Business Coordinator

Department: Trienens Institute
Salary/Grade: EXS/5

Job Summary:

*Please submit a cover letter and resume in PDF format for the fullest consideration*

The Business Coordinator supports the academic, financial, human resources, and operational functions of the Trienens Education / Master of Science in Energy & Sustainability (MSES) program by managing financial modeling and budget tracking; coordinating hiring, onboarding, payroll, and personnel administration for staff, faculty, and instructional support roles; supporting strategic planning and program reviews; overseeing expense processing and administrative workflows; and providing faculty affairs support, including scheduling classes, coaches, and career programming to ensure efficient and compliant program operations.

Administers operational, financial, & business functions in support of the area/unit's mission & in coordination with central offices such as HR, Budget, Facilities, IT, & Provost. Implements existing policy & ensures the effective, compliant, & efficient completion of daily administrative operations. May represent business area on internal &/or external administrative affairs by exchanging information.

Please note: Occasional evenings and weekends to accommodate information sessions, or other special events.

Supervisor provides objectives, deadlines & specific instructions only for new, difficult, &/or unusual work. Work is reviewed upon completion & only occasionally to verify technical accuracy & compliance with practice, policy, & procedures. EE informs supervisor of on-going progress &/or potentially controversial matters.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Budget & Financial
• Faculty Support
• Grants & Contracts
• Human Resources
• IT Services
• Strategic Planning

Work Complexity:

• Uses an advanced knowledge of skills, methods & practices & some innovation, analysis, & reasoning to choose appropriate alternatives from among pre-defined policies & procedures to complete work that includes successive steps & involves some non-routine problems &/or decisions.

Budget & Financial:

• Participates in determination of budget including fiscal resource allocation of appropriated, discretionary, endowment &/or gift revenues.
• Directly responsible for payroll, purchasing, travel & entertainment (T&E) transactions & requesting new chart strings using NU protocol.
• Ensures prompt payment of invoices, researching errors/delayed transactions.
• Monitors open encumbrances & deficit chart strings.
• Level I NU Financials approver.
• Level II NU Financials approver.
• Reviews & reconciles actual expenses to budget per NU Audit guidelines.
• Approves funds reallocation within budget as necessary & appropriate.

Faculty Support:

• Coordinates faculty recruitment, appointment & credentialing processes; place ads; candidate communication & visit.
• Provides support for preparation of Promotion & Tenure cases.
• Initiates HRIS appointment paperwork.
• Arranges colloquium & seminar coordination, & faculty travel planning.

Grants & Contracts:

• Provides data for grant proposals; develop &/or administer budgets; submit proposals; coordinate IRB/IACUC, OSR/ASRSP transactions, &/or effort reporting.
• Ensures compliance with research safety regulations, interact with faculty, staff &/or funders to build relationships, transfer knowledge, &/or advise on research policies & procedures.

Human Resources:

• Ensures human resources programs, policies, & procedures are implemented & consistently applied.
• Coordinates all or portions of the talent management lifecycle (sourcing, selecting, developing, coaching, rewarding, recognizing, managing information & optimizing talent.)
• In consultation with management, may administer HR solutions.
• Maintains excellent working relationship with Office of Human Resources.

IT Services:

• Acts as liaison to IT to ensure technology systems are properly installed & maintained.
• Appropriates necessary hardware, software & network infrastructure services from central or internal IT.
• Issues work order requests for maintenance, repairs & upgrades.

Strategic Planning:

• Administers & maintains existing strategic operation plans.
• Recommends changes & improvements to administrative operations to ensure most effective & efficient use of revenue streams for faculty & staff recruitment, program development, research expansions, space planning, etc.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as business, accounting or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• 1 year administrative experience including budgets, finance, grants, facilities, &/or human resources; or other relevant experience.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Ability to support budgets, financial tracking, expense processing, and basic financial modeling in Excel with attention to accuracy and compliance.
• Familiarity with administrative processes related to hiring, onboarding, payroll coordination, and personnel records, with the ability to follow established HR policies and procedures.
• Ability to coordinate academic and operational schedules, including courses, instructors, and program-related activities.
• Comfort using administrative systems, spreadsheets, and databases, and the ability to learn new enterprise systems quickly.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and internal partners.
• Demonstrated accuracy in handling financial, personnel, and scheduling information, with an understanding of the importance of confidentiality and institutional compliance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience in an academic, research, or program-based environment, particularly supporting faculty affairs, student-facing programs, or academic operations.
• Experience supporting financial models, forecasts, or reconciliations, or working closely with finance or accounting functions.
• Hands-on experience with HR information systems, payroll processing, hiring workflows, or personnel administration in a complex organization.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Knowledge of Northwestern systems and software.
• Ability to synthesize data, identify trends or issues, and contribute to operational or strategic reviews.
• Demonstrated ability to identify inefficiencies and suggest or implement improvements to administrative or operational workflows.
• Proficiency with Excel, reporting tools, and enterprise systems used for finance or HR administration.
• Strong judgment in handling sensitive financial and personnel information and navigating complex organizational policies.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $56,000-$63,700 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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