Associate Director Of Finance & Administration, College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences Bardi

Associate Director Of Finance & Administration, College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences
Bardi
Emilia Romagna, Bardi

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Posting DetailsPosting Number: 20254292S

Position Title: Associate Director of Finance & Administration, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Position Type: Staff

Location: Villanova, PA

Recruitment Type: Internal/External Applicants

Work Schedule: full-time/12-months

Avg Hours Week

Department: 130-Dean-Arts and Sciences

Position Summary: Reporting to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration, the Associate Director of Finance & Administration will assist with the implementation of the daily finance activities assigned to the College finance team, with a focus on planning and activity related to sponsored awards.

As a member of the College's finance team, the Associate Director will also aid in the management and tracking of both salary and non-salary expenses, with an emphasis on tracking the level of effort of project investigators working on grants.

The individual in this position will create and provide ongoing training of college faculty and staff on research-related finance topics and act as a key point of contact for University and College financial policies and procedures.

The Associate Director will also assist in the general financial management and resource reporting of the College.

They will oversee all aspects of student hiring in the college and act as the key point of contact for all CLAS faculty and staff who require oversight related to external contract agreements.

This position upholds high standards for professionalism, service, and confidentiality.

Duties and Responsibilities:GRANTS AND SPONSORED AWARDS – FINANCIAL TRACKING AND REPORTING:Support the Assistant Dean in the review of sponsored award proposals to:Determine whether the College has the resources to support the proposed research, including space, personnel, and other administrative resources. Identify a College or departmental funding source for research funding requests, including cost share accounts and advance accounts. Review budget proposals for accuracy and allowability of each budgeted item, appropriate account codes, personnel rates, and cost sharing arrangements. Collaborate with Sponsored Research Administrators (SRAs) to monitor the impact of sponsored award activity on College and Departmental budgets, including:Ensure timely and accurate index and grant budget account setup. Identify College and Departmental funding sources for retroactive labor distributions, cost transfers, journal vouchers, and overdraft clearing entries (also known as deficits). Meet with SRAs and research faculty after grant is awarded to review award and budget details, expected timeline, hiring needs, contracting requirements, and to address faculty questions. Track research financial activity:Review effort reports for accuracy according to grant guidelines.

Recommend adjustments to faculty and implement changes. Review spending reports with faculty to identify potential budgeting issues, refine projections, and address with SRAs and faculty. Determine the allowability of expenses, particularly with respect to student stipends and payments to vendors. Coordinate the hiring of staff and student workers with faculty, department admins, and HR by opening new positions, assisting faculty with preparing job descriptions and determining salary. Serve as a primary resource for grant Program Coordinators to answer questions and coordinate training on VU policies and procedures. Upon request, work with departments to create requisitions for purchasing assigned to grants, reviewing budgets for appropriate spending, as defined by the grant. Serve as a resource for planning and reporting related to faculty discretionary research accounts. Act as an approver in Concur and Novabuy purchasing system.

Maintain understanding of related policies and support awareness and compliance related to these. Ensure proper onboarding of research personnel at correct wage rate, term, title, etc.

Review and confirm funding availability over the contract term. Liaise with HR, Procurement, Legal and Risk Management, UNIT and OG&C on the PI's behalf to assist with vendor onboarding, contract preparation, personnel hiring, expense classification, student housing over summer, courtesy card requests, and tuition remission. Develop and track award budgets for research gifts and grants outside OG&C:Work with the Director of Foundation Relations and faculty to develop award budget and budget justification. Assist faculty with budget tracking, funds management, and projections. Assist faculty with award reporting requirements. Maintain expert knowledge of the Cayuse system, used to upload grant proposals and to manage all sponsored awards. Keep track of all cost share commitments covered from college resources. Evaluate new cost share requests and calculate projected impact on College budget. Track the allocation of indirect returns from grant budgets to college indexes.

