Temporary Business Operations Specialist

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Vision benefits

Dental benefits

Paid time off

Tuition assistance

Wellness program

Retirement benefits

Commuting benefits

Job summary

Northeastern University is seeking a Budget & Operations Specialist in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department to support purchasing, procurement, and hiring operations for student and research staff. The role requires attention to detail, discretion with sensitive information, and independent work within university policies.

Responsibilities include managing procure-to-pay processes, reimbursements, budget tracking, and contract administration, while coordinating with faculty,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 2-4 years of progressive administrative experience in a fast-paced office environment; university setting preferred.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a primary point of public contact in a multi-constituent environment (students, faculty, visitors, vendors).

Responsibilities

• Procure-to-Pay & Purchasing Operations: act as the point of contact for procure-to-pay processes, manage purchase orders and contracts, coordinate with General Counsel and vendors.
• Financial Operations Support: process reimbursements, perform reconciliations, maintain audit-ready accounting files, support budget tracking.
• Student & Research Staff Hiring: manage hiring intake for hourly student workers and research staff, coordinate with Student Employment Office on timesheets.
• Process Support & Special Projects: analyze spend data, support procurement process improvements, assist with special projects as assigned.

Skills

Communication

Customer service

Discretion

Organization

Time management

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

About the Opportunity

Summary: The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) seeks a Budget & Operations Specialist to support the department's purchasing, procurement, and student/research staff employment operations. This position serves as a point of contact on procure-to-pay and contract processes for department and research purchases - processing and facilitating purchasing requests with a high level of accuracy and customer service, managing purchase orders and contracts from initiation to completion, and supporting financial operations tied to procurement, including reimbursements, reconciliations, and budget tracking. This position also serves as the department's intake point for hourly student and research staff hiring requests. Reporting to the Business Manager, this role requires strong attention to detail, discretion in handling sensitive financial and personnel information, and the ability to work independently within established university procurement and financial policies.

Qualifications

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum of 2-4 years of progressive administrative experience in a fast-paced office environment; experience in a university or academic setting strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a primary point of public contact in a multi-constituent environment (students, faculty, visitors, vendors).

Skills & Competencies:

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) required.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, make sound independent decisions, and carry out complex assignments with minimal supervision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft professional correspondence, presentations, and reports on behalf of the department.
• Outstanding interpersonal and customer service skills; ability to interact professionally and warmly with individuals at all levels, including students, faculty, senior administrators, and industry guests.
• High level of discretion and ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and sound judgment.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and follow-through; resourceful and committed to building deep institutional knowledge of department programs, faculty, and university resources.

Responsibilities

• Procure-to-Pay & Purchasing Operations: Serve as point of contact for procure-to-pay and contract processes for department purchases. Process and facilitate purchasing requests with a high level of accuracy and customer service. Manage purchase orders and contracts from initiation to completion; serve as liaison with the Office of General Counsel and vendors for contract tracking, filing, and negotiation. Create documentation to capture existing and new procurement workflows; support training for faculty and staff on procurement processes and timelines.
• Financial Operations Support: Own reimbursement processing for students and department guests, verifying compliance with university policy and submitting and/or approving transactions through Concur or the CANDEX. Perform reconciliations and maintain accounting files for audit compliance; analyze and help resolve financial discrepancies. Review departmental purchasing requests and route them through proper approval processes; support budget tracking and ordering for departmental programs, ensuring grant-funded or restricted-fund orders carry proper authorization.
• Student & Research Staff Hiring: Serve as the department's intake point for faculty requests to hire student employees, hourly student workers, and research staff. Collect required hiring documentation, initiate hiring transactions in Workday or the applicable system, and coordinate with the Student Employment Office on timesheet submissions and payroll support; ensure data entry accuracy for budget and tracking systems.
• Process Support & Special Projects: Analyze purchasing and spend data to help identify trends and process improvements. Support documentation and continuous improvement of procurement processes. Support special projects and administrative tasks as assigned by the Business Manager.
• Processes purchase order, contract, and reimbursement transactions on behalf of the department within established university policy and approval limits. No independent budget authority.

Position Type

Temporary

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.

• medical
• vision
• dental
• paid time off
• tuition assistance
• wellness & life
• retirement
• 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, colo