Senior Finance Manager

Position summary

Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates. In line with UAE regulations, Emirati candidates are encouraged to apply.

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint a Senior Finance Manager reporting to the Head of Academic Resource Management and Fiscal Affairs.

Under the direction of the Head of Academic Resource Management and Fiscal Affairs, provides professional financial guidance for all funds within the Provost’s jurisdiction. As a senior member of the Academic Resource Management and Fiscal Affairs team, the Senior Finance Manager will support the Head of Academic Resource Management and Fiscal Affairs in providing key financial analysis and recommendations aligned to support the strategic focus and mission of the units and divisions under the Provost’s Office.

The Senior Finance Manager will facilitate all financial activities, including budget planning and associated administrative tasks, to ensure best practices and processes are in place to maximize compliance with all internal and external policies and regulations. The Senior Finance Manager will ensure financial support is available to meet the needs of all stakeholders. The Senior Finance Manager will liaise with all members of the Provost’s teams as well as the Vice Provosts, Divisional Deans, Faculty members, Divisional administrative staff, and the Financial Affairs Team. The Senior Finance Manager may have some supervisory responsibility within the Fiscal Affairs team.

Key responsibilities

Financial management

Responsible for sound financial operations and coordination of activities in academic fiscal affairs, ensuring these functions are aligned to support the strategic focus and mission of the departments across all funds

Is a key resource person offering professional financial guidance to the administrative heads and fosters an excellent working relationship with leadership, faculty, researchers, and the Provost’s units at large

Provides direction and oversight to the divisions, faculty, and staff for the application of all internal and external financial policies and procedures, ensuring consistency and compliance across all departments

Prepares and reviews financial statements with the budget holders to ensure the strategic direction of the units is on track and, when necessary, addresses potential over-expenditure situations

Conduct regular analysis of financial metrics, delivering insights and recommendations for improvement

Assist the Head of Academic Resource Management and Fiscal Affairs and work closely with the Financial Services Office on ad hoc requests and future financial planning with the Budget and Financial Planning Office

Assist with financial data for ad hoc requests and reports from stakeholders within the Provost’s office, Division, and Finance and Budget Office

Provide timely management reports and slide decks on budgets, actuals, and available balances

Monitor endowments and gifts regularly to ensure appropriate spending practices

Assess procedures and processes to continuously implement best practices to streamline and standardize all aspects of financial management

Learn local departmental processes and assess procedures to continuously implement best practices to streamline and standardize all aspects of financial management

Collaborate regularly with the Finance and Budget offices to identify and implement best practices and to provide a standardization of services across all units and divisions under the Provost that ensures compliance and efficiency

Act as approver and reviewer for various financial transactions, including purchases, advances and expense reimbursements, accounts receivable, recoveries, deposits, PCard approvals, budget modifications, and journal entries

Facilitate the opening and sign off on new chartfields and maintenance. Working with the Head, liaise with the Controller to establish special purpose funds as needed

Act as a resource to employees within the Provost’s units

Conduct walk-throughs regularly to have a pulse on Provost’s units and divisions' activities and issues

Analyze current and potential problems and recommend solutions for vetting and approval

Initiate regular meetings with budget holders in the Provost’s office and managers to review financial status and priorities of activities and projects within each unit

Engage in regular meetings with other functional areas within the Provost’s jurisdiction with regard to funding sources, processes, and issues

Responsible for ensuring a documentation retention system is established according to best practices and maintained using solid controls, processes, and systems to build reliability and efficiencies within its activities

May be required to supervise members of the Finance Team within the office as needed

Budget management (all operating and non-operating funds)

Support the Head of Academic Resource Management and Fiscal Affairs and work with the Assistant Director in the budget management process

Assist in the development of the annual budget for the Provost office and its respective units in coordination with the academic department heads, following the university budget planning timelines and processes across all funds

Support consolidating and submitting the Provost divisional budget to the central budget office

Assist with the preparation, allocation, and monitoring of academic budgets, including budget load, analysis of expenditure trends, and projection of income and expenses; reviewing salary and non-salary budgets and expenses, initiating budget adjustments, assessing departmental budget requests, and making appropriate recommendations

Facilitate the budget owners' responsibility to respect the fiscal year’s budget constraints by implementing processes and providing strong financial variance analysis reports as needed

Collaborate with departments to accurately reflect budgetary needs and priorities in planning

Assist with the administration of the budget for academic units in coordination with the academic department administrators

Provide guidance to academic departments on budget planning, expenditure tracking, and financial forecasting

Administer the unit budgets to promote effective resource allocation

Conduct regular financial analysis to assess the fiscal health of academic programs

Analyze budget variances and suggest budget modifications when necessary

Ensure expenses are allocated to the most appropriate funding sources to ensure compliance with grant, legislative, and institutional rules and regulations

