Business Administrator 4

Department: QSI-TEAMS Institute
Salary/Grade: EXS/9

A cover letter is required to apply for this position.

Job Summary:

The Business Administrator (BA) is the senior administrative position in the newly established Querrey-Simpson Institute for Translational Engineering for Advanced Medical Systems (QSI-TEAMS). The BA provides thought leadership in reviewing & recommending policy & procedure designed to enhance operational excellence. Ensures the effective, compliant, & efficient daily management of all operational, financial, & business functions in support of the business area's mission & in coordination with central offices such as HR, Budget, Facilities, IT, & Provost. Represents the Institute on internal & external administrative affairs by recommending alternatives & suggestions.

QSI-TEAMS aims to expedite the clinical validation, adoption and launch of pioneering technologies at the intersections of engineering, science and medicine. By helping to identify clinical needs, perform scaled clinical studies of new technologies and refine engineering attributes to align with clinical workflows, QSI-TEAMS will serve as a bridge between academic technology advances and commercialization at Northwestern.

QSI-TEAMS is seeking a BA with strong financial expertise, a solid understanding of the full lifecycle of sponsored research, and a genuine curiosity about the Institute's research mission. The ideal candidate brings robust compliance experience, an analytical mindset, broad familiarity with systems and processes, and a willingness to engage in hands-on, day-to-day work.

Please note: Supervisor provides overall objectives & in consultation with EE develops deadlines. Work is reviewed for fulfillment of objectives & overall compliance with policy & procedures. EE completes majority of activities without direction; consulting with supervisor only in regard to new or unusual circumstances.

Specific Responsibilities:

Areas of Responsibility:

Tactical implementation of at least 6 of the following

• Budget & Financial
• Communications & Outreach
• Facilities & Safety
• Grants & Contracts
• Human Resources
• Regulatory Compliance
• Strategic Planning

Work Complexity:

• EE uses judgment & an extensive amount of experience to adapt an advanced knowledge of skills, methods, practices, policies & procedures & a moderate degree of innovation, analysis, & reasoning to plan & prioritize work that is primarily project oriented & involves some extremely difficult problems &/or decisions.
• EE interprets policy.

Budget & Financial:

• Serves a primary role in the development & implementation of annual budget including fiscal resource allocation of appropriated, discretionary, endowment & gift revenues.
• Typically involved in the budget management of numerous research grants.
• Responsible for payroll, purchasing, travel & entertainment (T&E) transactions & requesting new chartstrings using NU protocol.
• Prepares faculty salary recovery & summer salary.
• Creates & monitor recharge centers.
• Oversees prompt payment of invoices & related research of errors.
• Monitors open encumbrances & deficit chartstrings.
• Level II approver in NU Financials.
• School level approver in FASIS.
• Routinely reviews & reconciles actual expenses to budget per NU Audit guidelines.
• Approves funds reallocation within budget as necessary & appropriate.
• Responsible to stop an expense that is inappropriate or against deficit chartstring.
• Negotiates with vendors for purchases & leases.

Communications & Outreach:

• Working closely with the Office of Alumni Relations, may actively pursue opportunities for alumni contact & solicitation.
• Delegates or completes maintenance of alumni lists or database; production, edit &/or distribution of newsletter; &/or management of website, & special events.

Facilities & Safety:

• Monitors area facilities conditions & directs requests to Facilities Management using FAMIS.
• Maintains key database & security.
• Works with management to assign staff &/or faculty space including appropriate FM refresh/renovation & furniture purchase.
• Coordinates set up of furniture, data, phone lines, &/or renovations.
• Brings requests for building & space improvements to attention of management.
• Completes appropriate section of annual SIMS survey following NU protocol.
• Manages the development & communication of department safety plan.
• Monitors research lab compliance & respond to Risk Management reports.
• Ensures communication with Principal Investigators (PIs) regarding ISIS participation.

Grants & Contracts:

• Oversees &/or completes pre- & post-award research administration.
• Utilizes established systems (effort reporting, direct cost charging/SDA, & financial reporting) to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.
• Interacts with Principal Investigators (PIs) I to build relationships, transfer knowledge & advise on research policies & procedures.
• Oversees payroll for research appointments.
• Ensures faculty completion of effort certification.
• Provides appropriate training for staff & PIs.

Human Resources:

• Manages implementation of human resource programs, policies, procedures & talent management lifecycle & related mentoring & training.
• Posts positions to eRecruit, leads the recruitment & selection process.
• Manages area/unit structure & prioritizes & distributes staff workload.
• Oversees Performance Excellence plan for each employee & prepares annual review.
• Manages performance problems, administers leaves, approves timesheets & oversees completion of annual staff Conflict of Interest survey.
• Recommends complex HR solutions & implements decisions.
• Institutes departmental policy & implements school & NU policy.

Regulatory Compliance:

• Manages implementation of all safety, security & compliance programs & ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, local & NU laws, regulations, policies & procedures.
• Develops innovative methods to assist faculty & staff with adherence to grantor compliance programs.

Strategic Planning:

• Manages & implements strategic operation plans.
• Reviews plans, meets with leadership & key faculty & staff, & recommends changes & improvements to administrative operations to better meet organizational needs & objectives.

Supervisory:

• Supervises 2 or more staff &/or provide work direction to others.
• Provides direction to or coordinate administrative effort of staff within or outside of immediate dept or division.

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.
• 5 years' administrative experience including budgets, finance, grants, facilities, &/or human resources; or other relevant experience.

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

• Proven communication, interpersonal and analytic skills.
• Adept at project management. Ability to work under pressure, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated competency in organization management and financial stewardship.
• Proactive, energetic, innovative.
• Ability to work independently and yet is an accomplished team player.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in business administration
• Previous management experience in a university environment.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Working knowledge of Northwestern University systems such as NUFinancials, Cognos, CERES, financial forecasting, basic intellectual property principles, granting agency policies and processes.

Target hiring range for this position will be between $87,000-$98,000 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.

LI-EN1