Financial Assistant

Position Focus :

Under the general direction of the Associate Director of Finance, and with a high level of customer service to the end user, deliver a full-range of high level administrative support to the Business Office.

Serve as the key source of financial information, interact with Integrated Business Operations (IBO) faculty / staff, and staff from various university financial and administrative departments, and outside vendors on a wide range of issues.

Interpret University financial policies and guidelines, as needed. Create specialized financial reports and conduct analysis to aid financial activities of the department.

Determine the best practices for purchasing goods and services and recommend, as needed, changes to internal processes and policies.

Prepare vendor set-up forms and purchase requisitions and ensure that all required paperwork is either completed by other staff members or self.

Contact outside vendors regarding purchase orders and purchasing card payments. Review expense reports, including foreign travel reports with currency conversions, for both University and departmental compliance of policies and procedures.

Verify correct charging and that all necessary documentation is included, and approve expense reports. Monitor outstanding purchasing card charges and unapproved expense reports and notify staff as needed.

Assist and advise staff in preparing expense reports.

Arrange wire transfers, including contacting the vendor and obtaining all necessary information. Process invoices and verify that they were paid against the correct purchase order.

Maintain the department’s contract orders and ensure the renewal, modification, or cancellation of orders in a timely fashion.

Assist in the implementation of new university and departmental workflow processes and systems. Prepare deposits. Provide account information, routing inquiries to the appropriate party for resolution, and oversee the account setup and extension processes in conjunction with the Workday system.

Support IBO financial and operational management as well as facilitating Procurement and Accounts Payable functions. Maintain account files ensuring accuracy and completeness.

Generate and review monthly financial reporting and prepare other ad hoc reports as needed. May perform other related duties as required.

Essential Duties

1. Processes financial documents, payrolls and deposits of funds. Ensures expenses and revenue are posted to proper accounts.

2. Serves as principal source of information on financial policies, procedures and financial activity. 3. Instructs departmental personnel in financial aspects of their jobs.

4. Serves as petty cash cashier. 5. Reconciles and analyzes financial statements. Identifies, researches and corrects questionable financial activity.

6. Prepares standardized and specialized financial reports and analyses. 7. Serves as Notary Public. 8. Assists with the development and implementation of systems and procedures.

9. Oversees the maintenance of financial records and files. 10. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

• Six years of related demonstrated work experience, four of them in the same job family at the next lower level, and a high school-level education;
• or four years of related demonstrated work experience and an Associate’s degree; or little or no work experience and a Bachelor’s degree in a related field;

or an equivalent combination of demonstrated experience and education.

Required Skill / Ability 1 :

Demonstrated ability in detailed work requiring accuracy and high level of productivity with disciplined follow-up skills.

Ability to plan, schedule and prioritize work, multi-task, handle frequent interruptions, meet deadlines, and resolve conflicting demands in a high-volume environment.

Required Skill / Ability 2 :

Highly developed interpersonal skills as well as strong written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated attention to detail.

Proven ability to work effectively with a wide range of individuals at all levels. Superior customer service skills.

Required Skill / Ability 3 :

Advanced computer skills, including demonstrated advanced proficiency with MS Excel and Word. Ability and willingness to learn new systems, technology and processes.

Advanced ability in a range of financial activities, particularly purchase orders, wire transfers and expense processing.

Required Skill / Ability 4 :

Ability to read and interpret policies, procedures and guidelines, and to disseminate information derived from these sources.

Demonstrated proficiency with financial processes.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills :

Familiarity with Workday.

Physical Requirements

Ability to sit for long periods of time.

Evening Hours Required?

Occasional

Drug Screen

Health Screening

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements.

All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

The University maintains policies pertaining to COVID-19. All faculty, staff, students, and trainees are required to comply with these policies, which may be found here :

Posting Disclaimer

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the particular position.

Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring departments.