Financial Assistant IV Grade D

Clerical and Technical generic job description

Family: Accounting/Financial
Job Code: 507

Representative duties:

Coordinates the preparation of grants, contracts, and budgets
Drafts preliminary financial sections of proposals
Reviews all proposals for accuracy, completeness, and compliance to grantor and University requirements and regulations
Monitors, controls, and maintains financial activity of accounts. Ensures expenditures are posted to proper accounts. Identifies, researches, and corrects questionable expenditures
Serves as the principal source of information on financial policies and procedures and financial activity
Reconciles and analyzes financial statements. Prepares standardized and specialized financial reports and analyses
Oversees and instructs support staff
Oversees the maintenance of financial records and files
Assists with the development and implementation of systems and procedures
May calculate weekly payroll for department staff
Performs clerical functions incidental to accounting activities

The job duties listed above are representative and characteristic of the duties required and the level of the work performed in the job title. The duties will vary from incumbent to incumbent in the job title.

Required knowledge:

Specialized college-level coursework; detailed but narrow knowledge in one or several work-related areas; substantial knowledge of broader field of learning
Broader knowledge of business, accounting or commercial procedures
Working knowledge of University organizational policies and procedures generally; detailed knowledge of one or several narrow areas of University rules and procedures

Required skills:

Extracts and compiles a range of data from written sources, from individuals by asking questions, or from one or several given databases, limited interpretation of data
Routine use of a major library catalogue or reference database
Classifies material for filing; use of straightforward or complex filing systems
Understands more complicated written instructions, memoranda, and policy statements
Composes and proofreads routine formal letters or memoranda for internal or external circulation
Regular, skilled use of more complex machines, including word processors or personal computers

Office and administrative skills:

Keyboards letters, memos and other moderately complex material
Merges, edits, and manipulates data on a personal computer to generate complex reports
Schedules and coordinates appointments
Advises, screens, and refers callers and visitors

Experience, education, and formal training:

Six years of related work experience, four of them in the same job family at the next lower level, and a high school level education; or four years of related work experience and an Associate degree; or little or no work experience and a Bachelor degree in a related field; or an equivalent combination of experience and education

Complexity and organization:

Wide variety of complicated job tasks requiring coordinating numerous processes/methods
Often coordinates or organizes the work of others

Interpersonal relations:

Ongoing involvement outside immediate unit
Offers or obtains specialized information and provides assistance on complex matters
Understands and evaluates what is being said and responds with complex answers that may take time to give

Supervisory guidelines:

Work is subject to general review on an occasional basis
Incumbent plans and schedules own work and/or work of others based on the understanding of broadly defined objectives and priorities; supervisor reviews work after completion
Instruction provided only in new situations, methods, procedures that are not clearly related to existing tasks and duties

Independent judgment:

Established procedures/policies govern some work situations
Regular exercise of independent judgment or initiative
Problems solved by choosing solutions from among several alternatives that are not necessarily governed by established procedures

Leadership responsibility:

Occasionally provides work guidance or orientation for non-routine procedures/policies
Often distributes and monitors work

Impact and consequence of error:

Work has significant impact both on more than one department outside the University
Errors are difficult to recognize and correct and can cause harm or financial loss to individuals, departments, and the University, or to other individuals and groups

Working conditions:

Very little possibility of safety risks
Occasional conflicting demands, time pressures, deadlines, or emergencies
Regular sustained concentration
Some physical effort or dexterity

Example 1

General purpose:

Provide a high level of financial support to the Law School Business Office.

Essential duties:

