Financial and Administrative Officer (Term)

Date Posted: 03/06/2024
Req ID: 36359
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science
Department: Acceleration Consortium
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)
Position Number: 00055926

Description:

About us:

The Faculty of Arts & Science is the heart of Canada’s leading university and one of the most comprehensive and diverse academic divisions in the world. The strength of Arts & Science derives from our combined teaching and research excellence in the humanities, sciences and social sciences across 29 departments, seven colleges and 46 interdisciplinary centres, institutes and programs.

We can only realize our mission with the dedication and excellence of engaged staff and faculty. The diversity of opportunities and perspectives within the Faculty reflect the local and global landscape and the need for curiosity, innovative thinking and collaboration. At Arts & Science, we take pride in our legacy of innovation and discovery that has changed the way we think about the world.

The Acceleration Consortium (AC) at the University of Toronto (U of T) is leading a transformative shift in scientific discovery that will accelerate technology development and commercialization. The AC is a global community of academia, industry, and government that leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, materials sciences, and high-throughput chemistry to create self-driving laboratories (SDLs), also called materials acceleration platforms (MAPs). These autonomous labs rapidly design materials and molecules needed for a sustainable, healthy, and resilient future, with applications ranging from renewable energy and consumer electronics to drugs. AC Staff Scientists will advance the infield of AI-driven autonomous discovery and develop the materials and molecules required to address society’s largest challenges, such as climate change, water pollution, and future pandemics.

The Acceleration Consortium received a $200M Canadian First Research Excellence Grant for seven years to develop self-driving labs for chemistry and materials, the largest ever grant to a Canadian University.

This is a grant-based two years term position. 

Your opportunity:

Reporting to the Business Officer, this position forecasts, monitors, and administers research budgets, and provides a wide range of financial processing and administrative support for Acceleration Consortium. You will be responsible for reconciling financial statements, investigating discrepancies, and preparing financial reports to help advance our research goals and objectives. This position is also responsible for providing grant administration support by coordinating the grant application process and data collection.

This is a grant-based two-year term position.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Monitoring, recording, reconciling and/or reporting on funding accounts for grants and contracts
• Scheduling appointments
• Writing routine documents and correspondence
• Preparing draft statistical reports and summaries from data collected
• Liaising with internal and external contacts to facilitate purchasing and/or procurement processes
• Processing payroll
• Liaising with internal contacts to resolve accounting, payroll and/or HRIS processing issues

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting/Finance or an acceptable combination of equivalent experience.
• Minimum three years of recent and relevant financial/accounting experience and experience in providing administrative support to academic faculty leaders in an educational/public sector with experience monitoring large budgets/grants, managing various accounts, processing payroll, and managing calendars.
• Experience monitoring, reconciling, and reporting funding accounts for grants
• Experience providing administrative support including administering and managing calendars; monitoring schedules and keeping participants up to date with upcoming events and deadlines; and booking appointments and rooms
• Experience using scheduling software to assist in the logistics of organizing meetings and events
• Experience working with sponsoring agencies, interpreting and applying grant and funding guidelines/procedures, and providing administrative support to research funding opportunities
• Experience in aspects of accounting including payroll, account reconciliation, and preparation of financial statements
• Experience planning, forecasting, and monitoring complex budgets and preparing projections
• Experience with all aspects of the Financial Information System(FIS) modules of AMS
• Experience supporting purchasing activities
• Experience preparing financial reports/spreadsheets, identifying discrepancies, reconciling accounts, and projecting burn rates
• A broad knowledge of the University’s financial guidelines and procedures and accounting/procurement practices
• Advanced proficiency with MS Office Suite, particularly MS Excel, and proficiency with SAP systems, including Financial Information System (FIS), Human Resources Information System (HRIS), and Research Information System (RIS), or similar systems
• Strong numerical, accounting, and analytical skills
• Advanced skills in Google Calendar/hangout, Zoom, and Adobe Acrobat Pro with the ability to learn and effectively deploy new technology tools for office tasks
• Ability to work in a high volume environment that requires multi-tasking on varied duties and to prioritize effectively and work under pressure
• Ability to explain detailed grant funding processes and provide recommendations/courses of actions to PIs
• Excellent problem-solving ability, organizational and planning skills; and ability to work independently and as a part of a team
• Professionalism, accuracy, attention to detail, flexibility, tact, and ability to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to interpret and apply guidelines and procedures using independent judgment and analysis
• Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills

Assets (Nonessential):

• Experience liaising with the Faculty of Arts and Science Research Services office, VP Research & Innovation office, and research administrators in hospitals

To be successful in this role you will be:

• Accountable
• Communicator
• Efficient
• Meticulous
• Multi-tasker
• Problem solver

Closing Date: 03/14/2024, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: USW
Appointment Type: Grant - Term
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone:
USW Pay Band 11 -- $73,748 with an annual step progression to a maximum of $94,310. Pay scale and job class assignment is subject to determination pursuant to the Job Evaluation/Pay Equity Maintenance Protocol.
Job Category: Finance/Budget/Planning/Audit
Recruiter: Ann Yang

Lived Experience Statement
Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity deserving groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the posted position.