Senior Finance Associate

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Why join the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences?

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) is the historic heart of Harvard University. It is the home of Harvard’s undergraduate program (Harvard College, founded in 1636) as well as all of Harvard’s Ph.D. programs (the Harvard Kenneth

C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1872), Harvard Athletics and the Division of Continuing Education. The 40 academic departments and 30+ centers of the FAS support a community unparalleled in its academic excellence across the broadest range of liberal arts and sciences disciplines. Together, the FAS seeks to foster an environment of ambition, curiosity and shared commitment to knowledge and truth that elicits excellence from all members of our community and prepares the next generation of leaders through a transformative educational experience.

The Senior Finance Associate provides advanced financial, transactional, and compliance support for academic departments and centers within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Reporting to the Manager of Financial Operations, this role manages day-to-day financial operations, supports departmental budgeting and financial reporting, ensures compliance with university and sponsor policies, and serves as a resource to faculty and staff on financial procedures.

Working independently and in collaboration with colleagues in the departments they support and across the FAS Office of Finance, the Senior Finance Associate oversees complex financial transactions, monitors departmental finances, prepares financial analyses and reports, and helps ensure the responsible stewardship of university resources. Given the breadth and diversity of financial operations across the academic enterprise, the Senior Finance Associate may perform additional financial, operational, and administrative responsibilities that are consistent with the scope and level of the position but are not specifically listed in this description.

• Review and approve requisitions:
  • Costing accuracy
  • Funding availability
  • Compliance with competitive bidding requirements (e.g., multiple quotes)
• Process and track change order requests
• Serves as principal source of information on complex financial policies and procedures including federal funding rules, and advises faculty, students or staff on existing options or alternatives

• Reconcile P-Card and department card transactions in Concur
• Review expense reports for:
  • Required receipts and documentation
  • Appropriate approvals
  • Compliance with institutional policies
• Ensure travel expenses align with federal and institutional guidelines (e.g., per diem, airfare class, lodging limits)
• Work with faculty and staff to obtain missing documentation and support timely submission in Concur
• Process late reimbursements (e.g., via Aurora or equivalent systems)
• Process non-employee travel reimbursements

• Gather information needed for billing
• Record incoming payments (checks, wires, credit cards)
• Assist in resolving unclaimed or unidentified incoming payments
• Match payments to invoices and elevate discrepancies as needed
• Review checks and wire transfers and indicate appropriate chart string/funding allocation
• Respond to basic donor and external partner inquiries regarding payment methods
• Confirm receipt of funds with donors and…