Director of Finance Operations and Budget Management - Military Veterans

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $115,000 - $135,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Dean of Finance and Operations, the Director provides operational guidance and transactional oversight for the Financial Operations and Budget Management functions of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). The Director manages the annual budget as well as long-term forecast and model; designs and develops ad hoc financial analyses to support goals and objectives.

In this role, the Director will:

• Manage and oversee a well-structured Finance office for GSAS, including budget management, reporting, and day-to-day running of financial operations.
• Provide guidance and direction on complex transactional issues involving the financial operations of their unit.
• Participate and support initiatives to streamline and improve the efficiency of financial management and quarterly closing processes in GSAS.
• Collaborate closely with the Dean of Finance and Operations to make recommendations and effect changes to university financial policies, procedures, and systems, acting as an advocate to make sure that the needs of GSAS are being met.
• Be a key collaborator on university committees and initiatives as directed by the Dean of Finance and Operations.
• Provide guidance and direction to roles supporting financial workflows within GSAS. Works closely with the Dean???s Office to prepare, adjust, and manage the school???s annual budget as well as long-term forecast and model; designs and develops ad hoc financial analyses to support the school???s goals and objectives.

To be successful in this role, the Director should have a track record of effectively applying their expertise in financial and budget transactions, policies and procedures, financial systems and technology, compliance and best practices in financial operations.

Responsibilities

Finance Operations - 40%

• Execute day-to-day management of GSAS financial operation functions, including all matters related to Accounts Payable, Procurement, Vendor Management, and general ledger activities. Ensure the accurate and prompt processing of payments for invoices, reimbursements, and honoraria, as well as the preparation and submission of requisitions, purchase orders, change orders, and service agreements.
• Review and approve financial transactions including invoice payments, requisitions, check requests, purchase orders, service agreements, journal entries, and pcard reconciliations.
• Review and approve staff and student travel and business expense reimbursement requests (Concur) for policy adherence.
• Intercede with Accounts Payable and Procurement on behalf of GSAS vendors; resolve payment and contracting issues.
• Ensure compliance with all University policies and procedures and adherence to all University deadlines.
• Provide financial reporting and analysis, ensuring that the Dean???s Office and GSAS departments receive the data needed for their financial management on a quarterly and year-end basis.
• Escalate complex financial transaction issues to appropriate University financial offices to resolve policy issues as needed.
• Ensure appropriateness and consistency of financial systems security access for all employees in GSAS departments, institutes, and centers.
• Review and ensure consistency for all aspects of the GSAS chart of accounts structure; create chart fields as needed for GSAS departments, ensuring the integrity of all attributes.

Budget Development and Management ??? 40%

• Create, test, and maintain budget and other financial planning models and tools needed to accurately and efficiently forecast and record the annual and long-range GSAS administrative and financial aid forecasts. Prepare quantitative and qualitative analyses to support the budget submission and update processes.
• Enter, analyze, and reconcile approved entries in the University???s budget and payroll tools. Reconcile budgets against actuals, review financial and budgetary reports, and identify key drivers for variance analyses. Prepare detailed narratives about specific areas of variances and describe budget assumptions, actual trends, and variances between fiscal years and budget iterations for senior GSAS and Arts and Sciences administrators as well as central University finance offices.
• Conceptualize the design as well as the implementation of tracking sheets, templates, and process enhancements to improve efficiency and meet reporting needs. Document budget decisions. Work with administrators to improve budget and forecasting accuracy; identify ways to best use resources to support strategic goals; escalate important issues for discussion and decision-making as necessary.
• Prepare, maintain, and disseminate a standardized set of dashboards on revenues and expenses against budget for GSAS department heads and senior management. Generate reports, tables, and graphs from the University's financial data stores and other sources for the purposes of preparing budgets and reconciling actuals against budgets.
• Prepares budget templates for GSAS departments and programs in a timely manner to meet internal GSAS, A&S, and University budget deadlines. Coordinates quarterly meetings with various GSAS stakeholders for budget submission reviews and year-end budget reviews. Ensure annual expense projections for each GSAS program and department are established and approved by the Dean.
• Work closely with the Dean of Finance and Operations to develop assumptions about long-term planning parameters and incorporate those assumptions into financial planning documents.
• Ensure the realization of on-target financial performance through effective budget management and accounting operations.
• Provide successful and on-time month-, quarter-, and year-end closing of the budget in line with the University policies and procedures.

Training and Compliance ??? 15%

• Review all GSAS-funded programs, make recommendations, and implement new programs and policies as needed.
• Ensure appropriate controls and compliance for all financial transactions under their purview.
• Make recommendations for internal control protocols, financial and administrative procedures, and process improvements for GSAS departments.
• Ensure effective communication of existing University financial policies to all GSAS departments, as well as changes to those policies, to make sure that all compliance requirements are being met.
• Work closely with the Dean of Finance and Operations to develop and continuously improve reporting and audit tools used by GSAS. Responsible for meeting all audit requirements and/or reviews for purchasing cards.
• Collaborate with central administrative and academic offices across the University to make sure that the needs of GSAS are addressed and satisfied with respect to the increasing complexity of processes, technologies, and policies.
• Create training materials and improve support. Collaborate with central University financial offices to design training sessions that are specific to the operations of GSAS. Provide one-on-one training to staff as needed.

Other - 5%

• Work with the Dean of Finance and Operations to develop and implement recommendations that enhance and/or streamline financial policies and practices with GSAS and that are consistent with University guidelines for financial activities.
• Supervise the Financial Operations Specialist.
• Perform related duties as required or requested.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• A minimum of 5 years of related experience in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field.
• Expertise in financial management principles and practices. Demonstrate a high level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results orientation.
• Capacity to work with a high degree of independence and successfully within a deadline-driven, multi-tasking environment. Ability to handle multiple projects at high levels of complexity and demonstrate sound judgment in managing time, prioritizing, and decision-making. Ability to mentor others in time management and prioritization.
• Strong critical thinking and analytical skills, and ability to mentor others in these skills.
• Advanced Excel skills, including proficiency with the creation and use of complex pivot tables, lookup functions, and other features for formatting, manipulating, and analyzing data. Ability to leverage and analyze data to contribute to team initiatives and projects. Ability and willingness to learn new systems and programs.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to communicate clearly and accurately with a range of constituencies, including administrators, school leadership, and students. Ability to communicate effectively on a technical level with personnel in central offices and department leads.
• Strong interpersonal and emotional intelligence skills focused on establishing and maintaining productive relationships with faculty, peers, leadership, and other stakeholders. Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and tact, as well as maintain confidentiality when dealing with sensitive and confidential matters.
• This role will supervise direct reports and provide direction to financial staff throughout the organization. Candidate must demonstrate the ability to manage and address the development needs of team members. Foster a collaborative and supportive team environment.
• Ability to adapt to meet the needs of GSAS, manage challenging situations, and mentor others in fiscal and operational management.
• Candidate must be well-organized and be able to manage a demanding, varied workload. Ability to manage multiple concurrent assignments, set and meet deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field such as higher education administration, financial or business administration preferred.
• Experience working with senior-ranking members of a management team is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated growth in progressively responsible financial leadership roles.
• Knowledge of Columbia University's financial systems.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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