Financial Analyst 2

Apply for Job Job ID 54368
Location Evanston, Illinois
Add to Favorite Jobs Email this Job

Department: Facilities Mgmt EV
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Senior Manager of Budget Analysis, this role will support Facilities' mission and values by exhibiting the following: inclusiveness, respect, initiative, collaboration, innovation, and accountability. The incumbent will strive to provide excellent service when performing job responsibilities and will practice safe work procedures, and follow safety rules at all times. This position is critical to the following responsibilities:

• Supports a university accounting-related area or program.
• Manages financial operations &/or analysis in support of area/unit's mission & in coordination with central offices such as HR, Budget, Financial Aid, Facilities, Purchasing, IT, Provost, etc.
• Reviews a portfolio of multiple schools/depts' financial operations comprised of work that involves some complex problems &/or decisions.
  • Performs extensive analysis regarding shared services (i.e. utilities, insurance, inventory control, waste, MRO pricing, billable rate), revenue recognition and resource planning.
  • Initiates and maintains advanced FP&A, KPI, metric modeling, reporting and visualization.
• Implements existing policy & ensures the effective, compliant, & efficient completion of daily financial activities.
  • Performs preventive measure process audits AP processing, distributions, purchasing, inventory control, MRO pricing and material hierarchy.
• Applies industry and professional standards, interprets university policy and procedure, federal and state laws, granting agency guidelines, and other regulations (as applicable).
• Represents &/or guides business area on internal &/or external financial affairs by exchanging information.

Specific Responsibilities:

Budget:

• Participates in determination of budget/forecast 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.

• Reviews & reconciles actual expenses to budget per NU Audit guidelines.

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.
• 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.
• Provides financial policy interpretation to determine the validity of customer requests & ensure compliance.
• Provides support for internal &/or granting agency audit requests.
• Reviews status of related university accounts, transactions and processes; troubleshoots issues as needed.

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):
• 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

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.
• 4 years financial, budgeting &/or preparing account reconciliations or financial statements along with financial analysis or other relevant experience.

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

• Demonstrates an understanding of financial terminology and concepts
• Demonstrates an ability to propose, test, implement and audit process improvements that add to the overall efficiency of the group.
• Demonstrates the ability to analyze large volumes of data.
• Ability to take initiative and work independently on tasks.
• Receptive to feedback, willing to learn, embracing continuous improvement;
• Helpful, respectful, approachable and team-oriented. Ability to build strong working relationships and a positive work environment;
• Seeks to build collaboration by encouraging trust, mutual respect and shared purpose;
• Balances listening and talking, speaks and writes clearly and accurately, keeps others informed;
• Integrates health and safety precautions into daily activities;
• Works effectively in an environment in which the parameters may change daily; adjusts behavior to meet the needs of different people and situations;
• Successfully uses multiple software programs independently. Software includes Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and Outlook, webmail and Peoplesoft;

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Experience in financial modeling, business analysis, FP&A, business integration
• Experience with integrated financial systems
• Experience with data analytics

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• Advanced Tableau experience
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to multi-task and work in a challenging fast paced environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Facilitates open and effective communication, cooperation and teamwork within and outside of one's own team;
• Plans ahead, manages time well and arrives on time;
• Recommends improvements and opportunities to increase efficiency and reduce costs;
• Exceptional customer relationship skills and the ability to establish effective working relationships in a diverse environment;
• Analytical skills including critical thinking, decision-making, troubleshooting, and problem-solving;
• Achieves a standard of excellence with work processes and outcomes, honoring University and Department policies and all regulatory requirements.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $75,000 - $80,000 per year. 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

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 .

#LI-AO1