• Job Type: Support Staff - Union
• Bargaining Unit: Local 2110
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $57,941 - $59,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Budget Operations, the Financial Assistant provides day-to-day financial support for the Department of Physics.  The Financial Coordinator supports the department's financial processes, including but not limited to purchasing, accounts payable, supply management, and reporting. 

The Department of Physics at Columbia University is proud of its diverse and transformational research, which has led to more than 10 Nobel Prize winners since 1944.  The Department is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming work environment where everyone is treated with fairness and respect and where all individuals have equal access to opportunities and resources to achieve their scientific goals.  Columbia University has a rich history of teaching and conducting physics research.  Over the years, Columbia graduates and other scientists who have spent time here have gone on to make significant contributions to the field of science as researchers, teachers, and leaders. 

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with faculty and research staff on purchasing requests for scientific equipment and labs' materials mainly funded with government grants.  Provide guidance to the purchasing groups regarding the University purchasing procedures and the protocols of various funding agencies.  Process purchase orders.
• Reconcile P-Card transactions promptly and ensure all the transactions comply with granting agency regulations, University procedures, and accurate distribution of costs.
• Process financial transactions, such as purchasing orders, check requests, and Net30 invoices.  Perform billing and process ITF; engage with vendors and the administrative offices at Columbia, including Purchasing, Capital Assets Accounting, Accounts Payable, Sponsored Projects Administration, and Sponsored Projects Finance to ensure a smooth flow of transactions, and resolve any processing issues with vendors and Columbia central offices in a timely manner.
• Perform monthly expenditures reconciliation to prevent liability to the Department and the University.  This process includes reconciling vendor payments, checking for duplicate payments, reviewing processed invoices to validate account distribution, monitoring faculty research accounts and other departmental accounts to avoid overspending, and ensuring all transactions comply with University and federal government policies.
• Prepare monthly reports on assigned projects and provide them to the undergraduate program director and faculty members.
• Assist with internal and external audits and fiscal year closing.
• Oversee departmental stocks of instructional and office supplies.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent with a minimum three years of related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Some college preferred.
• Experience in an academic environment with some experience with university financial systems: Purchasing ARC, FDS, and FINSYS.

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.
• Ability to quickly acquire knowledge of University electronic financial systems: ARC, Purchasing, FDS, FINSYS, Labor Accounting; and federal and university regulations.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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

About Columbia University

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

Connections working at Columbia University