. Demonstrated ability to establish and adjust priorities, work under pressure, and exercise independent judgment and discretion. Ability to react quickly and accurately to inquiries from a variety of management levels. Commitment to CS3?s diversity and culture of inclusion (DCI) mission. Strong proficiency with MS Office and Google Workspace (Drive, Sheets, Docs, Forms, Slides, Calendar, etc.). Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.