Assistant Operations Manager

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Overview

Reporting to the Operations Manager, this role provides a broad range of financial and administrative business services that support Yale Ventures operations. The position manages the accurate and timely distribution of commercialization income-including royalties, milestones, annual fees, patent reimbursements, material transfer agreements, and other related payments-while ensuring compliance with institutional policies, contractual obligations, and applicable regulatory requirements. The role applies GAAP concepts to support reporting on financial conditions and to ensure reporting meets internal and external compliance needs.

The position performs day-to-day financial processing in Workday Financials, including Supplier Setups, Supplier Invoice Requests, Expense Reports, Journal Entries, Purchase Orders, Cash Deposits, and monthly accruals. It extracts and analyzes data from multiple sources to produce accurate, value-added reports for unit leadership, and converts financial data into actionable information to support decision-making. The role also performs reconciliations, resolves routine and non-routine discrepancies across systems and reporting tools, and maintains accurate financial records and internal controls to mitigate risk and ensure appropriate use of resources.

In addition, the position serves as a key resource for staff regarding financial policies and procedures, supports continuous improvement of financial methods and systems, and maintains royalty/distribution documentation, including efforts to locate and re-establish contact with "lost" inventors.

Key Responsibilities include:

Commercialization Income Distribution Management

* Process commercialization income distributions, ensuring accurate calculations and timely payments.

* Set up and maintain suppliers in Workday; request new Workday Projects as needed.

* Maintain specialized royalty files, records, and distribution lists.

* Notify faculty and external institutions regarding distribution status and related questions.

* Track and locate lost inventors using alumni databases, public records, and other approved tools to support accurate payee records.

Financial Analysis, Reporting & Strategic Support

* Extract data from multiple sources; analyze information and prepare recurring and ad hoc reports that support effective management of operations.

* Translate unit finance objectives into operational priorities; identify financial issues/risks and provide recommendations to leadership.

* Support forecasting, planning, and other decision-support reporting as needed.

Accounting, Reconciliation & Financial Processing (GAAP-aligned)

* Process cash deposits, inventor payments, and journal entries for interdepartmental and external transfers; partner with Treasury to ensure accurate recording of wire payments received.

* Accurately record transactions to the general ledger and/or subsystems; ensure appropriate documentation and adherence to GAAP and reporting considerations.

* Maintain the technology transfer financial system database, including tracking checks received, approved and pending distributions, recovery of legal expenses, and reimbursements.

* Reconcile monthly financial statements and resolve discrepancies independently; correct transactions and follow up to ensure compliance with policies.

* Assist with the Monthly Financial Review Checklist and other period-end activities.

Financial Methods, Systems & Customer Service

* Recommend improvements to practices, processes, and systems to strengthen efficiency, accuracy, and service delivery.

* Provide high-level service to internal and external stakeholders; take ownership of timeliness, accuracy, and relationship management.

* Serve as a primary resource to staff for financial policies, procedures, and routine financial forms.

Compliance, Controls & Risk Management

* Establish, implement, and/or maintain internal controls within areas of responsibility to provide reasonable assurance of accurate financial information, appropriate resource use, and adherence to agreements, policies, procedures, and external regulatory requirements.

* Coordinate communications and approvals with appropriate stakeholders to ensure alignment and compliance.

Required

Skills and Abilities

1.Advanced ability to build and maintain complex spreadsheets and financial reports (e.g., reconciliations, pivots/lookup logic, trend analysis), and strong general proficiency with Microsoft 365 tools (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint).

2.Demonstrated skill managing transactions (journal entries, accruals, transfers, etc.) with meticulous attention to detail, strong documentation practices, and the ability to…