Finance Operations Specialist

Job Title

Key Responsibilities

Manual Accounts Payable & Expenses

• Invoice Processing: Manually intake, verify, and track all vendor invoices in a master spreadsheet.
• Reimbursements: Process researcher travel and expense reports, ensuring all "out-of-pocket" spends are documented and repaid via payroll.
• Vendor Setup: Maintain a "Vendor Master File" with W-9s and banking instructions to ensure we pay the right people.

Budgeting & Financial Reporting

• Variance Analysis: Maintain and update monthly financial spreadsheets comparing Planned Spend vs. Actual Spend to flag variances.
• Runway Forecasting: Calculate and provide a vital monthly Cash Runway Report to ensure leadership has clear visibility into cash flow.
• Data Integrity: Serve as the primary focal point for all financial data entry, ensuring clean, audit-ready records.

Accounts Payable (AP) & Expense Management

• Manual Invoice Processing: Manually intake, verify, and track all incoming vendor invoices within a master spreadsheet to ensure accuracy before payment.
• Vendor Setup & Compliance: Maintain a comprehensive "Vendor Master File," collecting and organizing W-9s and banking/wire instructions.
• Reimbursements & Travel: Process researcher travel and out-of-pocket expense reports, ensuring full documentation and compliance before coordinating repayment via payroll.

Banking & Treasury Setup (Ground Zero)

• Account Establishment: Research business banking options (e.g., Mercury, Brex, or traditional banks) and coordinate the paperwork (EIN, Articles of Incorporation) to open accounts.
• Card Administration: Issue and monitor lab credit cards, setting manual spending limits and chasing down receipts for every transaction.
• Cash Control: Actively reconcile petty cash and ensure rigorous oversight of all physical and digital funds.

Contract & Document Management

• Contract Repository: Build and maintain an organized digital repository of all vendor contracts, agreements, and financial commitments.

Academic Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in accounting, Finance, or a related field (or equivalent hands-on experience).
• Experience: 2–4 years of experience in accounting, bookkeeping, or finance operations (experience in a startup or research lab environment is a major plus).
• Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in MS Excel / Google Sheets. Familiarity with modern banking platforms (Brex, Mercury) and payroll/accounting software is preferred.
• Attributes: Extreme attention to detail, a high degree of integrity when handling confidential financial data, and the ability to thrive in an environment requiring manual process setup.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 2- 3 years of experience in an office and administrative role.
• Proven experience with basic accounting tasks, invoicing, and expense management.

$70,000 - $110,000 a year