Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world. Columbia is one of the top academic and research institutions in the world, conducting path breaking research in medicine, science, the arts, and the humanities. It includes three undergraduate schools, thirteen graduate and professional schools, a world-renowned medical center, four affiliated colleges and seminaries, twenty-five libraries, and more than one hundred research centers and institutes. The creation of the Columbia Climate School is the first new school in 25 years at the University. Columbia can claim 86 Nobel Laureates as well as over 380 new inventions each year. Columbia is rated in the top 10 of private employers in NYC, and minorities make up 45% of faculty and staff. We are committed to attracting and retaining the best and brightest in the workforce to support our mission of excellence in higher education and research.
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
Reporting to the Associate Director, Operational Initiatives, Sponsored Project Finance (“SPF”), the Business Systems Analyst will support and maintain Columbia’s proprietary web-based data warehouse and application and other IT applications via coding, report writing and administrative assistance critical to the daily operations of SPF, with the objective of ensuring compliance with University policies, industry standards and sponsor terms and conditions. This position plays a key role as a technical resource and functional liaison between the Sponsored Project Finance team, University departments, the Finance Information Systems team, Application Service Provider and CUIT supporting the University’s sponsored programs through configuration and development of the proprietary application.
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Works closely with Sponsored Project Finance, Application Service Provider and Information Technology to coordinate development activities, and respond to business needs by identifying system requirements and support opportunities for process improvement and system enhancements
- Acts as a technical resource to develop and write (i.e., code) business intelligence reports, dashboards, database tables, metrics and analysis tools that support the billing, reporting and collection of sponsored project funding
- Help document current business processes, and help clarify roles and responsibilities – recommend ongoing process improvements and have a sense of business process end to end ownership. Works with department leadership to develop processing procedures and system modifications to meet their specifications
- Works to translate functional needs into technical specifications and engages with the Application Service Provider, Information Technology and vendors in the construction of the work units
- Actively contributes to ongoing process improvement by assisting in the development and communication of policies, procedures and user support tools
- Coordinates with and supports department leadership, business partners and users to troubleshoot issues and responds to system errors and failures, recreating issues in a test environment
- Escalates incidents/issues to the next level of functional or technical system support as needed
- Interfaces with users to verify issue resolution, validate incidents and communicate progress to customers in a timely manner
- Serves as an administrator in leading technical troubleshooting/resolutions with current interfacing financial systems and the user-community
- Participates in the routine application of patches and fixes
- Performs systems and report testing and validation, and collaborates with department and technical support to resolve related issues and errors
- Uses project management skills to identify, evaluate and recommend updates to the current business processes, application and reporting tools
- Drafts specifications, informational materials and configuration documentation for technical support and user training
- Performs other related duties and special projects as assigned
- Help automate business process when possible and troubleshoot production issues
- Develop, document and help conduct end to end test scenarios and test procedures needed for product sign off after system, DB and operating system upgrades, system enhancements, Disaster recovery testing, and other system related changes.
Required Skills/Abilities:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field required
- Four to six years related experience required
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills with a proven ability to collaborate with a team
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
- Extensive knowledge of financial applications and associated reporting tools
- Strong working knowledge of ERP systems integration
- Strong working knowledge of SAP Business Objects Web Intelligence or similar reporting and analysis tool (e.g., Cognos, Power BI, OBIEE and Tableau)
- Fluency in SQL and other similar languages with ability to become an advanced user in multiple languages rapidly, including C# and .NET
- Proficient with the technical development of reports, dashboards, databases and analysis tools
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software
- Proficient with or able to quickly learn systems and software used by the organization
- Demonstrated ability to work in a high pressure, fast-paced environment required.
- Must be able to problem-solve and troubleshoot, in addition to having the ability to work independently in a dynamic team environment.
- In addition, the successful candidate must be able to work well with all levels of employees, be flexible in nature, have sound judgment with an open and collaborative style that encourages teamwork and cooperation beyond the immediate team to the broader organization.
- Must have a passion for excellent customer service and commitment to exceptional quality.
Education and Experience:
- Experience in related technical, functional and information systems preferred
- Non-profit and/or research accounting knowledge a plus
- Experience in higher education strongly preferred
- Experience with process improvement preferred
To be considered an applicant, all interested parties apply through the Columbia University online employment application system. Paste the following quick link into your browser to access this position posting:
http://opportunities.columbia.edu/cw/en-us/job/541311?lApplicationSubSourceID=
Columbia University is an Equal Employment /Affirmative Action Employer
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $90,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Compensation package:
Experience level:
Schedule:
People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply
Ability to Relocate:
- New York, NY 10027: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in New York, NY 10027