Associate Director, Research Cash Operations

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 99,100 - 143,567; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition assistance

Commuting benefits

Job summary

Northeastern University seeks an Associate Director, Research Cash Operations to lead the NU-RES Finance cash team, reconcile research bank and clearing accounts, and ensure accurate cash applications and AR. This role partners with Treasury, Accounting, Accounts Payable, SFS, and Advancement and drives process improvements and compliance with sponsor rules and university policies.

The successful candidate will manage workload, mentor staff, develop SOPs, stay current with regulations, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• 4‑6 years of relevant work experience
• Basic understanding of general accounting principles, standards, and regulations
• Strong technical skills with Microsoft Office 365 including Teams, Excel, Word, SharePoint, and Outlook, as well as Adobe Acrobat and other analytical tools
• Demonstrated ability to lead and thrive in a fast‑paced operations environment, lead process improvement initiatives, and manage multiple priorities for cross‑functional initiatives
• Excellent leadership, analytical, and problem‑solving skills with high attention to detail and organization
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to interact with management and senior leadership

Responsibilities

• Reconcile the Research bank account and research clearing account monthly
• Oversee payment identification and AR processes to ensure accurate reflections
• Develop metrics to track accuracy and efficiency; resolve escalations
• Collaborate with Treasury, Bank Accounting, Finance, SFS, and Advancement on cash management
• Lead SOP development and training on cash management procedures

Skills

Leadership

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

SharePoint

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Associate Director, Research Cash Operations

About the Opportunity

This position supports the functions of the Northeastern University Research Enterprise Services (NU-RES) Finance office by ensuring that the University maintains compliance with applicable federal regulations, sponsor requirements, and university policies, with a focus on fiscal compliance. NU-RES Finance supports the research and scholarly activities of Northeastern's faculty in collaboration with colleges and administrative staff by providing financial and administrative services, financial and regulatory oversight of sponsored program accounts, and monitoring trends and developing strategies to address their impacts.

Job Summary

Reporting to the Director, the Associate Director, Research Cash Management supports the functions and overall business operations of the central Research Finance team by providing organizational efficiencies, assisting with the oversight of financial operations and processes, and providing targeted support for the department's cash management functions. This role manages and reconciles the research bank and clearing accounts, makes necessary entries in the financial system to ensure accurate accounting of all research payments, and manages cash collection efforts and open accounts receivable (AR). The Associate Director collaborates with the NU-RES Finance team and department leadership on identifying and resolving bad debt, cash variances, and AR write-offs as needed.

The Associate Director is responsible for the overall management of the cash team, monitoring workload and priorities, evaluating productivity against performance measures, and providing constructive feedback and performance improvement plans when necessary, including annual performance evaluations. This role serves as an escalation point for cash management issues, trains staff and University personnel on established policies, maintains system data on sponsored projects within the financial system and tracker logs in SharePoint, and develops standard operating procedures (SOPs) and process improvements for cash management procedures.

A key success factor for this role is remaining current with federal regulations and the ability to train others on their application. The Associate Director must treat effective compliance as an equal priority, stay abreast of sponsor rules, regulations, and policy changes, and lead the adoption of best practices to promote continuous improvement. The Associate Director works with NU-RES Directors on fiscal compliance and AR monitoring and fosters collaborative working relationships with colleagues across organizational units including Treasury Services, Accounting, Accounts Payable, University Advancement, and Student Financial Services (SFS). This position works across various electronic platforms and systems and requires strong technical proficiency, including the ability to use a VPN, navigate the financial system, work in federal and non‑federal sponsor portals, and gain access to several electronic systems required for the University to obtain payments. Northeastern is a global university; remote locations and work schedules are determined based on operational needs and in consultation with team members, consistent with university policies and guidance.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Payment Processing Operations (30%)

• Work with the Bank Accounting team to reconcile the Research bank account.
• Oversee the overall payment identification process and assignment of incoming electronic payments and check deposits into the Research clearing account, including claiming payments from the bank and ensuring weekly check deposits are processed and recorded accurately.
• Oversee payment application processes for all incoming funds, including all Letter of Credit (LOC) draw applications; ensure funds are applied timely to accurately reflect open AR.
• Develop metrics to track accuracy and efficiency of the team; troubleshoot and resolve escalated payment identification issues flagged by the cash team; ensure the team has current analysis tools and up-to-date information for decision‑making.
• Collaborate with other university offices to research and resolve RNA payments.
• Oversee and reconcile the internal NU‑RES research clearing account on a monthly and quarterly basis.

Registrations and Supplier Portals (20%)

• Coordinate with sponsors to complete vendor and supplier registrations, portal setup, and ACH enrollment requirements for Northeastern.
• Oversee the triaging and management of the Research Accounting central inbox; ensure timely response and resolution of items.
• Work closely with Research Administration to ensure timely registration to facilitate the award acceptance process prior to award issuance.
• Maintain close working relationships with other Northeastern departments including Treasury Services, Bank Accounting, Finance, SFS, and Advancement; develop SOPs and collaborate on process improvements for cash management operations.
• Work with compliance offices to complete supplier questionnaires for profile setup.
• Work with Bank of America as needed to troubleshoot questions or satisfy information requests.

Orderly Closeout of Grant Accounts (25%)

• Identify and process AR write-offs for account closeout or bad debt.
• Collaborate with Research Financial Administrators (RFAs) and Research Award Administrators (RAAs) to identify and process necessary payment adjustments and corrections for grant closeouts and reconcile cash applications.
• Work with analysts and Accounts Payable to identify, prepare, and process refunds to sponsors as needed.

Other Cash Accounting and General Ledger Reconciliations (15%)

• Identify, research, and process various accounting corrections needed to ensure accurate application of cash, including University Advancement, Ledger 3 FFS, and PhD network payments, as well as cash claim reversals and other corrections of non‑research payments received by the NU‑RES Finance office.
• Oversee collection efforts and work with the leadership team to identify potential uncollectible receivables.
• Assist with year‑end activities including researching Research AR and assisting with reserve analysis.

SOP and Guidance Document Development (5%)

• Develop and update SOPs and guidance documents for both internal team use and external guidance.
• Ensure alignment throughout all research finance business processes.

Audits and Special Projects (5%)

• Assist the Research Finance leadership team on reporting and special projects as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• 4‑6 years of relevant work experience
• Basic understanding of general accounting principles, standards, and regulations
• Strong technical skills with Microsoft Office 365 including Teams, Excel, Word, SharePoint, and Outlook, as well as Adobe Acrobat and other analytical tools
• Demonstrated ability to lead and thrive in a fast‑paced operations environment, lead process improvement initiatives, and manage multiple priorities for cross‑functional initiatives
• Excellent leadership, analytical, and problem‑solving skills with high attention to detail and organization
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to interact with management and senior leadership

Preferred

• Experience in business‑to‑business (B2B) accounting, accounts receivable, and working with local and federal agencies
• Experience with federal portals and sponsor systems
• Experience with Workday Finance
• Experience managing or supervising a team

Required Documents

• Resume

Position Type

Finance

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit‑eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement, as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation Grade/Pay Type

112S

Expected Hiring Range

$99,010.00 - $143,567.50

Application

To apply, visit https://northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/careers/job/Boston-MA-Main-Campus/Associate-Director--Research-Cash-Operations_R140860