Business Officer

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range: Commensurate with experience.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Budget Operations, the incumbent manages the departmental accounts payable and payroll with DAF signature authority. This includes making sure all transactions adhere to funding agencies’ requirements and federal guidelines, monitoring all expenditures for compliance, resolving issues independently, and providing financial reports to faculty.

Responsibilities

Plays a critical role in the management of accounts payable, working with University systems; coordinates with faculty, research staff, guest speakers, and visitors on their reimbursement via CONCUR; prepares and submits the Annual Form 990 Schedule F filing to the Controller’s Office; tracks and submits faculty searches expenses to A&S; manages gift check submission to Gift Systems; handles invoices, immigration, honorarium, and prize payments; and process internal billing and invoicing.

Handles the Department salary distributions for postdoctoral research scientists, graduate research assistants, additional compensation; FFE payroll for union staff and casuals; approves work-study students’ time-sheets and makes sure payees are paid accurately and in a timely manner.

Interacts with vendors, payees, and the administrative offices at Columbia, including Accounts Payable, Payroll, Payroll Accounting, Sponsored Projects Administration, and Sponsored Projects Finance to assure smooth flow of transactions in a timely manner.

Holds the departmental travel card and purchasing card, places orders, reconciles P-CARD transactions, processes requisitions and Net 30 invoices as needed; works closely with the Business Manager to review and approve requisitions, P-Card transactions, invoices, and fund transfers to ensure all payments are made accurately and promptly.

Provides financial reports to faculty on their grants and university projects such as startup, gift, and personal service projects for balance and budget projection and works with faculty to avoid overdraft and to complete quarterly financial report review.

Works with other financial team members on the expenditure reconciliation to make certain the accuracy and compliance; identifies and resolves financial and payroll issues, makes expense corrections to prevent liability to the Department and the University; responds to audit requests, and involves with year-end closing.

Assumes the responsibilities in the absence of the Business Manager and takes on other duties as assigned by the Director of Budget Operations.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• Two years of related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of University financial and payroll systems and procedures preferred.

Position- Specific Qualifications

• Strong communicative, collaborative, interpersonal, and organizational skills required. Initiative, tact, and ability to establish priorities required.
• Must be able to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Must be detail-oriented and have proven ability to work well under pressure on multiple concurrent tasks and to be able to meet deadlines without supervision.
• Must have sound judgment, dedication and passion for high quality service, and sense of team work.
• Must have the ability to acquire in a short time the knowledge of grant policies and skills of University's financial systems.
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel required. 

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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