Financial Operations Specialist

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School of Public Affairs

Time Type:

Full time

Job Type:

Regular

FLSA Status:

Non-ExemptHybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)Excluded

Summary:

The Financial Operations Specialist is responsible for the day-to-day business operations essential to carrying out purchasing, payroll, and other financial transactions in the School of Public Affairs. This position serves as the primary contact for SPA faculty and staff for general financial administration and various procurement and expense management issues to ensure that the needs of the SPA community are met. Additionally serves as the main point of contact for SPA departments and programs as well as central offices (Accounts Payable, Procurement and Contracts, etc.) regarding financial inquiries and assistance. The position requires general supervision.

Essential Functions:

1.) Financial Administration

• Manage all internal contractual and discretionary allocations for SPA faculty, staff, and students. Maintain the established database to track spending on individual awards. Provide guidance to faculty members on appropriate spending for awarded funds. Track and report on spending and income in endowed and internally restricted accounts in order to provide assistance to Chairs, Program Directors, and Deans as needed. Conduct regular reviews of operating and non-operating accounts to ensure that financial transactions are completed successfully and accurately, using Workday. Run Workday budget reports for programs, centers, institutes, departments, and internal offices upon request. Proactively identify and address potential issues, and notify supervisor in the event of new or unusual problems or issues that arise. Provide supplemental financial administration support to special programs and projects as assigned by the Asst. Dean or the Dean.

2.) Financial Transaction Review

• Review, approve, and occasionally initiate financial transactions actions such as: disbursements, expense reports, and requisitions prior to submission to Accounts Payable. Review and ensure financial transactions are in compliance with University and SPA policies, procedures, and best practices. Responsible for reviewing financial transactions for budgetary compliance, proactively addressing and resolving potential issues with customers, and providing recommendations to a number of different stakeholders.

3.) Procurement Operational Support

• Overseethe administration of all SPA Purchasing Cards (Pcards) and Travel Cards assigned to SPA faculty and staff. Ensure cardholders are reconciling transactions within required time periods and using appropriate documentation for all transactions. Provide training and assistance to cardholders to ensure consistent card management across SPA. Work with SPA faculty and staff on any contracts for goods or services and ensure that the faculty and staff are abiding by the associated SPA and University policies.

4.) Finance and Administration Support and Training

• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with faculty and staff within SPA. Provide training to full time staff, graduate assistants, and program staff on processes and procedures necessary to incur and record financial transactions and to understand necessary budget reports for managing unit and program budgets.

5.) Other Duties

• Supports the SPA Budget team as needed. Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

• Full-time.

• 35 hours per week.

• Hybrid 1 work modality (3 - 4 days per week on campus).

Salary Range:

Required Education and Experience:

• Associate Degree in Business, Accounting or other relevant field, or equivalent in education, training and experience required.

• 2 - 4 years’ relevant experience in an academic or office setting required.

• Intermediate experience with Microsoft Office, especially Excel, Word, and Outlook required.

• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail required.

• Ability to recognize potential problems and address them proactively is required.

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Accounting, or other related field preferred.

• 1 - 3 years’ budget and administrative experience preferred.

• <1 years’ experience in expense transaction review and tracking preferred.

• Knowledge of academic institutions and familiarity with the various divisions and offices within (and the respective functions of) large organizations preferred.

• Familiarity with financial and personnel software and databases, including Workday, Colleague Financial, MicroStrategy Business Intelligence, and SharePoint preferred.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications:

• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills are essential.

• Strong time management skills with the ability to organize and plan work to deal with multiple competing priorities and tasks is essential.

• Must be able to work both independently and as part of a highly collaborative team.

• Prior experience in a university setting a plus.

Benefits

AU offers a competitive benefits package. Click here to learn about American University's unique benefit options.

Other Details

• Hiring offers for this position are contingent on successful completion of a background check.

• Employees in staff positions at American University must deliver their services to the university from either the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, or perform work on-site at the university.

• Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

• American University is an E-Verify employer.

Current American University Employees

American University current employees must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into Workday and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings.

Contact Us

For more information or assistance with the American University careers site, email theworkline@american.edu.

American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual’s genetic information or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its programs and activities.