Research Finance & Operations Coordinator

Carnegie Mellon University; False Pass (AK); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Carnegie Mellon University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department seeks a Finance and Operations Coordinator to support sponsored research activities, departmental finance and operations, and student financial administration.

The role partners with faculty, staff, students, the Engineering Research Accelerator, and other university units to ensure accurate, efficient financial and administrative handling in alignment with university policies.

Responsibilities

• Compile, track, enter, and maintain Oracle labor distribution and costing allocations.
• Work with faculty and the Engineering Research Accelerator's post-award team to compile and maintain planned labor allocations.
• Ensure that salary distributions align with faculty plans, approved budgets, available funding, and project periods.
• Process labor redistributions and resolve discrepancies involving salary allocations.
• Coordinate effort certification and summer effort processing, working with faculty and appropriate university partners to support timely and accurate completion.
• Maintain accurate records and supporting documentation for labor and effort transactions.
• In collaboration with the Engineering Research Accelerator's pre-award & post-award teams: Monitor research account balances, expenditures, commitments, planned labor, funding periods, and other financial activity.
• Assist with financial projections, account reconciliation, cost transfers, award setup, reporting, and closeout activities.
• Identify potential funding, spending, or allocation issues and communicate them proactively to faculty, departmental leadership, and research administration partners.
• Respond to faculty questions regarding research account activity, available balances, allowable expenses, and relevant university procedures.
• Synthesize information from financial systems, award documentation, policies, and stakeholder input to support sound account management and decision- making.
• Participate in meetings between faculty and the Engineering Research Accelerator
• Attend RAC and College research administrator meetings, and others as appropriate to maintain awareness of relevant policy, process, and system changes and communicate important information to others.
• Primary monitor for department shared "cee research "email
• Process financial transactions, such as but not limited to; account redistributions, cost transfers, professional development funds, check deposits, purchase requisitions/purchase orders and other departmental financial activity, as needed.
• Review project account transactions for accuracy, appropriate authorization, available funding, supporting documentation, and compliance with university policies.
• Reconcile project accounts financial activity, investigate discrepancies, and work with appropriate university units to resolve issues.
• Process student employment transactions in Workday, including appointments and changes for PhD students, hourly research assistants, teaching assistants, and graders.
• Coordinate with faculty, academic program staff, and university partners to obtain complete and accurate information for student appointments.
• Process graduate scholarships and financial aid through GRAD AID and related university systems.
• Research and resolve student financial and employment issues by consulting university systems, policies, and appropriate university partners.
• Establish, monitor, reconcile, and report on Dean's Fellowship professional development funds.
• Administer and track student travel grants and awards, including SURF, SURG, REU, GSA, and other departmental or university funding if and as needed

Skills

Labor distribution

Costing

Effort administration

Budget management

Financial reporting

Collaboration with faculty

Tools

Oracle

Workday

GRAD AID

Job description

Carnegie Mellon University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department seeks a Finance and Operations Coordinator to support sponsored research activities, departmental finance and operations, and student financial administration.

The role partners with faculty, staff, students, the Engineering Research Accelerator, and other university units to ensure accurate, efficient financial and administrative handling in alignment with university policies.