Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Academic Administration and Finance, the Manager, Finance Operations is responsible for managing a broad portfolio of departmental financial operations for the Department of Mathematics. This role manages complex financial activity across multiple funding sources, including unrestricted, restricted, sponsored, and programmatic accounts, and provides financial analysis, reporting, and guidance to support departmental planning and decision-making. The Manager, Financial Operations works closely with faculty, staff, students, external vendors, University Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Sponsored Projects, and other central administrative offices to resolve payment issues, support grant proposal budgets, monitor expenditures, and ensure appropriate financial controls.

The Department of Mathematics is a world-class center of discovery, collaboration, and innovation in the mathematical sciences. Home to distinguished faculty, researchers, and students, the department fosters a thriving intellectual community enriched by visiting scholars from around the globe. Research spans an extraordinary range of areas from Algebraic Geometry, Geometric Analysis, and Mathematical Physics to Number Theory, Probability & Financial Mathematics, and Topology, reflecting the department?s deep commitment to both foundational theory and emerging frontiers to train the next generation of mathematical leaders, positioning Columbia University at the forefront of mathematical thought and global scholarship.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with faculty, staff, students, external vendors, University Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Sponsored Projects, and other central administrative offices to resolve payment issues, support grant proposal budgets, monitor expenditures, and ensure appropriate financial controls.
• Collaborate with DAAF on financial controls, process improvements, and operational strategy. ?ssume delegated fiscal responsibilities as needed.
• Manage all Accounts Payable and departmental financial operations, including creating journal vouchers, processing interdepartmental transfers (ITFs), and approving expenditures such as reimbursements, travel advances, wire transfers, and cash deposits.
• Oversee procurement and purchase order activity, partnering with University Purchasing to ensure contract compliance, appropriate documentation, and adherence to university policy.
• Oversee the timely and accurate onboarding and maintenance of vendors, ensuring required documentation is complete, compliant, and processed in accordance with university policies and procedures.
• Review and approve travel and business expenses in Concur, including P-Card activity, to ensure compliance with university policies. Provide guidance and training to faculty and staff on expense reimbursement policies and practices.
• Ensure timely, accurate processing of financial transactions. Serve as the primary point of contact for resolving payment issues and communicating status to faculty, staff, students, and external vendors.
• Support grant proposal development, participating in budget preparation, and compliance with sponsor and institutional guidelines.
• Support variance analysis, budgeting, and financial planning across multiple funding sources, including projections and expense tracking.
• Support monthly, quarterly, and year-end close processes in coordination with central administrative offices.
• Manage financial records and perform monthly and quarterly reconciliations across unrestricted and sponsored accounts.
• Investigate discrepancies and implement corrective actions. Produce ad hoc financial analyses and reports to support departmental planning and decision-making.
• Track and monitor expenses for the MAFN program, ensuring accurate allocation and compliance with university guidelines.
• Delegate work to the Financial Assistant, set priorities, and ensure high-quality, timely transaction processing.
• Perform related duties & responsibilities as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor?s degree or equivalent.
• Minimum of two years of related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education or large decentralized institutions.

Other Requirements

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Attention to detail, critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to exercise professionalism, diplomacy, discretion, firmness, and collaboration with individuals at all levels.
• Strong multitasking, prioritization, and organization skills, with the ability to manage priorities in an interactive team environment.
• Self-starter and fast learner who can work independently under limited supervision, making sound day-to-day decisions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Drive.
• Capacity to quickly acquire detailed knowledge of university policies, procedures, and systems.

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