Purchasing and Financial Assistant

at  University of Michigan

HOW TO APPLY

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

JOB SUMMARY

The Purchasing and Financial Assistant provides a wide range of procurement, accounting, and financial support to a department of approximately 40 tenure-tenure track and research faculty members, 40 staff, and more than 120 postdoc and graduate students. Reporting to the Department Administrator, this role supports the department efficiently and professionally with purchasing, reimbursement processing, timekeeping, and other accounting and financial tasks. The position utilizes a variety of systems and business intelligence tools and collaborates with faculty and administrative staff in NERS and other areas at the College of Engineering and University of Michigan.
The mode of work for this position is HYBRID. The work requirements allow both onsite and offsite work and the employee has an expected recurring onsite presence. On occasion, the employee may be required and must be available to work onsite more frequently if necessitated by unit leadership or their designee and/or the job requirements.

WHO WE ARE

Michigan Engineers are world-class educators, researchers, students and staff who strive to build a people-first future. As part of a top national public research institution, Michigan Engineering’s mission is to provide scientific and technological leadership to the people of the world, develop intellectually curious and socially conscious minds, create collaborative solutions to societal problems, and promote an inclusive and innovative community of service for the common good.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS*

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration or other related field or equivalent of education and experience
• Exceptional organization skills and ability to manage multiple projects with a high degree of composure and collegiality
• Outstanding customer service and interpersonal, written and oral communication skills
• Technical proficiency with Microsoft (Excel and Word), Google Suite of collaboration tools (Gmail, Sheets, Forms, Docs, Drive)
• Proven success working independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated success in a fast-faced environment with excellent communication and problem solving skills, high attention to detail and ability to take initiative and exercise discretion, as appropriate

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS*

• Experience with U-M system (M-Pathways, PeopleSoft, Business Objects) and Online Purchasing System
• Working knowledge of University of Michigan policies and procedures

Procurement and Accounts Payable 70%

• Process and track purchase orders for the department.
• Maintain department’s Online Purchasing System (OPS)
• Collaborate with faculty, staff, and Procurement Services on sole source purchases.
• Analyze, compare, and evaluate various courses of action and determine the correct UM process
• Review and approve all Marketsite purchases
• Prepare wire transfers as needed for international purchases
• Assist as backup for hosting and travel purchases (airfare, hotel)
• Prepare and review travel and expense reports
• Maintain an adequate filing system for receipts and backup documentation for purchases and accounts payable
• Forward invoices for payment to the Shared Services Center as needed
• Prepare and submit PeoplePay requests

Timekeeping 10%

• Serve as the designated departmental timekeeper
• Track and approve time for student and temporary employees
• Prepare bi-weekly and monthly timekeeping reports for supervisor review
• Provide support for students with timekeeping questions as needed
• Process hard copy timesheets for the department as needed

Other financial responsibilities 10%

• Manage expense reconciliation process with the Shared Service Center
• Prepare cash deposits
• Act as back up financial support for the department, including transactional processing, journal entries, tracking of funds and commitments, and account reviews and maintenance
• Ad-hoc reporting, special projects and strategic support utilizing Business Objects and other university data systems

Other responsibilities 10%

• Participate in departmental teams to identify and implement process improvements and efficiencies
• Create job aids, “How To” documents, and procedural guidelines to document policies, procedures and best practices
• Collaborate with other team members to ensure cross-training and coverage for the department as needed
• Other duties as assigned