Innovation Hub Operations & Finance Specialist

Penn State Lady Lions; State College (Centre County); Hybrid; USD 66,000 - 108,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

75% tuition discount

Competitive benefits package

Job summary

Penn State is seeking a highly organized Research Operations Specialist to support the Office of Entrepreneurship and the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub in State College, PA.

The role covers operational, financial, project management, and administrative support to a complex, multidisciplinary organization. The successful candidate will manage budgets, analyze data in Excel, coordinate events, and collaborate across Finance, HR, Procurement and Facilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in business, finance, or related field.
• Demonstrated experience with budgets, forecasting, and financial reporting.
• Strong Excel skills: formulas, PivotTables, data analysis, reporting.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain financial and operational tracking tools for forecasting and reporting.
• Monitor budgets, expenditures, and grants across programs.
• Support budget development, forecasting, and reconciliations.
• Utilize advanced Excel to analyze data and generate leadership-ready reports.
• Coordinate procurement, travel, contracts, and vendor management.
• Maintain documentation to support audits, compliance, and reporting.
• Collaborate with Finance, HR, Procurement, and Facilities on operational needs.
• Support Hub operations: events, space management, and programs.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Budget management

Analytical skills

Project management

Attention to detail

Independent work

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Workfront

Workday

SIMBA/SAP

Power BI

SharePoint

Job description

Penn State is seeking a highly organized Research Operations Specialist to support the Office of Entrepreneurship and the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub in State College, PA.

The role covers operational, financial, project management, and administrative support to a complex, multidisciplinary organization. The successful candidate will manage budgets, analyze data in Excel, coordinate events, and collaborate across Finance, HR, Procurement and Facilities.