• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Temporary
• End Date if Temporary: 06/30/2023
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: Commensurate with experience

Position Summary

The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University located in Palisades, New York, is seeking two Payroll Specialists for full-time temporary positions. Reporting to the Director, Finance, and Administration, the Payroll Specialist will help maintain the finance functions at LDEO.   The Payroll Specialist will be focused on payroll-related financial transactions and operations. The successful candidate will be responsible for upholding existing policies and procedures, as well as streamlining payroll processes across multiple programs and business units.

These roles are temporary until June 30, 2023, with the possibility of extension. 

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the allocation  of salary costs to various departmental funding sources in accordance to funding plans.
• Analyze and reconcile salary distributions and cost transfer against internal schedules.
• Work closely with the Principal Investigators (PI's) to obtain approvals to process PAC allocations on sponsored projects to ensure all transaction adhere to funding agencies' requirements and federal guidelines.
• Reconcile departmental payroll allocations to ensure accuracy in posting; use university reports to assist with reconciliations (e.g., ARC and PAC payroll reports.)
• Update the budget to match payroll projections on a monthly basis.
• Generate new and research existing combo codes in People at Columbia (PAC) program.
• Work closely with division administrators and finance department regarding payroll-related issues.
• Provide financial reports to faculty.
• Other related duties as assigned.
• Functions with general supervision and direction.  Exercised independent judgement and initiative within areas of responsibility.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and a minimum of 2 years’ related experience are required. 
• Strong knowledge of automated payroll is a must. 
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and written/verbal communication and computer skills required. 
• Must be a quick learner who is detail-oriented with strong problem-solving skills and be able to manage deadline-oriented projects.
• Strong customer service experience required. 
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required. 
• Must be able to communicate effectively with Faculty, students, and employees at all levels within the University.
• Must be able to demonstrate critical thinking, be disciplined, and maintain a high degree of confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with PeopleSoft and ARC is strongly preferred.      

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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

The Lamont campus values diversity and inclusion, and encourages applications from members of underrepresented minority groups.

We accept online applications only.