Faculty Financial Coordinator - Waterloo, Canada - University of Waterloo

University of Waterloo

Verified Company

Waterloo, Canada

1 week ago

Posted by:

Sophia Lee

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Description

Overview:

Under the general guidance of the Faculty Financial Officer, the Faculty Financial Coordinator ('FFC') is responsible for making or facilitating purchases on behalf of clients identified, particularly student teams and students involved in Capstone or other projects.

The incumbent provides exceptional client support, expert advice, training, and guidance required to ensure first-class customer experience, as well as efficient and effective processing of financial transactions.

The role is also responsible for following applicable University policies, procedures, accounting standards and sponsor guidelines.

The incumbent liaises with a number of service units across the University including Procurement, Finance, Dean of Engineering Office and clients' home departments to deliver on service expectations.

The FFC will be assigned to work with different service units in Engineering (e.g., Engineering Core Facilities including Student Design Centre) to meet the Faculty's operational needs.

However, the incumbent's top priority is to support the needs of Engineering students, and to take care of purchasing logistics on students' behalf.

The FFC will take concrete steps to reduce the time required to process out-of-pocket expenses.

Responsibilities:

Conduct planning to anticipate clients' procurement needs

Collect, review, and analyze transactional data, report on trends
Consult with Student Design Centre (SDC), Waterloo Engineering Endowment Foundation (WEEF), Dean's Office, Engineering Core Facilities, and other stakeholders to understand the procurement needs of clients
Take proactive actions to optimize the procurement process and address issues upfront (e.g., bulk purchases)
Work with Procurement to negotiate better pricing or to establish/maintain appropriate relationships with vendors

Contribute to systematic solutions to address clients' purchasing needs

Work with Special Project Officer, Engineering Computing, and stakeholders to design, implement and continuously improve an electronic workflow that will collect order information from clients, compare purchase requests against approved budgets, manage approvals, track purchasing activities and report to sponsors upon request
Connect this workflow with other enterprise solutions and 3rd party systems (if applicable) to streamline operations
Monitor system performance and propose improvements

Execute financial transactions in accordance with University policies and sponsor guidelines

Ensure all necessary approvals are in place and all policy requirements (including procurement rules) are met before an order is placed
Obtain quotes from multiple vendors or participate in RPFs if required
Adhere to strict client service standards
Determine optimal purchasing methods which include Purchase Order, P-Card, Direct Billing
Purchase items on behalf of clients, arrange pickup or direct delivery
Facilitate returns and warranty if required
Responsible for records keeping, and for reconciling receipts with financial transactions posted in the University's accounting system on a regular basis
Provide additional information required to facilitate internal/external compliance or audit reviews

Facilitate expense claims initiated by clients

Take proactive actions to minimize outofpocket expenses incurred by clients
Provide clients with necessary training upfront if outofpocket expenses cannot be avoided (e.g., travel claims)
Facilitate cash advance if appropriate
Support clients throughout the claim process in a timely manner; respond to inquiries relating to expense claims and escalate issues to the Executive Officer if appropriate
Review expense claims to ensure all necessary approvals, receipts, and other supporting documents are included to minimize delay in processing
Track processing time and report on trends
Keep 3rd party sponsor (e.g., WEEF) informed regarding the status of claims funded by them and respond to their queries promptly

Support the financial transactions of various service units in Engineering

Review purchasing requests and ensure all necessary approvals are in place
Enter purchasing requisitions, arrange direct billing, or fulfill P-Card purchases
Responsible for records keeping
Reconcile transactions with financial records

Other duties

Inventory/asset management
Other duties as assigned from time to time

Qualifications:

Undergraduate degree in a related discipline or equivalent related education/experience
A recognized accounting designation (CPA) considered an asset
Proven experience in providing exceptional client services in the University sector or comparable environment
Experience with process improvement
Consistent track record in supporting a broader spectrum of procurement, accounting, and finance functions
Demonstrated extensive competencies in accounting and data management
Strong communication and interpersonal skills and