Financial Coordinator

Financial Coordinator

The Financial Coordinator is a key member of the Medill Business Office, supporting the school's financial operations through transactional processing, accurate record-keeping, and assistance with budgeting and financial reporting. This position plays a vital role in ensuring compliance with university policies while maintaining timely and efficient financial services for faculty, staff, and other stakeholders. The position follows a hybrid work schedule, with three days onsite and two days remote.

Specific Responsibilities :

• Prepares materials for annual budget planning such as analysis, budget performance reports & year-end close data.
• Provides updated budget estimates & account research.
• Ensures lead schedules are prepared.
• Guides units of responsibility through university budgeting and forecasting processes, reviews budget and forecasting submissions.
• Serves a primary role in the development & implementation of annual budget including fiscal resource allocation of appropriated, discretionary, endowment & gift revenues & expenses.
• Coordinates & / or provides information for annual salary review process.
• Creates daily, monthly & / or annual analysis & reports regarding area / unit, grants & / or awards, accounts, funds, payroll, expense & / or revenue allocation, etc.
• Prepares financial analysis and lead schedules for supplies, equipment, & / or personnel decisions.
• Assists with monthly / quarterly / annual journal entries, reports and statements.
• Provides support for annual audit work papers.
• Maintains, and updates financial models and analysis.
• Provides review and oversight of all types of financial transactions some of which may be complex in regard to size or duration of account.
• Enters individual & / or summary of transactions into journals & / or general ledger or other NU enterprise system.
• Reviews; ensures approval based on alternatives regarding practice & policy; analyzes and classifies transactions in accordance with established chart or coding of accounts; creates new accounts; prepares, processes, reconciles & provides receipts (as appropriate) for transactions.
• Processes transfer & / or appropriation charges & may balance & / or close accounts.
• Troubleshoots problems; performs vendor / account research as needed; obtains additional information from or provides instruction & guidance for customers / vendors; corrects or escalates.
• Maintains Chart of Account lists.
• Prepares & delivers bank deposits.
• Accesses multiple banking systems to process transactions, retrieve information, & / or initiate wire transfers.
• Provides financial policy interpretation to determine the validity of customer requests & ensure compliance.
• Contacts outside agencies, banks & / or banking systems to obtain clarification of rules & / or regulations.
• Controls account availability for all chart strings.
• Provides support for internal audit requests.
• Provides assistance regarding grant financial administration such as preparing financial information for grant submission.
• Completes post award accounting.
• Sets-up sub-contracts & / or start-up research accounts.
• Modifies grant budgets.
• Reviews, forecasts, and budgets grants performance.
• Closes grants.
• Approves expenditures on travel, consulting & / or equipment, along with various forms, such as Intra Institutional Vouchers, Requests for Accounting Corrections, the Research Assistant and Scholarship Appointments, & / or payroll adjustments, in accordance with granting agency guidelines & University policies & procedures.
• Processes subcontract payments according to rules & regulations of granting agencies.
• Reconciles subcontract payments.
• Verifies payroll funding entries.
• Corrects charges to various accounts.
• Processes & presents data & information through the application of database, graphic & spreadsheet software.
• Obtains data by downloading from enterprise system; develops and runs queries.
• Completes special financial projects such as : (enter in explanation of special projects) :
• Performs general office support activities.
• Assists with training of new staff members.
• Creates & provides financial training on practice, procedure, policy & / or laws & regulations to customers.
• Supervises temporary, part-time or work study students.
• Provides work direction to others.
• Supervises other employees.
• Assists with hiring employees.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications :

Minimum Competencies : (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

Target hiring range for this position will be $53,000 - $60,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.