Working/Functional Title

Finance Assistant

Position Summary

Reporting to the Finance Director, the Finance Assistant serves as the account fiscal officer for endowment accounts, lead financial processor/procurement management, pre-award grant support, student employee and On-Call/Temporary hiring coordination, and more. Your expertise will directly contribute to the success of our academic programs and the overall functioning of our college.

Key Responsibilities:

• Endowment and Gift Account Management Serve as the account fiscal officer for James Madison College's endowment and gift accounts. Monitor account balances, advise stakeholders on fund availability, and collaborate with team members to ensure that expenditures align with donor intentions.
• Financial Operations and Documentation Prepare and submit finance eDocs in EBS, including disbursement vouchers, purchase orders, and budget reallocations. Process faculty funding requests for undergraduate research and conference travel, utilizing Business Intelligence reports to identify and address potential issues. Coordinate student scholarships, ensuring accurate record-keeping and advising on fund availability.
• Grant Pre-Award Support Provide essential pre-award support to faculty seeking external funding for scholarly and research activities. Act as the primary contact for processing grant proposals with the Office of Sponsored Programs, assisting with budget development and guiding faculty through the proposal process.
• Travel Coordination Oversee all travel arrangements for faculty, staff, and students, including airfare purchases and conference registrations. Manage the MSU Global Travel Database and reconcile travel expenses according to MSU Business Manual guidelines. Coordinate travel logistics for college job applicants and lead group travel arrangements, ensuring compliance with policies and evaluating processes to enhance efficiency.
• Student and Temporary Employee Processing Act as the college lead for all student and on-call/temporary employees hiring. Process human resources forms in SAP for hiring and terminations, write job descriptions, and oversee job postings. Ensure compliance with Federal laws and MSU policies during onboarding and I-9 completion. Manage time reporting and payroll for student and temporary positions, ensuring accuracy to prevent errors that could impact the college's reputation and operations.
• Procurement Management Lead procurement efforts for the college by identifying funding sources and managing inventory of office supplies. Prepare requisitions, order materials, and investigate new supply needs. Oversee the ordering of books, business cards, and meal tickets for faculty and staff, while also assisting in budget development for Career Exposure trips and Study Away programs.

Minimum Requirements

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired in the first two or three years in college, technical school or related field; six months to one year of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in customer service or in performing tasks related to the area of employment; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

Self-starter whose strengths include creative thinking, excellent communication, organization, and interpersonal skills; detail oriented with high level of accuracy; ability to identify and resolve problems exercising excellent judgment; articulate and professional; ability to handle varied, multiple and competing project priorities; ability to work independently on projects; dependability; ability to forecast potential trouble spots, ability to interact professionally and effective