Assistant Director of Administration & Planning, Travel Coordinator

Job Details

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $67,000 - $70,725 Annually

Position Summary

Reporting to the Director of Administration and Planning, the incumbent assists with various financial functions for Undergraduate Student Life, including the areas of the Dean of USL, Multicultural Affairs, Residential Life, Student Engagement, as well as the financial functions for approximately 340 recognized student organizations and their governing boards and councils.

The Assistant Director serves as the primary travel arranger for student group travel and visitors invited to participate in recognized student group programs and events, and works as part of the Administration and Planning (A&P) team to provide administrative assistance to Undergraduate Student Life staff.

The Assistant Director assists the department with: project management for A&P; shaping financial policy and procedures; improving financial advising processes and services; processing & approving a high volume of financial transactions; providing preliminary oversight over financial accounts and processes; fielding, delegating, troubleshooting and escalating student and staff inquiries; delivering financial training curriculums; developing policy documents; and developing communications related to finance and operations.

Responsibilities

• Accurate and prompt processing, verification, and coding of expenses for a high volume of invoices, reimbursements, check requests, travel advances, deposits, journal entries, and wire transfers, in the University's accounting systems. Resolves inquiries on payment status for internal and external clients. Approve a high volume of purchasing card (P Card) transactions for approximately 40 USL staff and 340 student organizations with accuracy and efficiency. Problem-solve issues and clarify processes to staff and students as needed.
• Books air, ground and rail transportation and lodging, for undergraduate students, University visitors, and Undergraduate Student Life (USL) staff, working closely with USL Leadership team and advisers to adhere to Columbia University?s and Columbia College's travel policies and protocols. Reconcile travel expenses and process expense reimbursements via Concur (the University?s online travel and expense system), including travel advances and preparation of reports on travel spend.
• The incumbent, in collaboration with the Administrative Coordinator for Clubs and Orgs Travel, will serve as the primary point of contact for booking, logistics, itineraries, and inquiries related to travel for staff, students, and visitors. Acts as a liaison between USL and campus partners, including Columbia College Finance, Columbia Travel and Procurement, and Columbia Transportation, to facilitate contracts associated with travel, car service vouchers, and charter bus reservations. Maintains relationships with travel vendors, including airlines, hotels, car rentals, and the University?s travel partner, World Travel, Inc. (WTI).
• Prepare weekly reporting for student council and governing board leadership and ad-hoc reporting for USL staff, review monthly financial statements, and analyze budget variance reports. Routinely meet with staff, student leaders, supervisor, Columbia College Finance, and relevant Undergraduate Student Life staff to review year-to-date activity, identify trends that will impact the budget plans for future periods, and collaborate on solutions for improved budgeting and financial stewardship. Prepare ad hoc reports regarding financial activity as needed.
• Serves as USL?s primary liaison for Columbia?s undergraduate travel policy and interacts with the Undergraduate Travel Review Committee?s core planning team to ensure that student groups and advisers are aware of the latest policies and adhere to reporting and compliance requirements. Facilitates regular training sessions on travel policies and practices for USL staff members and students including during new staff onboarding, at the annual adviser training retreat, and on an as-needed basis. Keep staff and student organizations regularly informed of new policies, changes in current policy, current and new services within Undergraduate Student Life, Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, and the University.
• Work closely with the Director, Associate Director, student organization advisers, and student leaders on all initiatives to ensure compliance with Columbia College and University policies and procedures. Assist with the evaluation of current financial processes and services, design and develop new methods of service to streamline processes and increase productivity and client satisfaction. Investigate requests for new services to determine feasibility and method of implementation.
• Advise a cohort of student groups who participate in frequent travel. Provide backup assistance to the A&P unit, including processing financial transactions, P-Card reconciliation, and non-travel Concur transactions and reimbursement/expense reports.
• Play critical role in solutions-oriented ideation/regular conversations around policies and procedures with Associate Director and Director of Administration and Planning.
• Participate in the growth and development of USL, the College; School of Engineering, and Columbia University, including providing support for key initiatives and experiences, serving on committees, and collaborating with College and University partners to further the work of USL and the College.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required along with at least two years of related experience required, or the equivalent combination of education and experience
• Direct experience arranging complex domestic and international travel itineraries
• Proven background in processing large volumes of transactional work on a day to day basis, while managing other short and long term travel projects
• Outstanding administrative, organizational, and interpersonal skills required
• Must be willing to learn new processes and technologies as needed
• Must be well-organized, detail-oriented, and work well under pressure, managing multiple responsibilities simultaneously in a high volume operation
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, and a strong commitment to providing high quality service in a fast-paced environment
• Tact and diplomacy and the ability to exercise judgment when working with sensitive and confidential information
• Fluency with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Adobe programs, and other similar technology platforms
• Must be able to work with diverse constituencies and support an inclusive work environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Three to four years of related experience preferred
• Knowledge and/or experience using Concur is a strong advantage