Budget & Operations Administrator, COMPACT

Budget & Ops Admin

The Budget & Ops Admin will oversee the budget and daily operations of the Vic '63 and Bobbi Samuels '63 Center for Community Partnerships and Civic Transformation (COMPACT), including the program in Global Community Engagement (GCE), and the Abraham Feinberg Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation (ENACT). Their major responsibilities include advising Center administration on budget reporting and forecasting, reconciling expenses, preparing and submitting annual budgets, and completing budget adjustments. The Budget & Ops Admin will also lead the creation and maintenance of financial systems across our budget platforms (Coupa, Workday, Planning Maestro, etc.).

As the lead for our Center's communication initiatives, the Budget & Ops Admin will create marketing plans for upcoming events and programs, author and curate the COMPACT newsletter, and design and edit our numerous website pages with up-to-date information about programmatic offerings, resources, and opportunities for engagement.

The Budget and Ops Admin will also support the programs and events of COMPACT, ENACT, and GCE.

Key Responsibilities

Budget Management : Work with Brandeis Department of Financial Systems to input the annual budget into Planning Maestro and advise the Center administration on gift, endowment, and grant expenses throughout the fiscal year. In advance of each meeting with the Director of COMPACT, Associate Director of COMPACT, Director of ENACT, and Assistant Director of Global Community Engagement, the Admin prepares detailed monthly financial reports that require reviewing financial data (Statement of Activity, Gift Reports, Endowment Reports, and Grant Reports) from Workday and Coupa Marketplace and verifying that the charges are correct and charged to appropriate funding sources. This data then needs to be converted to align with managerial budget categories and inputting data into reporting spreadsheets.

The Admin makes several independent decisions leading up to these meetings, significantly, the annual budget submission, as well as budget adjustments, all related Coupa functions, and completing Space Surveys and NSF Surveys for Sponsored Programs Accounting (SPA). Specifically, the annual budget submission process includes working with the Office of Budget and Financial Planning and Center leadership to determine projected spending for the upcoming fiscal year through creating budget forecasts based on historical data and assumptions, establishing plans for managerial spending by funding source, and accounting for indirect costs and university support. Moreover, upon the receipt of new funding and / or material programmatic revisions to budgets previously submitted in Planning Maestro (a budgeting / forecasting program that houses university-wide budgets) the Admin works collaboratively with Center leadership and the AVP of Budget and Financial Planning to revise and resubmit budget spreadsheets accordingly. The Admin steers a 6-month long process that involves coordination among our Center's leaders to determine annual budgets for the following fiscal year for COMPACT, the Abraham Feinberg Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation (ENACT), and Global Community Engagement (GCE). This requires advising staff on making informed decisions based on previous spending records, considering internal university and external federal and state level factors, and translating managerial budgets into the Planning Maestro system.

During the meetings the Admin presents the up to date financial information, forecasts, recommendations, and analysis of current spending in comparison to budgets / projections. Updates on actual spending compared to budgeted amounts as well as balances in each gift / endowment / grant account are provided. Additionally, updates on the budgeting process and requests from the Office of Budget and Financial Planning are provided. Advice on various items such as fiscal and financial spending plans / strategies are given and questions / next steps are addressed. 30%

Communications : The Admin will lead our Center's communication initiatives including the newsletter and our website. Specifically, the Admin leads the design and development of the COMPACT monthly newsletter using Constant Contact an all-in-one digital marketing platform. This publication requires research to author various sections (e.g., Curricular Engagement Spotlight, Community Engagement Resources, Community Partner Highlights, Alumni Engagement, Upcoming Community Events), as well as outreach to various stakeholders (including campus partners, community partners, and alumni) to gather information, data, visuals and feedback to augment the newsletter. This publication represents one of COMPACT's primary efforts to connect with our community and share resources for community engagement. Website development and maintenance includes reviewing webpages for accuracy and relevance, making timely updates to content and visuals, and creating new content as needed (including adding new programs, reorganizing the website structure, sharing upcoming events, publications). As well, the Admin will be take the lead in working on communications strategies in collaboration with campus partners, such as the Department of Student Engagement. 25%

Financial Reporting : Responsible for creating and maintaining financial systems that help our Center to manage COMPACT programs. Specifically, the Admin designs monthly budget reports for all branches of COMPACT, and detailed spreadsheets for each individual grant / fellowship. The Admin works with Brandeis Procurement / Accounts Payable to streamline budget systems by making independent decisions regarding both Coupa charge lines and Workday Gift Hierarchies on a quarterly basis. The Admin supports annual maintenance of COMPACT Grant Guidelines in accordance with updates to university policies. 20%

Program Support : The Admin supports the programs and events of COMPACT, the Abraham Feinberg Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation (ENACT), and Global Community Engagement (GCE). These programs and events include short-term residencies, academic year undergraduate students programs, grants, orientation events, information sessions, alumni panels, and internship programs. Successful program management requires a variety of tasks including coordinating plans with Center staff, booking rooms, scheduling accommodations and travel for guests, preparing itineraries, ordering food, leading the design and implementation of related marketing materials. 20%

Other duties : Perform other duties as assigned. Support cross-functional groups for assigned division as requested. 5%

Job Requirements :

Education : Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree in business administration preferred.

Experience : 2-4 years of related work experience.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Brandeis University is an equal opportunity employer which does not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religious creed, gender identity and expression, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, genetic information, disability, caste, military or veteran status or any other category protected by law (also known as membership in a "protected class")