Financial Assistant - Hybrid Schedule

Apply for Job Job ID 53815
Location Chicago, Illinois
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Department: MED-Basic Science Admin
Salary/Grade: NEX/11

Target hiring range for this position will be between $19.89-$24.86 per hour. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Job Summary:

The Basic Science Administration (BSA) group supports the basic science academic departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Cell and Developmental Biology, Microbiology-Immunology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience; as well as the Center for Genetic Medicine, Center for Pharmacogenomics and the Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics. The Financial Assistant is a part of the Professional Affairs payroll team, responsible for processing all payroll deployment and journal corrections for all BSA's constituent faculty, staff and students, working closely with the Research Administration and Financial Administration teams.

• Provides day-to-day financial & accounting support using an advanced knowledge of applicable skills, methods & practices & some innovation, analysis, & reasoning to choose appropriate alternatives from among pre-defined policies & procedures to complete work that includes successive steps & involves some non-routine problems &/or decisions.
• Applies industry and professional standards, university policy and procedure, federal and state laws and other regulations.
• Provides administrative &/or clerical support.

Specific Responsibilities :

Budget:

• Maintains & tracks individual budget accounts.
• Coordinates annual budget process including tasks associated with the open/close processes.
• Updates calendar, spreadsheets, templates & forms; monitors submissions.
• Completes reconciliation procedures.
• Creates summary reports.
• Coordinates &/or provides information for annual salary review process.

Analysis, Statements & Reporting:

• Prepares account, budget, cost, expenditure &/or funds analysis.
• Provides reports to managers/PIs in tracking payment status & notification when balances & activities do not comply with policy, procedures or are inadequately prepared.
• Creates reports & queries; reviews for incomplete records, data entry errors, &/or accounting mistakes.
• May analyze open encumbrances that are no longer valid & recommend appropriate modifications to ensure smooth processing of financial transactions.

Transactions:

• Completes & maintains transactions in enterprise systems.
• Provides review and oversight of all types of financial transactions some of which may be complex in regard to size or duration of account.
• Reviews; ensures approval based on alternatives regarding practice & policy.
• Troubleshoots problems.
• Performs vendor/account research as needed.
• Obtains additional information from or provides instruction & guidance for customers/vendors; corrects or escalates.
• Accesses multiple banking systems to process transactions, retrieve information, &/or initiate wire transfers.
• Provides financial policy interpretation to determine the validity of customer requests & ensure compliance.
• Contacts outside agencies, banks &/or banking systems to obtain clarification of rules &/or regulations.
• Enters information into database.

Grants &/or Awards:

• Provides assistance regarding grant financial administration such as preparing financial information for grant submission.
• Completes post award accounting.
• Sets-up sub-contracts &/or start-up research accounts.
• Modifies grant budgets.
• Closes grants.
• Approves expenditures on travel, consulting &/or equipment, along with various forms, such as Intra Institutional Vouchers, Requests for Accounting Corrections, the Research Assistant and Scholarship Appointments, &/or payroll adjustments, in accordance with granting agency guidelines & University policies & procedures.
• Processes subcontract payments according to rules & regulations of granting agencies.
• Reconciles subcontract payments.
• Verifies payroll funding entries.
• Corrects charges to various accounts.

Administration:

• Provides excellent customer service, over the phone and in person answering standard questions regarding status of requests, policies and procedures for processing transactions, &/or instructions for completing paperwork.
• Instructs & advises regarding options and appropriate courses of action & follows-up inquiries to ensure customer satisfaction.
• Provides administrative support in regard to HR matters such as hiring, onboarding, benefits, compensation, etc.
• Completes other administrative &/or clerical activities such as organizing meetings; reserving AV equipment.
• Coordinates office, lab &/or building repairs & maintenance.
• Maintains inventory.

Training:

• Assists with training of new staff members
• Creates & provides financial training on practice, procedure, policy &/or laws & regulations to customers.

Supervision:

• Supervises or leads temporary, part-time or work study students.
• Provides guidance to junior employees.

Miscellaneous

Performed other duties

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• High school diploma or the equivalent.
• 3 years accounting &/or bookkeeping or other relevant experience.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Excellent computer skills including proficiency in the use of spreadsheet, database and word processing software.
• Familiarity with financial reporting.

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Prior experience working with sponsored research grant accounting
• Experience working on high-paced, high-volume transaction organizations or front-line customer service center
• Advanced Microsoft Excel Skills

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Excellent computer skills including proficiency in the use of Microsoft Excel, Access and Word software.
• Familiarity with financial reporting.
• Must have excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Ability to work effectively in an environment in which the parameters may change daily and to adjust behavior to meet the needs of different people and situations.
• Ability and willingness to explore alternatives solutions and identify opportunities to improve procedures and practices while remaining compliant to governing policies.
• Display professional attitude; act diplomatically and handle challenging situations in a tactful and responsive manner.

Benefits:

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at to learn more .

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement . Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process .

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