Northwestern University · 22 hours ago
Senior Financial Assistant
Evanston, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
$21.48/hr - $28.53/hr
4+ years expNorthwestern University is a prestigious educational institution, and they are seeking a Senior Financial Assistant to provide broad financial and accounting support. The role involves maintaining budget accounts, coordinating financial transactions, and assisting with grant financial administration while ensuring compliance with university policies and regulations.
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Responsibilities
Maintains & tracks individual budget accounts
Coordinates annual budget process including tasks associated with the open/close processes
Manages calendar, spreadsheets, templates & forms; monitors submissions
Completes reconciliation procedures
Creates summary reports
Coordinates &/or provides information for annual salary review process
Prepares account, budget, cost, expenditure &/or funds analysis
Provides reports to managers/PIs in tracking payment status & notification when balances & activities do not comply with policy, procedures or are inadequately prepared
Runs reports & queries; reviews for incomplete records, data entry errors, &/or accounting mistakes
May analyze open encumbrances that are no longer valid & recommend appropriate modifications to ensure smooth processing of financial transactions
Independently completes & maintains transactions in enterprise systems
Provides review and oversight of all types of financial transactions some of which may be complex in regard to size or duration of account
Tracks workflow and approvals; ensures approval based on alternatives regarding practice & policy
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
Prepares & delivers bank deposits
Accesses multiple banking systems to process transactions, retrieve information, &/or initiate wire transfers
Independently 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
Coordinates entry of information into database; conducts audits for accuracy
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
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
Provides excellent customer service, over the phone and in person answering standard questions regarding status of requests, policies and procedures for processing transactions, &/or instructions for completing paperwork
Independently instructs & advises regarding options and appropriate courses of action & follows-up inquiries to ensure customer satisfaction
Provides administrative support in regard to HR matters such as hiring, onboarding, benefits, compensation, etc
Completes other administrative &/or clerical activities such as organizing meetings; reserving AV equipment
Coordinates office, lab &/or building repairs & maintenance
Maintains inventory
Assists with training of new staff members
Creates & provides financial training on practice, procedure, policy &/or laws & regulations to customers
Supervises or leads temporary, part-time or work study students
Provides guidance to junior employees
Performs other duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
High school diploma or the equivalent
4 years accounting &/or bookkeeping or other relevant experience
Excellent computer skills including advanced proficiency in the use of spreadsheet, database and word processing software
Familiarity with financial reporting
Benefits
Health care plans
Retirement benefits
Tuition discounts
Comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities
Flexible work arrangements
Programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care
Employee career development resources
Company
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research and teaching university that offers academic programs across various fields of study. It is a sub-organization of Northwestern Athletics.
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Northwestern University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (325)
2024 (308)
2023 (280)
2022 (282)
2021 (184)
2020 (155)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$98.02MKey Investors
National Peanut BoardAdvanced Research Projects Agency for HealthGRAMMY Museum
2024-10-30Grant
2024-10-04Grant· $34M
2023-11-28Grant· $0.02M
Leadership Team
Diego Klabjan
Professor
Henry Bienen
Interim President
Recent News
2026-01-11
Digital Journal
2026-01-11
2026-01-09
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