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 and/or decisions. Applies industry and professional standards, university policy and procedure, federal and state laws and other regulations. Provides administrative and/or clerical support. Working Conditions: Needs to be able to lift boxes up to 30 lbs. and push boxes on a dolly or cart. May be called upon to work limited evening and weekend hours.
Specific Responsibilities:
Areas of responsibility
Accounting policy & procedure
Accounts payable
Analysis
Procurement card program
Purchase orders
Budget
Reconciliation
Chart and/or account coding
Expense reimbursement
Financial statements
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.
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, and/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May analyze open encumbrances that are no longer valid & recommend appropriate modifications to ensure smooth processing of financial transactions.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.
Procard approver for team
Point of contact for team travel and expense reimbursements
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.
Provides financial policy interpretation to determine the validity of customer requests & ensure compliance.
Contacts outside agencies, banks and/or banking systems to obtain clarification of rules and/or regulations.
Enters information into database.
Administration
Provides excellent customer service, over the phone and in person answering standard questions regarding status of requests, policies and procedures for processing transactions, and/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 and/or clerical activities such as organizing meetings; reserving AV equipment.
Training
Assists with training of new staff members
Creates & provides financial training on practice, procedure, policy and/or laws & regulations to customers.
Performs other duties as assigned
Miscellaneous
Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
High school diploma or the equivalent.
3 years accounting and/or bookkeeping experience or the equivalent combination of education & experience.
Minimum Competencies:
Excellent computer skills including proficiency in the use of spreadsheet, database and word processing software.
Familiarity with financial reporting.
Preferred Qualifications:
Accounting education
Experience with higher education financials
Accounts payable experience
Preferred Competencies:
Strong attention to detail and accuracy
Experience analyzing financial data to support data-driven decision making
Intermediate Access skills
Strong communication skills
Ability to work positively with peers, vendors and other internal and external constituencies
Ability to work independently
As per Northwestern University policy, this position requires a criminal background check. Successful applicants will need to submit to a criminal background check prior to employment.
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. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.
Internal Number: 33236
About Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a major private research university with 12 academic divisions located on three campuses in Evanston, Chicago, and Education City in Doha, Qatar. We have approximately 2,500 full-time faculty members, 17,000 graduate and undergraduate students, and over 5,700 full and part-time staff. Northwestern University combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment. It provides students and faculty exceptional opportunities for intellectual, personal and professional growth.
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