Regularly assess budgetary processes and make recommendations to ensure alignment with institutional goals

In collaboration with the Finance and Budget Office, assist with necessary reports to facilitate budget consolidation and budget review

Assist the Planning Team in facilitating and coordinating the Annual Planning and Budget Process (APB) for the office of the Provost and the Academic Divisions; consolidate the APB submission for review and incorporation in the annual budget submission

Position funding monitoring

Work with the Head of Academic Resource Management and Fiscal Affairs and in conjunction with the Office of Academic Appointments (OAA) and the Provost’s SME to implement procedures to ensure appropriate funding sources are charged and processes are in place to track financial partnerships with the research institutes

Work in close collaboration with the Office of Academic Appointments on the divisional faculty hiring plan and ensure the timely issuance of offer letters and awards as per the approved faculty hiring plan

Act as advisor to the OAA and SME for funding availability before creating, posting, or offering new and unfilled positions

Work with OAA to determine adjunct needs and funding requirements while respecting current budget availability and policy before posting positions

Monitor salary expenditures to ensure appropriate funding sources are used

Identify available funding for leave replacement costs, overtime, and miscellaneous costs for staff

Ensure salary and other recoveries are collected

Monitoring and compliance

Work closely with the Head of Academic Resource Management and Fiscal Affairs and Assistant Director to implement a document retention system for clients of the units under the Provost

Responsible for validating all expenses for eligibility and compliance with external sponsors and/or university policies, procedures, and regulations as applicable

Regularly monitor practices and local processes to ensure documentation meets external and internal documentation requirements

Communicate university policies and procedures to promote compliance with all applicable regulations

System and access control – monitor to ensure all financial access is consistent and effectively set up

Recommend changes as necessary

Identify processes that do not adhere to proper segregation of duties practices and recommend improvements

Ensure routine tasks and necessary control reports are properly scheduled

Other general monitoring, as required

Communication and training

Develop and maintain a communication plan with all clients (unit heads, divisional deans, faculty, and local administrative staff)

Communicate and collaborate regularly with the Provost’s Office, Divisional Offices, and Financial and Budget Office to ensure that goals and objectives are aligned and that information and record-keeping are complete, consistent, and transparent to all

Network and collaborate in regular meetings with other groups to exchange best practices, tools, communication plans, and training tips for promoting standardized processes within all departments

Liaise with appropriate central units with regard to the proper interpretation of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with rules and regulations

Provide guidance and training to local users and members on financial affairs and policy implementation to ensure best practices are followed for financial transactions, including expense reimbursements, PCards, etc.

Provide training and support to roll out new systems or tools

Coordinate learning, collaborative, and one-on-one training to the user community impacted by new or modified university policies and systems

Act as a temporary replacement and training resource for other Financial Service Team members across the Provost’s Office

Develop and maintain topic-specific training material and conduct training sessions for administrative and academic staff as needed

Strategic management and functions

Support and contribute to strategic initiatives of the Provost’s Office (encompassing the units and divisions under the Provost), including but not limited to participation in specific strategic workgroups as well as ongoing discussions and initiatives

Assist in identifying revenue generating opportunities, prepare the financials of the business plans, and offer recommendations to the Head to be presented to stakeholders

Identify and create processes and align resources to accomplish key objectives

Clearly convey and assign clear accountability for important objectives, deadlines, and expectations

Required education

Undergraduate degree

Preferred education

Major in finance or accounting

Preferred experience

Continuing professional education in accounting, finance, data management, or research administration

Experience in generating reports of portfolios of multiple programs for senior management and funding agencies

Experience with budget development and reports for sponsored research grants

Demonstrated experience developing and monitoring large complex budgets

Preferred 3-4 years of experience in an equivalent combination of budget administration, accounting, financial administration, and implementing policies and procedures in higher education

Proven ability to manage funds effectively, with demonstrated experience in developing, overseeing, and monitoring large, complex, and detailed budgets

Experience in developing complex financial projections and sponsor reports

Exceptional technical, accounting, and communication skills. Full competence and high-level proficiency with Microsoft Excel is essential

Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills

Interpersonal skills with diverse populations at all levels in a professional manner

Ability to quickly learn and understand university policies and procedures, and disseminate information to faculty and staff regarding pre and post award management

Service-oriented, entrepreneurial, creative. Able to liaise with all levels of staff and professors

Ability to work independently, under supervision, and as part of a team with minimum direction or supervision

Ability to work effectively with other administrative offices of the university, in particular Finance, Budget, and Office of Academic Appointments

Willingness to work flexible hours at times to ensure an effective working relationship between New York and Abu Dhabi offices

Other information about NYUAD

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the arts, sciences, social sciences, humanities, and engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai form the backbone of NYU’s global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity.

This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.