• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building: Studebaker
• Salary Range: $95,000 - $110,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Finance and Administration, the Assistant Director ? Procurement Operations, Finance Business Services partners closely with divisional and departmental leadership to strengthen, oversee, and support the full lifecycle of procurement activities across the Finance Division and related departments.

The Assistant Director is a subject matter expert and serves as a working manager, ?Player-Coach,? for the Business Services (FBS) team, as well as a liaison with external departments in processing and overseeing procurement transactions within institutional systems (e.g., ARC, JAGGAER, Candex, PaymentWorks), including invoices, requisitions, payments, deposits, internal transfers, and journal entries.

The Assistant Director partners with Finance division teams and departments across the University to streamline and improve procurement transactional objectives. Working in collaboration with the Director of Finance, Business Services, and Procurement leadership, the Assistant Director will design and implement responsive policy updates and procedures, recommend internal controls, and drive continuous process improvement.  The Assistant Director will additionally support the FBS team broadly in strategic department planning, including annual budgets, quarterly forecasts, as well as the monthly, quarterly, and year-end closing and other GL activities.

The role requires a proactive, persistent approach to follow-up, ensuring that initiatives, deliverables, and outstanding issues are seen through to completion. Additionally, the Assistant Director should exhibit strong interpersonal presence and engagement, actively building relationships across departments, communicating transparently, and fostering collaboration through a visible, approachable, and highly responsive work style.

The ideal candidate demonstrates strong analytical capabilities, sound judgment, and a commitment to operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Operations & Procurement Administration
  • Coordinate and oversee purchasing and procurement activities, including processing and approving expenditures such as invoices, expense reports, requisitions, payments, deposits, internal transfers, and journal entries.
  • Process and manage procurement transactions within institutional systems, including ARC, JAGGAER, Candex, and PaymentWorks.
  • Manage purchase orders, contract renewals, and procurement workflows to ensure operational continuity and compliance with institutional policies.
  • Collaborate closely with Central Procurement and cross-functional teams to administer contracts, statements of work (SOW), agreements, honoraria, requisitions, and purchase order management.
  • Partner with Procurement Services to ensure appropriate funding source validation and adherence to established procurement thresholds and procedures.
  • Monitor, track, reconcile, and report on open commitments and procurement-related expenditures, ensuring accuracy and timely monthly reporting.
  • Partner with departments and vendors to ensure timely receipt and accuracy of required procurement documentation, including contracts, certificates of insurance (COI), scopes of work, vendor forms, and payment requests.
  • Independently prepare and manage procurement documentation, including sole-source justifications, vendor questionnaires, agreements, and supporting compliance documentation.
  • Serve as a liaison for vendors, overseeing onboarding processes, vendor profile setup, and payment-related inquiries.
  • Review bid proposals and coordinate with Central Purchasing to support vendor negotiations while maintaining budgetary and operational requirements.
  • Develop, generate, and analyze standard and ad hoc procurement and financial reports to support operational planning and decision-making.
  • Provide timely updates and communicate critical deadlines, procurement requirements, and operational priorities to stakeholders and team members.
  • Proactively review, evaluate, and streamline procurement and financial processes to improve efficiency, compliance, and operational effectiveness.
  • Contribute as a subject matter expert for system enhancements, workflow optimization, and continuous process improvement initiatives.
  • Maintain comprehensive knowledge of institutional financial and procurement policies, ensuring compliance with regulatory and organizational requirements.
  • Prioritize workflows effectively, meet established deadlines, and ensure continuity of operations across the Financial Business Services and related external teams.
  • Lead and contribute to special projects and operational initiatives as assigned.
• Leadership & Strategic Support
  • Partner closely with the Director to implement strategic financial and procurement initiatives.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to departments by providing one-on-one guidance, promoting sound fiscal management, procurement best practices, and accountability.
  • Partner with the Assistant Director, Finance Business Services, to support strategic department planning, including annual budgets, quarterly forecasts, as well as the monthly, quarterly, and year-end closing and other GL activities.
  • Provide oversight of Student Casuals, temporary staff, and delegated team members, including mentorship, training, and performance guidance.
  • Oversee financial and procurement workflow prioritization to support operational continuity and service excellence.
  • Represent the division in internal and external meetings requiring financial and procurement leadership, ensuring consistent and authoritative operational guidance. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor?s degree plus a minimum of five years of relevant experience. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Master?s degree in Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.
• At least two years of experience in a procurement-focused role (e.g., procurement specialist or coordinator).
• Experience with financial management systems and/ or eProcurement systems.
• Experience in higher education procurement practices. 
• Experience with navigating complex procurements and contracts.
• Prior supervisory or management experience.

Other Requirements

• Advanced proficiency in data analysis and financial reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt to changing demands.
• Evaluate different sources of information and reconcile conflicts between the sources.
• Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational abilities.
• Embrace challenges and take initiative to tackle new assignments with attention to continuous improvement.
• Proven ability to work independently while managing multiple projects and meeting deadlines across short-term and long-term initiatives.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and commitment to maintaining confidentiality.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.
• Must have a passion for excellent customer service and commitment to exceptional quality. 

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.

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