Financial Operations Specialist, Athletics and Physical Education

Student and Campus Life (SCL) inspires transformation in all Cornell students on their journey of individual, academic and personal evolution. Our division is comprised of leading student affairs experts who support our campus on pressing student life matters including public service, health, wellness, social justice, residential living, food services, sports, recreation, career services, and student activities and organizations including sorority and fraternity life. We provide support and services to roughly 25,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on multiple campuses in the U.S. and abroad.

Cornell University is an NCAA Division I institution and a member of the Ivy League. The university fields teams in 37 intercollegiate sports and provides a comprehensive physical education program. The university is committed to excellence in academics and athletics, gender equity and diversity in its programs, and a well-balanced, broad-based intercollegiate athletics program. Athletics and Physical Education offers a diverse program of physical and outdoor education, recreational services, intramural sports and intercollegiate athletic competition, plus Wellness programs for faculty and staff and fitness centers for the entire Cornell community.

   

Position Summary

The Financial Operations Specialist is a member of a proactive finance team of a dynamic D1 Athletics and Physical Education program and will provide a critical role in stewarding accurate and timely internal transactions to ensure we have reliable source data for financial as well as compliance reporting. This position will work closely with both the Associate Director of Team Travel and Operations and the Finance Analyst and Reporting Specialist to verify coding on travel documents, enterprise revenue transactions and internal billing documents. The position will also assist in monitoring internal controls around Procurement Card Industry (PCI) and credit card usage. In addition, this position will serve as the liaison with the Shared Services Center (SSC) as Athletics & Physical Education’s internal specialist on coding, policy and procedure for submitting Concur travel reports, general ledger error corrections and procurement workflow.

The hiring committee will start reviewing applications in the week of April 21st and April 25th.

Success Factors

• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, to ensure timely and accurate tracking of complex and high volume of financial data
• Takes initiative and strong follow-through on work, proactively communicating with relevant parties in order to complete critical financial tracking and reporting tasks for the organization
• Interest in analysis and assessment work, with comfort in recommending synergies and/or process improvements
• Communicate clearly across a diverse population and proactively reach out to connect with and assist leaders across the Athletics and Physical Education department.
• Promote cooperation and a welcoming environment for all to work together to solve problems and achieve common goals

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a psychologically 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.

Required Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in Accounting and at least 2 relevant years of work experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work with a diverse group of department leaders.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite including Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• Proficient with accounting and reporting systems, experience with Kuali Financial Systems (KFS) and OBIEE a plus.
• Experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to supporting diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and wellbeing.
• Passionate about working in an organization that values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism and wellbeing

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting.
• Understanding of Cornell policies and procedures in the areas of accounting, purchasing and accounts payable.
• Experience with Cornell systems and accounting structure.
• Prior experience working with fund accounting, higher education or intercollegiate athletics.

   

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