Careers

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Salary Range: $85,000 to $95,000

Position Summary

Columbia Engineering has embarked on a campaign to increase the number of interdisciplinary research centers at the School. It has launched close to a dozen centers over the last five years. These centers span multiple departments and schools within Columbia University and nationally with peer institutions. This position works both independently and collaboratively across various teams and centers at Columbia Engineering to provide financial and budgetary support for these complex organizational structures.

Reporting to the Director of Strategic Collaborations (with additional supervision from the Executive Director of Finance and Operations), the Grants and Finance Manager provides comprehensive post-award sponsored and non-sponsored administration of research center financial and budgetary affairs. This individual will be a member of the Strategic Partnerships Team and will work closely with each Center's Directors and operations staff to ensure proper and efficient financial management. The position interacts with financial and compliance offices within and beyond Columbia Engineering, including Columbia University's Sponsored Project Administration (SPA) / Sponsored Project Finance (SPF) and Development, as well as external industry, academic, and funding partners. This role will support the coordination and processing of daily financial transactions to ensure compliance with university guidelines; oversee accounts payable transactions on university electronic accounting systems; monitor and audit budgets and grants; reconcile center and grant accounts; prepare financial reports and forecasts for internal and external audiences; oversee payroll accounting transfers, journal entries, and expenditure corrections; process center membership dues, faculty travel and business expense reports and honoraria; and perform related duties as assigned.

Responsibilities

• (50%) Daily Transaction Approvals and Oversight:

    Post Award. Manages post-award processes for centers. Works with SPA/SPF, faculty, and staff on sponsored and non-sponsored spending. Reviews notice of award, terms, and conditions. Sets up awards, project budgets, and effort allocation. Monitors expenses, balances, sub-awards, and monthly reconciliation. Responsible for project close-out. Assists faculty with annual effort certification.

  Financial Transactions. Processes Center finance transactions, including Travel and Business Expense Reimbursements (TBERs) and Purchase Orders (PO). Reviews and reconciles Pcard and Ccard transactions associated with the Centers. Reviews supporting documentation and Accounting and Reporting at Columbia (ARC) system entries to ensure accuracy and manages the workflow of finance support staff to provide timely, accurate, and effective processing of expenditures and purchases.

  Payroll Transactions. Initiates or reviews cost transfers and prepares salary distribution requests (SDRs) to ensure proper allocation of expenditures within the Center, departments, and Dean's Office accounts. Manages Center casual and work-study payroll.

  Journal Entries. Reviews journal entries and publication costs and oversees the allocation of expenses. Creates projects and chartfields as needed.

  Center Memberships. Invoices for, monitoring receipt of, and reports on Center member dues, fees, and other regular and one-time support.    

• (35%)  Budget Administration, Financial Controls, and Reporting:

  Budget Administration and Reconciliation. Actively administers Center operating budgets for Centers without dedicated finance staff and supports finance staff of fully-staffed Centers. Performs monthly reconciliation of Center accounts and proactively monitors center expenditures. Investigates, resolves, and provides quarterly analyses of budget variances and recommend budget modifications to adjust spending levels. Works closely with the Columbia Engineering Finance team on the quarterly and annual updates for fiscal year center budgets.

  Internal Controls. Assists in developing and is responsible for implementing and enforcing Center financial transaction and accounting processes. Monitors Center financial activity to ensure compliance with Columbia Engineering and University policies and procedures. Coordinates with Columbia Engineering Finance, CU Internal Audit, SPA/SPF, and other internal stakeholders to comply with audit requirements.

  Internal Reporting and Advising. Generates reports and forecasts of both sponsored and non-sponsored projects regularly and as requested to aid Center planning; advises the Strategic Partnerships Team, Center Directors, Managing Directors, and staff on general financial matters.

  External Closing and Reporting. Provides data analysis and reporting and collaborates closely with the Columbia Engineering Finance Team to complete all monthly, quarterly, and year-end transactions for the Centers. Works with SPA/SPF to deliver required financial reports to sponsors.

  Internal Collaboration. Serves as a liaison with A/P, the Dean's Office, and other internal CU stakeholders on financial and operational matters.

• (10%) Post-Award Training, Policies, and Procedures:

  Remains current on grant funding policies, regulations, and procedures; University policies and procedures; and risk and compliance issues, including those related to international activity, and communicates this information to the centers and academic departments.

  Works with SEAS Finance Leadership to provide relevant training to Center staff. Develops sponsored project best practices and disseminates information to staff. Provides guidance on the implementation of University practices and procedures.

• (5%) Additional Duties and Responsibilities: Performs related duties and projects as assigned.              

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required plus four to six years of related experience in sponsored research administration.
• Detailed knowledge of (or ability to quickly learn)  Columbia University electronic systems, including ARC, RASCAL, FFE, and legacy applications (AP/CAR and DARTS). Internal candidates are encouraged to apply.
• Must be able to work as a team player with faculty, PIs, and administrative staff. Attention to detail and strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills are required.
• Must have initiative, discretion, and the ability to establish priorities and work under pressure with good judgment and with supervision. Must be able to meet strict deadlines. Knowledge of high-level spreadsheets (e.g., Microsoft Office and Excel) is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with post-award grants management and accounting is strongly preferred. Experience in a university environment is preferred. Experience with database software applications preferred.

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