Maintain indirect return projections. BUDGET ANALYSIS / EXPENSE TRACKING:Administer the budget for the Office of the Dean and supervise the reconciliation of the Dean's indices; overseeing Financial Coordinator in regularly auditing activity. Work with all CLAS department chairs in tracking faculty workloads within each academic department. Oversee all duties tied to overload and supplemental payroll. Oversee all tasks assigned to overload payroll; monitor monthly overload costs within departments. Work with Financial Coordinator to review and finalize adjunct payroll; monitor monthly adjunct costs within departments. Assist departmental staff with complex financial issues. Assist with budget planning, projections, and analysis; assist the Assistant Dean with annual budget preparations for the College, specifically research accounts, indirect costs returns, and student worker expense tracking. Work with Financial Coordinator to provide summer lunch and learn trainings to CLAS admin staff on topics related to financial management / payroll processing within their departments. Assist VSSA Program Director with budget management, housing/meal charges, student housing enrollments, and stipend processing. STUDENT HIRING:Act as the key point of contact for all CLAS departments for student hiring, including Graduate Assistants and hourly student workers; provide guidance to departments in using PeopleAdmin and posting positions. Build and maintain database of all Graduate Assistant and Tuition Scholar data.

Request updates from departments as needed and work with the Office of Graduate Studies to ensure accurate submission of tuition remission and student stipend payments. Create tools to inform processes on hiring and terminating students. Oversee the process of student stipend payments for all CLAS departments by reviewing student award letters and stipend requests for accuracy and HR compliance. POLICIES & PROCEDURES / METRICS:Act as the initial reviewer of all CLAS external contract agreements for compliance with university policies and procedures; remain up to date on all any new policies defined by the Controller's office, educating CLAS faculty and staff accordingly. Work as key point of contact with university offices, namely Risk Management, Procurement, General Counsel office, the Research Accounting office, Foundation Relations and OG&C.

Liaise with additional university offices, e. g. , Human Resources and Payroll on an ongoing basis. Assist the Assistant Dean of Finance & Administration with the collection of data and metrics to drive decision-making. OTHER DUTIES:Assist in the creation of program/project budgets. Attend campus meetings and trainings to keep abreast of new information regarding financial processes. Complete other reporting as assigned. Minimum Qualifications:Formal Education:Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Public Administration or related field required. Minimum Work Experience:The candidate must have 5-7 years of financial management experience with relevant and applicable experience with budget development and analysis or accounting, within an academic or non-profit environment. Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office suite of software applications.

Proficient knowledge of Excel is required, particularly proven ability to create spreadsheets, manage, and analyze data using pivot tables, charts, and graphs. The candidate must have thorough knowledge of financial, budgetary, and procurement procedures.

Working knowledge of SCT Banner and Oracle Discoverer preferred. The Associate Director of Finance will work in a high performing, high volume, and team-based environment.

The individual must be able to work through tasks concurrently. The ability to work with a diverse population of administrators, faculty, students, and staff is a must, as well as a commitment to service excellence, innovation, integrity, and diversity in the performance of job duties. Specific Job Knowledge:Must have excellent interpersonal, organizational, and planning skills and be an exceptional team player. Must have a proven ability to consistently maintain an outstanding level of professionalism with multiple interest groups. Must have a required understanding and effective use of confidentiality. Must have the ability to work independently and handle multiple projects with deadlines in a fast-paced environment under general supervision. Attention to written and numerical detail required. The individual must have a deep commitment to the well-being of the college and the advancement of its mission, and to serving the needs of a diverse community. The individual must be an upbeat, energetic self-starter who enjoys collaboration with a wide variety of people. Preferred Qualifications:Prior work with finances associated with external grants preferred. Working knowledge of SCT Banner and Oracle Discoverer preferred. Physical Requirements and/or Unusual Work Hours:Special Message to Applicants: Applications must include the contact information for 3 references who will be sent requests to submit confidential letters of recommendation for interviewed candidates only.

Posting Date:02/25/2025

Closing Date (11:59pm ET):Salary Posting Information: Commensurate with experience.

Salary Band: 16 Job Classification: exempt

References Needed:Minimum Number of References Needed: 3

Maximum Number of References Needed: 3

Supplemental Questions:Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

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