Finance Manager

Finance Manager

The Finance Manager, reporting to the Associate Director of Finance, leads the Procurement Team and oversees all procurement, purchasing, accounts payable, and reimbursement activities for the department. This role ensures efficient coordination of equipment purchases, maintenance contracts, supplies, and inventory to support operational goals. The incumbent manages Procurement Coordinators and a Financial Analyst, working closely with internal stakeholders and suppliers to ensure timely delivery, cost-effective sourcing, strong cash management, and high customer satisfaction. In addition to leading procurement operations, the Finance Manager is responsible for financial management of assigned non-salary operating activities, including but not limited to budget monitoring, forecasting, financial analysis, expense controls, capital expenditures, and financial close activities.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Oversees departmental procurement activities, including routine and strategic purchases, contract and blanket purchase orders, capital equipment, supplies, and service agreements. Ensures purchasing activities are completed timely, cost-effectively, and in accordance with University and departmental policy.
• Oversees sourcing and purchasing documentation, including quotes, sole-source justification, and other required documentation for contracts, equipment, and supplies.
• Partners with departmental faculty and staff to understand operational needs, resolve purchasing and contract issues, and support effective procurement planning. Manages capital purchasing and evaluates sourcing opportunities to promote standardization, cost effectiveness, and appropriate use of departmental resources.
• Strategically manages sourcing and supply chain issues to ensure sufficient stock of high-priority supplies to ensure continuity of operations.
• Performs other strategic sourcing of high-priority or scare supplies and equipment to ensure department goals are met.

Pcard Maintenance & Oversight

• Oversees the department's Pcard and Corporate Card programs, including cardholder administration, appropriate access and spending limits, and monthly close activities. Manages paycard programs for human subjects.
• Reviews and audits card activity to ensure appropriate documentation, business purpose, and compliance with University and departmental policies. Provides guidance and training to card holders on departmental regulations and policies and manages resolution of compliance issues and infractions.

Reimbursement Activity

• Oversees the departmental reimbursement process, serving as first-level financial approver and ensuring transactions are accurate, appropriately documented, properly allocated, and compliance with University policy and departmental policy.
• Provides guidance and training to departmental users regarding Concur and University travel and expense policies and resolves escalated reimbursement issues.

Financial Management, Budgeting and Reporting

• Manages and monitors assigned departmental non-salary operating budgets, including supplies, equipment, service contracts, maintenance agreements, and other operating expenses.
• Performs budget-to-actual analysis of non-salary expenses identifying significant variances and works with departmental leadership to identify root causes and corrective actions as needed.
• Develops and maintains forecasts for non-salary operating expenses, purchasing commitments, capital expenditures, and other assigned financial activities.
• Establishes and maintains financial controls surrounding purchasing, Pcards, reimbursements, accounts payable activity, and other non-salary expenditures to ensure appropriate authorization, documentation, and compliance with University and departmental policies.
• Coordinates monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial close activities for assigned non-salary operations including accruals, open commitments, journal entries, and expense corrections.
• Supports departmental leadership in annual budget development and long-range financial planning for non-salary operating and capital expenditures.
• Supports internal and external financial reviews and audits related to procurement, accounts payable, Pcards, reimbursements, capital expenditures, and other assigned activities.

Staff Management

• Supervise procurement team and manages performance.
• Establishes performance expectations and metrics for the procurement team to promote accountability, productivity, and continuous improvement.
• Coaches, teaches, and mentors procurement team to achieve individual professional goals.

Other

• Researches and communicates product information; assists establishing programs and techniques and presents savings opportunities.
• Develops and sustains a purchasing training program for newly onboarded faculty and staff within the department.
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge on institutional and departmental policies, methods and procedures.
• Maintains a function awareness of all financial activities throughout the department and provides support to other Finance Managers within the department as needed.
• Partners with Central Offices including Pcard Administration, Accounts Payable, Controller, etc., to support new vendor onboarding, contract routing, transaction processing, compliance, and financial reviews with assigned areas of responsibility.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience, with a minimum of four years of progressively responsible procurement and/or financial management experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

Other Requirements

• Demonstrated knowledge of procurement, accounts payable, and expense management.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret financial data, identify trends and variances, and communicate findings to department leadership.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet critical deadlines.
• Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, judgement, and problem-solving ability.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.