Careers

The Senior Administrative Coordinator provides professional administrative support to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance (AVCF) and the Financial Operations and Planning & Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) teams. Reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Finance & CFO's Chief of Staff, work includes general financial analysis, contract review and management, and administrative functions. Communication is a major component of the position, primarily with senior management, faculty and students within the university. Responsibilities include coordinating all aspects of the AVCF's schedule, program management of the Business of VU curriculum and serving as an extension of the financial planning and analysis team. This individual will also coordinate complex and confidential issues and assume responsibilities in absence of more senior-level staff. The Sr. Administrative Coordinator will regularly be required to resolve problems independently.

The ideal candidate will be experienced in handling a wide range of administrative and executive support related tasks and will be able to work independently with little or no supervision. This person must be exceedingly well organized, flexible and enjoy the administrative challenges of supporting a small office of diverse people and programs. The ability to interact with staff (at all levels) in a fast-paced environment, sometimes under pressure, remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful and efficient, with a high level of professionalism and confidentiality is crucial to this role. Expert level written and verbal communication skills, strong decision-making ability and attention to detail are equally important.

Financial Operations and Planning (FO&P) is responsible for the business operation of Vanderbilt's Academic Affairs areas. Academic Affairs has an ~$900 million budget and includes the university's 10 schools as well as the Provost's and Vice Provosts' offices. Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) manages the university-wide budgeting process, provides budgetary support to administrative support units and ad hoc financial analysis projects for the CFO, Chancellor and Board of Trust.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide regular and ad-hoc analysis for financial and operational functions, supporting data-driven decisions for Financial Planning & Analysis, the AVCF, CFO, Provost, Chancellor, and Board of Trust
• Serve as program manager for Business of VU, an annual course offering for our faculty, students and staff to learn about the business operations of the university and higher education as a whole. The program consists of approximately eight informative sessions focusing on the higher education model and how Vanderbilt operates to leverage resources in support of the academic mission. Responsibilities include:
• Managing the application process (marketing, review, setting deadlines, notifications)
• Coordinating development of course materials
• Communications to presenters and to participants
• Scheduling rooms and AV needs
• Ordering catering
• Coordinating certificates, surveys, feedback consolidation
• Serve as program manager for internal professional development programs: Finance Fundamentals (faculty) and Stuff You Should Know (staff), including moderating the discussions
• Maintain and update the university Factbook, including annual revisions for updated university and peer data
• Document and update university peer data, tracking key financial metrics and ensuring consistency in reporting
• Manage employee service agreements (ESAs), non-sponsored billing agreements (NSBAs) and service-level agreements between VUMC, the Provost's office, academic units, and Finance. Responsibilities include:
• Maintaining the master list of ESA and NSBAs
• Reviewing required documentation for ESA and NSBA billing
• In coordination with FO&P staff, develop and maintain a website outlining ESA and NSBA process and documentation
• Reconcile, audit, and report on ESA and NSBA activity in coordination with VUMC counterparts
• Manage and maintain faculty mortgages, including annual taxation requirements, lien releases, refinancing requests, and ad-hoc analysis
• Serve as a Financial Unit Manager (FUM) for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) financial unit; FUM responsibilities include:
• Approve all financial transactions in the Oracle Cloud systems, including procurement requisitions, travel and entertainment expense reports and procurement card expense reports
• Prepare monthly financial reports for all EDI and identity centers
• Advise on ad-hoc financial questions
• Maintain an extensive understanding of Oracle Cloud financial systems, Vanderbilt's chart of accounts and departmental use of optional segments
• Maintain extensive understanding of institutional and departmental travel, expense and procurement card policies
• Use excellent professional judgment and integrity to evaluate the appropriateness of expenditures and possess the maturity and confidence to address questionable transactions either directly or escalate if needed
• Uses high attention to detail to ensure every component of a requisition or expense report is accurate prior to approval
• Contribute to key university deliverables and workstreams, including, but not limited to, quarterly forecasts, annual budget, and university capital plan materials
• Coordinate annual operating budget meetings and documents, including gathering and managing mandatory and non-mandatory student tuition and fees.
• Compile university budget materials and create the annual Chancellor's budget binder
• Position management for FO&P team, including working with the Finance HCM Specialist and Human Resources to facilitate new positions and post vacancies
• Responsible for onboarding and off-boarding of new and departing staff
• Serve as a key preparer and reviewer of all Board of Trust and senior leadership-facing materials, ensuring version control, consistency, accuracy, and consistent formatting across work product
• Maintain Finance website using OmniUpdate content management platform, including executing frequent minor updates and occasional large-scale site updates.
• General customer service, often serving as initial point of contact regarding various administrative and financial processes and systems
• Primary resource for issue resolution for daily operations of AVCF areas
• Handle confidential faculty and student information, which would have immediate negative impact on the university operations, performance, or value if shared beyond its intended audience.
• Coordinate busy and shifting calendars to include scheduling and coordinating meetings, applying good judgment in determining priorities.
• Coordinate logistical arrangements for meetings including space reservations, catering, audio/visual needs and equipment set-up; solicit and develop agendas for FO&P-sponsored meetings
• Coordinate and manage special events, as needed

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education is required .
• At least 2 years of relevant professional experience is necessary .
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are necessary .
• Meticulous attention to detail is necessary .
• Professional attitude and considerable tact, persuasion and judgment in interactions with internal and external constituents is necessary .
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team setting is necessary .
• Willingness to rapidly learn new skills when the situation demands it is necessary .
• Ability to take initiative, multi-task and work well under pressure is necessary .
• Ability to work independently and for multiple constituents is necessary .
• Thorough working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite of products is necessary .
• Demonstrated advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Excel is preferred .
• Demonstrated advanced working knowledge of Microsoft PowerPoint is preferred .
• Ability to quickly learn office technology and databases is preferred .
• Comfortable with new technological systems and upgrades as they arise is preferred .

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education.

Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.

Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.