Financial Administrator

Financial Administrator

The Office of Fellowships collaborates with faculty, staff, and senior administration to support Northwestern students and alums from all twelve schools as they develop the skills and relationships to confidently seek, secure, and benefit from fellowship opportunities beyond Northwestern. The Financial Administrator (FA) ensures the accurate and efficient accounting, reporting, and dispersal of funds from grants, endowments, and encumbrance to alums, staff, students, and faculty. The FA's tasks range from liaising with sponsored research and external granting bodies for annual reporting requirements to arranging travel and reimbursements for alums, students, and staff. The office uses multiple systems to track our meetings with undergraduates, graduate students, and alums. Expertise collecting, entering, and analyzing confidential data across multiple sources is required for the financial and advising operations of the office. Finally, the FA is a front office role, which requires someone equally comfortable engaging foundation representatives, faculty, and students. Multitasking across systems, populations, and activities is essential to the FA's success.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Budget: Participates in determination of budget including fiscal resource allocation of appropriated, discretionary, endowment &/or gift revenues. Prepares analysis & reports. Provides account research. Assists with budget projects. Updates budget estimates & provides commitment tracking support for all financial activity. Ensures lead schedules are prepared. Guides units of responsibility through university budgeting and forecasting processes, reviews budget and forecasting submissions. Acts a Budget Office expert on units and functions within portfolio of responsibilities. Coordinates &/or provides information for the annual salary review process. Reviews & reconciles actual expenses to budget per NU Audit guidelines. Approves funds reallocation within budget as necessary & appropriate.
• Analysis, Statements & Reporting: Creates daily, monthly, annual, &/or project end analysis & reports regarding area/unit, grants &/or awards, accounts, funds, payroll, expense &/or revenue allocation, customer service activity, etc. Prepares financial analysis and lead schedules for supplies, equipment, &/or personnel decisions. Records journal entries and creates reports. Performs financial account reconciliations, statement analysis, and transaction research. Provides support for annual audit workpapers and quarterly financial statement workpapers. Maintains, and updates financial models and analysis.
• Transactions: Provides review and oversight of all types of financial transactions some of which may be complex in regard to size or duration of account. Enters individual &/or summary of transactions into journals &/or general ledger or other NU enterprise system. Reviews; ensures approval based on alternatives regarding practice & policy; analyzes and classifies transactions in accordance with established chart or coding of accounts; creates new accounts; prepares, processes, reconciles & provides receipts (as appropriate) for transactions. Processes transfer &/or appropriation charges & may balance &/or close accounts. Troubleshoots problems; performs vendor/account research as needed; obtains additional information from or provides instruction & guidance for customers/vendors; corrects or escalates. Maintains Chart of Account lists. Prepares & delivers bank deposits 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. Controls account availability for all chart strings. Provides support for internal &/or granting agency audit requests. Reviews status of related university accounts, transactions and processes; troubleshoots issues as needed.
• Grants &/or Awards: Reviews PI funding status on a monthly basis. Works with Dept &/or Research Administrator regarding financial grants management issues. Provides data for grant proposals; submits proposals Develops &/or administers budgets; coordinates IRB/IACUC, OSR/ASRSP transactions, &/or effort reporting. Interacts with faculty, staff &/or funders to build relationships, transfer knowledge, &/or advise on research policies & procedures. Monitors commitments and expenditures to ensure compliance with granting agency guidelines. Verifies accurate set up of sponsored project accounts.
• Administration: Processes & presents data & information through the application of database, graphic & spreadsheet software. Obtains data by downloading from enterprise systems; develops and runs queries. Identifies sources for data & information to be used & completes special financial projects such as (enter in explanation of special projects): Performs general office support activities Manages operation of or interaction with a computer system or system processes that support the area or program. Ensures that area service level goals are met.
• Training: Provides training and support to related university units or program participants; maintains website and training materials
• Supervision: Supervises temporary, part-time or work study students Provides work direction to others Supervises other employees Assists with hiring employees Miscellaneous Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances) Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as accounting, business administration, finance, or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience. 2 years financial, budgeting &/or preparing account reconciliations or financial statements along with financial analysis or other relevant experience.