Careers

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range:

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of the Finance/HR Service Center, the Analyst is responsible for serving as an initial, principal source of information and guidance on policies, procedures, compliance information, system functionality, and basic concepts of finance operations including the General Ledger, Chart of Accounts, Budget Checking, Project Costing, Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Procurement Cards, and Vendor Profile Management.  

Responsibilities

Specific duties include, but are not limited to:

• Providing information, guidance, and referrals to the University community and external customers through effective intake, diagnosis, resolution/routing of customer inquiries via telephone calls and web forms;
• Administering incidents and service requests on behalf of the University community, through triage with available tools and documented protocols to ensure continuous improvement and a greater understanding of the solution;
• Handling customer contact in a manner that supports the service center objectives and performance goals; 
• Answering inquiries promptly and in a professional manner; 
• Determining resolution within the Service Center, i.e. at a Tier 1 level, or routes to appropriate business unit, i.e. escalation to Tier 2 level, or CUIT service desks;
• Providing effective and quick resolution and tracking and providing update to the customer;
• Maintaining ownership of escalated inquiries, following up on inquiries not immediately resolved and providing timely updates to customers.
• Assisting the Service Center Manager and Director and other members of the Finance Division by effectively providing feedback from customers, identifying training and communication needs, and assisting in the development and communication of policies, procedures, and user support tools. Resolution of issues at a Tier 1 level include, but are not limited to:

• Explanation of key concepts and system functionality to assist with questions related to running reports, the general ledger, chart of accounts, journal entries, cost transfers, budget checking, encumbrance management, travel and expense management, receiving, matching, workflow, finance reporting, system access authorization, converted financial data, historical financial data, etc.;
• Explanation and coaching around financial systems, ARC functionality and Concur functionality;
• Provision and/or clarification of accurate financial policy and procedure information;
• Referral to appropriate job aids, tools and resources.

• As a primary provider of policy, the Analyst is regularly evaluated and monitored through ongoing review of call recordings, web responses and live calls to ensure accuracy, compliance and consistency of information and effective promotion of compliance to policies and regulations, and a high quality customer service experience;
• The Analyst provides reinforcement of training to University staff involved in Finance transactions, on a core set of Finance policies, procedures and system functionality;
• Serves as a back-up for business officers within business units who directly receive customer inquiries via web forms, by assuming intake queues, conducting basic triage on cases, providing resolution and routing based on protocols; will be cross-trained on People at Columbia (PAC) functionality, processes and policies to provide back-up support to the PAC Service Center as needed;
• Performs other related duties and special projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent required; minimum of three years related experience required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with PeopleSoft or Enterprise system equivalent preferred. 
• Experience with Concur Travel & Expense preferred.
• Some customer relationship management/call center experience and/or experience responding to high volume customer inquiries/requests and working with customer service software preferred. 
• Higher education experience or experience in other large, complex organizations preferred.

Other Requirements

• Demonstrated knowledge/management of complex finance functions including accounting principles, general ledger, chart of accounts, journal entries, cost transfers, budget checking, encumbrance management, travel and expense management receiving, matching, workflow, finance reporting,  fiscal cycle, project lifecycle required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) required. Required to demonstrate proficiency in a range of topic areas, including finance functional knowledge, as measured through a series of tests that will be administered. 
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, including a high level of attention to detail required. Strong customer service skills and a demonstrated ability to work in a high pressured, fast paced environment required. 
• Ability to critically and analytically assess customer inquiries, effectively use insight, judgment, knowledge and provided resources to determine resolution, required.
• Must be able to work effectively with minimal supervision, successfully incorporating established protocols to consistently ensure regulatory/policy compliance, operational effectiveness and high-quality customer service experience. Strong time management skills required to effectively manage time and priorities for caller issues.
• In addition, the ability to work closely and effectively with a diverse group of University administrators characterized by relationship building skills is essential.
• Must be able to negotiate issues, resolve problems and demonstrate effective listening skills.
• The successful candidate must be able to work well with all levels of staff and management, both internally and externally, be flexible in nature, with an open and collaborative style that encourages teamwork and cooperation beyond the immediate team. 
• Must possess 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.