Financial Assistant

• Job Type: Support Staff - Union
• Bargaining Unit: Local 2110
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: $57,947 - $59,000

Position Summary

Reporting directly to the Business Manager, the Financial Assistant is responsible for providing day-to-day financial support for the Department of Economics. The Financial Assistant supports the business manager in processing financial transactions, appointing and approving time for department casual and work-study employees, and tracking program budgets.

The Department of Economics at Columbia University is globally recognized as a leading institution for studying, researching, and teaching economics, with renowned faculty specializing in diverse fields such as Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Development Economics, Econometrics, Finance, Health and Education, Political Economy, and more. It offers a general economics major and five interdisciplinary majors tailored to its students' diverse interests and professional goals. All undergraduate programs share a foundation of core theoretical courses leading to advanced electives and a senior seminar. At the same time, graduate students benefit from exceptional research training guided by faculty, leaders in their respective fields.

Responsibilities

• Work with university systems, including ARC and other internal systems, and review, analyze, and process invoices from internal vendors and external suppliers. Process check requests and online travel expense reports for department faculty. Onboard and manage independent contractors.
• Serve as the cardholder for a departmental purchasing card and reconcile several other departmental purchasing cards monthly to ensure accurate distribution of costs.
• Track main office and departmental workshop and colloquium expenses; provide financial support for the undergraduate, MA, and PhD programs.
• Serve as the point person for inquiries from faculty and students and convey routine and complex information regarding University and Arts & Sciences financial programs, procedures, and regulations.
• Reconcile vendor payments, check for duplicate payments, review processed invoices to validate account distribution, etc., and conduct other analyses and reconciliations as directed.
• Resolve processing issues with vendors, managers, and central procurement.
• Work with the Business manager to ensure compliance with federal, University, A&S, and departmental regulations.
• Assist the Business Manager with monthly account reconciliation, monitor faculty research accounts and other departmental accounts to avoid overspending, and produce financial reports and budgets for the Chair, Vice Chair, and Director for Academic Administration and Finance as needed. Prepares and maintains spreadsheets to assist with variance reporting and resource allocation and assist with fiscal year closing.
• Manage hiring and payroll processing for student employees in the Economics Department. Recruit, onboard, and oversee the work of student casuals and work-study students assigned to support departmental business transactions.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent and three years of related experience.

Other Requirements

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to maintain high confidentiality and professionalism with a client focus.
• Strong multi-tasking, prioritization, and organization skills.
• Attention to detail, research, critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Self-starter, a fast learner who can work independently under limited supervision.
• Work well in an interactive team environment.
• Working knowledge of PeopleSoft or similar enterprise HRIS, Microsoft Office, and relational databases.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.