Monitor, control and maintain financial activity of GA and grant, gift and endowment accounts using Oracle system. Obtain, organize, reconcile and analyze monthly financial statements. Identify, research and correct questionable charges. Prepare JSA transfers and Labor Distribution adjustments to correct financial errors. Prepare standardized and specialized financial reports using Oracle and Excel. Prepare monthly sales tax report
Monitor various funded accounts related to faculty and student activities, such as Sterling Funds, faculty program accounts and grants. Provide web-based and specialized reports as needed
Serve as the principal source of information on financial, purchasing and general payroll policies, procedures and financial activity for faculty, staff, students, other Yale departments and external contacts. Oversee and instruct support staff in financial and purchasing matters. Oversee the maintenance of financial records and files. Oversee bursary students
Input and retrieve data from Oracle financial and administrative applications, the procurement query tool, data warehouse, email, the internet, human resources system, word processing and spreadsheet software, and other database systems
Responsible for maintaining Law School standing orders. May receive, review for accuracy, and process requisitions and requests for services, may process on-line supply orders, review and process journal entries, monitor and SWAP purchasing card transactions, and enter on-line financial commitments
Prepare and verify deposits. Balance cash receipts and accounts, and dispense petty cash funds as needed
Assist in the ongoing implementation of the Oracle system for school use
Assist faculty, staff and students in the completion and processing of forms. Review and verify forms for completeness and accuracy. Research missing information by contacting faculty, staff, students, other university departments and/or external contacts
Provide problem solving regarding unpaid invoices, procurement and other activities
Perform clerical functions incidental to the office including copying, filing, typing, faxing and telephone support

Experience and training:

Six years of related work experience, four of them in the same job family at the next lower level, and a high school level education; or four years of related work experience and an Associate degree; or little or no work experience and a Bachelor degree in a related field; or and equivalent combination of experience and education

Skills and abilities:

Proven accuracy and attention to detail. Excellent organizational skills
Strong demonstrated ability to problem-solve in a technical environment and ability to handle multiple tasks independently and with many interruptions
Extensive experience with computerized spreadsheet program (s), proven database experience
Professional manner with excellent interpersonal skills for customer oriented department
Reliable attendance, punctuality
Preferred: Experience with all Oracle systems

Example 2

General purpose:

Reporting to the designated departmental accountant, and with latitude for administrative discretion and judgment, provide comprehensive financial and accounting assistance in the areas of grants and contracts management, clinical and administrative funds monitoring and reporting and sectional operational responsibilities of an administrative, HR or financial nature for the section.

Essential duties of the position:

Receive, review, enter, track, and verify accuracy of expenses and other financial activities in the section for compliance and university reporting and monitory requirements. Generate all manner of university forms online, oversee purchasing activity, payroll entry. Report generation on a regular and ad hoc basis for grant activity, endowment and special accounts activity, as well as monitoring special use accounts, ensuring positive balance, and alerting PI or business manager of impending overdrafts
Review and generate monthly accounting statements and reconcile all manner of funds on a monthly basis. Verify accuracy of charges; investigate discrepancies, track missing documentation, and correct inappropriate activity using labor distribution, JSA, LDA, and other manual and electronic means to maintain accurate accounting statements
Collect, track, format and generate complex and ad hoc financial and administrative reports relevant to the overall business office functions for the entire section. This includes pre-award grant assembly, content verification, completion of administrative components of proposals, and compiling and verifying budgets for the submission process. Serve as a principal source of information for faculty and staff in the assembly and development process with the business manager, accountant, regulatory office, grants and contracts, and other administrative offices necessary for proper submission
Assist accounting staff with formal grant and contract closings, gathering all pertinent documentation, verifying charges and outstanding commitments and closing standing orders to end all transactions. Confirm equipment existence via Moveable Equipment Inventory, and maintain its accuracy in the section. Maintain all maintenance contracts on all office and lab equipment, and present for review
Perform a wide variety of clerical assistance throughout the section as directed by the supervisor to meet the overall goals and objectives of the section

Education and training:

Six years of related work experience, four of them in the same job family at the next lower level, and a high school level education; or four years of related experience and an Associate degree; or little or no work experience and a Bachelor degree in a related field; or an equivalent combination of experience and education
Thorough working knowledge of spreadsheet software for financial reporting
Formal education or training in bookkeeping or accounting with strong mathematical proficiency
Preferred: Work experience within a clinical department, Oracle training, and knowledge of the School of Medicine’s policies and procedures

Skills and abilities:

Well-developed organizational skills to multi-task and integrate several functions together
Superior communication and reporting skills
Demonstrated proficiency in financial and administrative computer software (Word, Excel, Access, large information systems)
Strong team building skills with well-developed interpersonal skills to work with and provide a high level of support to a wide variety of professional staff and faculty