Department: MED-Neurological Surgery
Salary/Grade: EXS/9

Job Summary:

• Manages financial operations &/or analysis in support of the Department of Neurosurgery’s mission & in coordination with central offices such as HR, Budget, Financial Aid, Facilities, Purchasing, IT, Provost, etc. 
• Manages daily, monthly, quarterly and annual financial processes for the Department of Neurosurgery.
• Applies industry and professional standards, interprets university policy and procedure, federal and state laws, granting agency guidelines, and other regulations (as applicable).
• Represents &/or guides the Department of Neurosurgery on internal & external financial affairs by recommending alternatives & suggestions.
• Leads and performs all aspects of post-award financial management for sponsored projects.

Areas of responsibility:

• Accounting policy & procedure
• Accounts payable
• Accounts receivable
• Additional/special pay
• Analysis
• Budget
• Creating new accounts
• Expense reimbursement
• Financial Statements
• Forecasting
• Grants &/or awards
• Journal &/or ledger
• Payroll
• Purchase orders
• Recharge
• Reporting
• Salary administration
• Student funding

Specific Responsibilities:

Budget:

• Serves a primary role in the development & implementation of annual budget including fiscal resource allocation of appropriated, discretionary, endowment & gift revenues & expenses.   
• Manages budget & provides timely, accurate financial status for the current fiscal & future plan. 
• Guides units of responsibility through university budgeting and forecasting processes, reviews budget and forecasting submissions.
• Acts a Budget Office expert on units and functions within portfolio of responsibilities.
• Coordinates & completes all associated fiscal year close/open processes.
• Reviews & reconciles actual expenses to budget per NU Audit guidelines. 
• Approves funds reallocation within budget as necessary & appropriate.  

Analysis, Statements & Reporting:

• Measures individual net performance of all areas/units as well as consolidated area/unit income statement & balance sheet with the use of pre-defined analytical financial tools. 
• Prepares area or program financial statements and regulatory reports.
• Performs complex financial account reconciliations, statement analysis, and transaction research.
• Builds, maintains, and updates financial models and associated financial analysis.

Transactions:

• Oversees accurate, efficient and compliant workflow of all transactional processes across areas/units. 
• Oversees processing of all daily financial transactional activity.
• Reviews exceptions forms and reimbursements that require special attention. 
• Requests new chart strings.
• Prepares faculty salary recovery & summer salary.
• Creates & monitors recharge centers.

Grants &/or Awards:

• Involved in the budget management of numerous research grants. 
• Oversees &/or completes pre- & post-award research administration. 
• Utilizes established systems (effort reporting, direct cost charging/SDA, & financial reporting) to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations. 
• Interacts with Principal Investigators (PIs) to build relationships, transfer knowledge & advise on research policies & procedures. 
• Oversees payroll for research appointments. 
• Ensures faculty completion of effort certification.
• Provides appropriate training for staff & PIs.
• Monitors commitments and expenditures to ensure compliance with granting agency guidelines.
• Verifies accurate set up of sponsored project accounts.

Supervision:

• Supervises employees
• Trains employees
• Hires employees
• Evaluates employees' performance
• Provides work direction to other employees

Miscellaneous:

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as accounting, business administration, finance, or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.  
• 5 years financial, budgeting &/or preparing account reconciliations or financial statements along with financial analysis or other relevant experience.

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

• Excellent computer skills including proficiency in the use of spreadsheet, database and word processing software.
• Strong understanding of financial reporting.
• Familiarity with FASB requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• CPA-Certified Public Accountant
• CRA – Clinical Research Associate

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities):

• Consulting with & advising Principal Investigators (PI), especially providing reports on financial progress; a thorough understanding/ability to uphold institutional regulatory requirements; creating data for use in grant submission; accurate/efficient data collection/organization/reporting; meticulous, careful, detail-oriented, organized; able to operate independently; strong interpersonal skills (verbal, written) and ability to build rapport with PIs and teams across multiple disciplines; proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and statistical packages.

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. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.