Financial Operations Manager, Wharton Finance & Administration

Financial Operations Manager, Wharton Finance & Administration

Job Profile Title
Business Administrator C

Job Description Summary

Wharton School Overview
Founded in 1881 as the world's first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, Wharton has over 850 staff, a faculty population of more than 235 renowned professors, and 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education's individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. Wharton is home to a dynamic community of staff, bringing a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives. To learn more, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.

Wharton Finance & Administration is a team of financial specialists driven to ensure financial excellence through integrity and transparency. We oversee core financial functions and partner closely with business administrators and departments to provide expert guidance and foster responsible stewardship.

The Financial Operations Manager will serve as an integral member of the Financial and Business Operations team at Wharton Finance & Administration, providing centralized and comprehensive financial operations support for various administrative departments.

The Financial Operations Manager will operate in a high-volume, fast-paced environment and will be responsible for managing core financial processes, including Workday payroll, purchase orders and requisitions, Concur reimbursements, approvals, reviews, and reconciliations. This role ensures that all financial operations are executed with accuracy, efficiency, and consistency. The Financial Operations Manager will also support budgeting, forecasting, and financial modeling activities.This position requires someone who is adept at standardizing business processes, optimizing resource planning tools, and leveraging technology to drive efficiency, streamline workflows, and enable fact-based, timely, and collaborative decision-making that advances the mission of Wharton and its departments. The Financial Operations Manager will play a pivotal role in enhancing the organization's financial operations framework.In addition to core responsibilities, this position will partner closely with cross-functional teams to understand operational needs, identify bottlenecks, and implement scalable, streamlined processes. The ideal candidate thrives in a dynamic environment, manages competing priorities with ease, and consistently delivers high-quality results under tight timelines.

Job Responsibilities

• Manage processes such as payroll, expense reimbursements, purchasing cards, reconciliations, and journals. Provide auditable, streamlined processing to increase efficiency and enhance standardization, assuring all financial operations and decisions adhere to University and School policies. Works closely with leadership to define and identify process deficiencies and design and implement changes to mitigate risks.
• Manage communication and information flow with departments and stakeholders; provide exceptional customer service by responding promptly to inquiries, proactively resolving purchasing, expense, payroll, and recruitment issues, and developing effective solutions by gathering information, leveraging institutional resources, and applying sound business understanding.
• Management and administration of hiring needs, including of professionals, temporary staff, and student workers. Providing training and oversight of workflows, projects, and process changes.
• Attend training and meetings to keep up-to-date in understanding of applicable financial and HR systems, policies, and procedures.
• Manage departmental fiscal year-end close, merit process, access reviews, restricted funds, tax reporting, and other annual activities.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science and 3 to 5 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Ability to multi-task and pivot as necessary. Strong accounting skills and knowledge of Penn's financial systems a plus.
• Intermediate technical skills required (e.g., Excel's Pivot Tables, Tables, Power Query, etc.).
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential, including professional email writing skills and the ability to diplomatically but assertively enforce policies and guidelines, including with those at higher levels.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
Wharton School

Pay Range
$76,000.00 - $100,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job's level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.