Service Facility Team Lead, Research & Innovation Finance

Cornell Research & Innovation’s Finance & Budget team has an immediate opening for a Service Facility Team Lead (Finance Manager I). Well-qualified candidates will be experienced financial professionals with demonstrated skills in complex financial management, budgeting, and reporting, excellent customer service, and good judgment, even under pressure.
 

As Service Facility Team Lead, you will provide hands-on oversight, leadership, and guidance in financial activities for our service facilities. You will manage a team of finance specialists and account representatives who provide comprehensive financial support to ensure accuracy and compliance within these multimillion-dollar operations that serve hundreds of Cornell researchers. You will collaborate regularly with colleagues in Research & Innovation Finance, other Research & Innovation units, and other university departments. You also will provide expertise on allowable costs, rate setting, and regulatory compliance.   

As part of the Cornell community, you will help foster a culture of belonging and a healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and providing oversight of financial operations for service facilities and research cores

• Developing and managing large and complex budgets using university systems

• Conducting long-range financial planning

• Conducting financial analyses and forecasting, identifying trends, risks, and opportunities, and sharing insights to inform decision-making and strategic planning

• Collaborating extensively with facility directors, senior leaders, principal investigators, and university finance offices to align budget strategies with research priorities and operational goals

• Designing and implementing cost recovery models for federally and non-federally funded service facilities

• Providing oversight of capital asset lifecycle management

• Providing post-award financial management and ensuring compliance with sponsor requirements, regulations, and university policies

About Us

Cornell Research & Innovation, led by the Vice Provost for Research and the Vice President for Innovation and External Engagement Strategy, enables and advances the University’s research priorities as well as research activities of Cornell colleges, schools, and research centers, institutes, and laboratories. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research houses the RI Finance & Budget Team, which includes a Post Award Finance Group and a Service Facility Finance Group. RI Finance provides leadership in budgeting, financial reporting, and post‑award financial management for Research & Innovation.

The team delivers comprehensive financial support to research‑enabling administrative units—including the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Office of Research Integrity and Assurance, Pre‑Award Research Operations, Research Development, Innovation, and RI operating units—as well as to faculty and researchers, with a particular focus on complex or multidisciplinary research centers. RI Finance, in collaboration with central partners, oversees research expenditure reporting and advances institution‑wide financial initiatives across Research & Innovation.

What We Need
Send us a cover letter and resume outlining your interest in this position and explaining how your experience and qualifications match the position requirements. Your letter is an important component of your application.

When evaluating your candidacy, we will look for evidence of the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting or related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience

• 3-5 years of experience in financial management, reporting, analysis, and forecasting

• Proven ability to interpret and apply policy and procedures to daily tasks thoughtfully and consistently

• Strong customer service orientation and demonstrated effectiveness in verbal and written communications

• Ability to work quickly and effectively u