Financial Administrator

Department: Innovation and New Ventures Salary/Grade: EXS/6 Job Summary: Innovations and New Venture Office is responsible for managing the university's intellectual property portfolio. 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.

Please Note: Supervisor provides objectives & deadlines. Work is reviewed for fulfillment of objective & deadlines & overall compliance with policy & procedures. EE completes some activities without direction, informing supervisor only of potentially controversial matters, &/or far-reaching implications.

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. 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.

Miscellaneous Performs other duties as assigned. Minimum Qualifications: 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.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.) Excellent computer skills including proficiency in the use of spreadsheet, database and word processing software, with through knowledge of Excel. Understanding financial reporting. Must have demonstrated strong analytical skills and attention to detail.

Must have demonstrated the ability to work with people at different levels of knowledge, training and abilities. Experience using an enterprise financial system (PS, SAP, Oracle or similar). Must be self-directed and able to work in a team-based environment.

Must have demonstrated the ability to identify issues, analyze problems, and recommend solution, under minimal supervision. Target hiring range for this position will be between $60,000-$75,000 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, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more!

Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html 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 https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html 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 https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more. Northwestern strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for people who can obtain them as a critical tool for minimizing severe illness. More information can be found on the COVID-19 and Campus Updates webpage.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today. Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law. #LI-EN1