Department: MED-Medical Social Sciences
Salary/Grade: EXS/5

Target hiring range for this position will be between $49,850-$62,595 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.

Job Summary:

The Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, is innovative, collegial, collaborative, inclusive and highly committed to team science. We are unique among other departments at Feinberg School of Medicine in that we are dedicated to leveraging the social sciences to develop and implement innovations to transform health and healthcare equitably.

MSS has grown to roughly 300 faculty and staff in its 15 year history and we are hiring a Financial Coordinator to serve on a team supporting the department's financial services, particularly in payroll management. This position will ensure that all payroll in the department is charged to the appropriate funding sources in the appropriate amounts each pay period.

Responsibilities include:

• Deploying funding
• Making funding adjustments and clearing suspense
• Pulling reports regularly and proactively taking the necessary steps to avoid suspense
• Working with the research administration team to manage chart string extension requests, and obtain 90 day justification memos and effort certifications when necessary
• Other duties as assigned

The ideal candidate:

• Is highly organize
• Has impeccable follow-through and attention to detail
• Is proactive and process-disciplined by nature
• Has excellent accounting and numeracy skills including high proficiency with spreadsheets and databases
• Genuinely enjoys tracking, reporting, and updating financial information and conducting financial analyses, and
• Thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced, and ambitious environment with a collaborative and mission-driven culture

We are seeking someone with excellent skills in organization, time management, oral and written communication, accounting, numeracy, financial analysis, as well as someone with a team player attitude, a desire for continuous learning and enthusiasm for growing their skills.

Specific Responsibilities:

Budget:

• 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.

Analysis, Statements & Reporting:

• 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.

Transactions:

• 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.

Grants &/or Awards:

• 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.

Administration:

• 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.
• Training:
• Assists with training of new staff members
• Creates & provides financial training on practice, procedure, policy &/or laws & regulations to customers.

Supervision:

• 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.

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Experience with NU HR and financial systems
• Experience with Smartsheet
• Experience managing multiple priorities with competing deadlines

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Highly self-organized
• Impeccable follow-through
• Highly process-disciplined
• Highly proactive
• Strong critical thinking skills

Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at to learn more.

Northwestern strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for people who can obtain them as a critical tool for minimizing severe illness. More information can be found on the webpage.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.

#LI-GY2