• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $63,000 - $70,000

Position Summary

Reporting to the Sr. Director of Budget Planning and Finance, the Finance Manager will be a key player in the day-to-day functioning of all aspects of budget and finance operations, maintenance and planning.  They will foster exceptional collaboration among Journalism departments to ensure smooth fiscal operations and act as the go-to resource in the School of Journalism for oversight on overall budget tracking and reconciliation processing.  The Finance Manager will manage the processing of receivables, payables, purchasing, internal transfers, and other related financial transactions; on a regular and on an ad-hoc basis, ensuring that procedures and business policies are disseminated, understood, and followed according to established business practices. 

Responsibilities

Payables and Receivables:

• Manages accounts payables and the processing of accurate and timely financial and business transactions in the University system(s).  Interprets the University's and School's policies for faculty, staff and students, concerning reimbursement of business travel expenses, payment to outside vendors and cash management This includes preparing written policy statements for distribution to all school employees, and providing individual guidance for specific transactions.  
• Provide reports, quarter and yearly, which tracks departmental spending.
• Manages and resolves items returned for correction by central administrative and financial offices.   Follows-up with AP and Purchasing on all pending items; and is proactive in seeking information or resolution by contacting staff, faculty or vendors. 
• Oversees accounts receivables, including recommending administrative fee charges, billing, and ensuring collection of receivables.
• Researches and reconciles discrepancies and disagreements between outside vendors, faculty, staff and students regarding the status of their accounts. This includes interpreting vendor financial statements and university-produced payment reports, and resolving collection problems to facilitate the constructive working relationships between the vendors and the School.
• Prepares weekly transaction statements and distributes to departments detailing invoices that have been paid, have been approved, or are in the process of being reviewed.
• Serve as the primary liaison with University's officers of accounts payable, purchasing, and procurement offices. Consults with these offices to clarify the University's requirements for the School's faculty, staff, and students. 

Budget and Financial System Reconciliation:

• Participates in quarterly and year-end close activities including but not limited to,  tracking IDI’s, journal entries, general ledger entry (accruals), managing purchase order open commitments, and addressing accounts in overdraft.
• Provides budget analysis and reports to all budget holders within the school.  Ensures all reconciliations are completed monthly, quarterly and annually.
• Develops and communicates monthly, quarterly, annual and multi-year budget analyses and reports. May produce and conduct presentations on budgetary and financial matters. 

Other related duties: 

• Works with Journalism’s Development department to track and document all endowments received throughout the fiscal year, ensuring that the school is following the terms of these new projects. Provide an annual report to the dean, and senior officers summarizing all new endowments. 
• Informs, trains, and oversees program managers about financial policies and procedures, and works to expand the use of fiscal data to inform programmatic and operational decisions.
• Hires, trains, and oversees the work of finance student workers and casual employees. 
• Safeguards checks, prepares, and processes vouchers for deposit.  Drops-off or picks-up items of urgency for the department. 
• Prepares department memorandum and policy statements.
• Manages document retention process.
• Participates in School and University-wide initiatives to improve financial accountability at all levels of fiscal responsibility.

Performs other related duties  and works on special projects, as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.