Details
Posted: 08-Jun-22
Location: Evanston, Illinois
Salary: Open
Department: MED-NU-CATS Institute
Salary/Grade: NEX/11
Job Summary:
The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute is part of the Feinberg School of Medicine. NUCATS’ mission is to accelerate innovative and inclusive clinical research discoveries to improve human health for all, and for all communities. Our dynamic team is composed of faculty and staff colleagues with expertise in a wide variety of domains, including: clinical research infrastructure (e.g., regulatory, budget/finance), bioinformatics & data science, biostatistics, community-engaged research, education & career development, team science, etc.
This position – Financial Assistant – is part of the NUCATS Institute’s administrative team. This essential role:
- 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.
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- May analyze open encumbrances that are no longer valid & recommend appropriate modifications to ensure smooth processing of financial transactions.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.
- Troubleshoots problems.
- Performs vendor/account research as needed.
- Obtains additional information from or provides instruction & guidance for customers/vendors; corrects or escalates as needed.
- Provides financial policy interpretation to determine the validity of customer requests & ensures 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, virtually 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
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
- High school diploma or the equivalent.
- 3 years accounting &/or bookkeeping experience or the equivalent combination of education & 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 Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)
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 requires all staff and faculty to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to limited exceptions. For more information, please visit our COVID-19 and Campus Updates website.
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.
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