Financial Assistant

Department: MCC Ind/EnggMgmt Sci
Salary/Grade: NEX/11

Job Summary:

• 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.
• Please highlight areas of responsibility below:
  • Accounting policy & procedure
  • Accounts payable
  • Accounts receivable
  • Additional/special pay
  • Audit
  • Bank deposits
  • Cash receipt
  • Endowment and gift accounting
  • Expense reimbursement
  • Financial Statements
  • Grants &/or awards
  • Journal &/or ledger
  • Payroll
  • Procurement card program
  • Purchase orders
  • Reconciliation
  • Reporting
  • Student accounts
  • Student funding
  • Transfer charges

Specific Responsibilities:

Budget:

• Updates calendar, spreadsheets, templates & forms; monitors submissions.
• Completes reconciliation procedures.
• Ensures funding is in alignment with annual budget

Analysis, Statements & Reporting:

• 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• May analyze open encumbrances that are no longer valid & recommend appropriate modifications to ensure smooth processing of financial transactions.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.
• Level 1 NUFinancials Approval Reviews; ensures approval based on alternatives regarding practice & policy.
• Troubleshoots problems.
• Performs vendor/account research as needed.
• Graduate student reimbursement service/support. 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.
• Enters information into database.

Grants &/or Awards:

• Completes post award accounting.
• Level 1 NUFinancials Approvals. 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.
• Verifies payroll funding entries.
• Corrects charges to various accounts.

Administration:

• Provides excellent customer service, over the phone 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.

Training:

• Assists with training of new staff members

Miscellaneous

• Performs other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma or the equivalent.
• 3 years accounting &/or bookkeeping 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.
• Familiarity with financial reporting.

Preferred 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.
• 1 year financial, budgeting &/or preparing account reconciliations or financial statements along with financial analysis or other relevant experience.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Excellent computer skills including proficiency in the use of spreadsheet, database and word processing software.
• Familiarity with financial reporting.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $19.89 - $27.97 per hour. 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.