About Occidental College
Founded in 1887, Occidental is a nationally recognized, private
college of the liberal arts and sciences, dedicated to providing a
gifted and diverse group of students with a total educational
experience of the highest quality -- one that prepares them for
leadership in an increasingly complex, interdependent and
pluralistic world.
What makes Occidental special? An intellectually rigorous academic
environment. Small classroom settings where students collaborate
with professors and their peers while pursuing or discovering their
passion. A beautiful residential campus that offers students
hands-on engagement with the cultural and intellectual resources of
Los Angeles. A community open to stimulating conversation and
divergent points of view. Some 2,100 students from 46 states and 28
countries choose from 41 majors and minors and participate in one
the country’s top undergraduate research programs. Oxy students
routinely win top awards and fellowships; its first Rhodes Scholar
was named in 1907. Dedicated to excellence and equity, Occidental
also is one of the country’s most economically diverse campuses,
according to the New York Times. Some 71 percent of Oxy students
receive some form of financial aid; 20 percent are Pell Grant
recipients; and 19 percent are the first in their family to attend
college
Title: Financial Support Specialist
Department: Facilities Management
Duration: Indefinite
Employment Status: Non-Exempt, Full-Time, 40 hours per
week
Job Summary
Reporting to the Accounting Manager, Facilities, the Financial
Support Specialist serves as the primary financial and
administrative support for the Department, managing facilities
capital projects and operational expenses from contract initiation
through closeout. The Financial Support Specialist oversees budget
tracking, forecasting, contract administration, procurement
support, and invoicing to ensure projects remain fiscally sound and
compliant with institutional policies. The Specialist develops
financial reports and dashboards, monitors variances, supports
bidding and vendor onboarding, and ensures accuracy and compliance
in payment processing and project documentation. Acting as a point
of contact with internal stakeholders, the Specialist supports
audit readiness, asset capitalization, and process improvements to
enhance departmental efficiency.
Job Duties
- 30% - Financial Management - Maintain real-time "Actual
vs. Budget" logs for all active capital projects and operations
expenses as assigned. Identify and report potential variances or
"burn rate" concerns to Project Managers. Assist the AVP of
Facilities and Accounting Manager in cash-flow forecasting and
year-end financial closing activities. Update monthly financial
dashboards and reports to visualize project spending and
contingency reserves. - (Essential)
30% - Contract, Procurement & Financial
Administration - Facilitate the routing and execution of
professional service agreements and construction contracts (AIA
documents); ensure all legal and insurance requirements (COIs) are
met before work commences. Serve as the primary point of contact
for vendor onboarding and procurement inquiries within the
College's ERP system. Assist in the preparation of Request for
Proposals (RFPs) and the tabulation of competitive bids. -
(Essential)
30% - Invoicing & Documentation - Review, audit, and
validate "Applications for Payment" from contractors and
consultants to ensure billed amounts align with the approved
Schedule of Values, contract terms, and project progress. Identify
discrepancies and coordinate resolution with project teams. Assist
with the collection and verification of unconditional lien waivers
and closeout documentation, ensuring adherence to contractual
requirements and institutional financial controls prior to final
payment. Maintain comprehensive, well-organized project financial
records, ensuring a clear audit trail to support accurate financial
reporting, compliance reviews, and capital expenditure tracking. -
(Essential)
10% - Operational Support - Serve as a point of contact
with the Business Office, preparing and validating documentation
for asset capitalization, financial reporting, and tax compliance
related to capital expenditures. Other duties as assigned. -
(Essential)
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Accounting or related field to
position duties or equivalent combination of education and
experience.
- Two years of experience in business operations, financial
analysis, or project accounting.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel,
PowerPoint), including advanced Excel functions such as pivot
tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, and conditional formatting; Google
Workspace (Drive, Folders, Forms); Adobe Acrobat; and other
productivity tools applicable to position responsibilities.
- Familiarity with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and
ability to learn College-specific procurement, contracting,
bidding, and invoicing systems.
- Demonstrated ability to be detail-oriented and thorough;
skilled at anticipating, identifying, and preventing potential
problems, including auditing invoices against contracts to ensure
accuracy and payment only for verified work completed.
- Strong commitment to producing high-quality, precise work in a
high-volume, high-accountability environment.
- Basic understanding of construction financial concepts
including Schedule of Values, retainage, lien waivers, and the
distinction between hard and soft construction costs.
- Familiarity with professional service agreements and AIA
(American Institute of Architects) contract documents, as well as
basic GAAP principles as they apply to capital projects and asset
capitalization.
- Demonstrated ability to synthesize raw financial data into
clear, concise reports, dashboards, and “at-a-glance” summaries for
executive leadership, and to identify spending trends or risks to
proactively alert leadership to potential budget overruns.
- Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the
ability to effectively collaborate and communicate with diverse
stakeholders including contractors, project managers, and senior
institutional leadership such as the Business Office and CFO.
- Effective interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to
work across functions, disciplines, and organizational levels in a
collaborative environment, including managing financial workflows
across multiple concurrent capital projects at varying stages of
completion.
- Ability to adapt and perform effectively in a fast-paced,
high-accountability environment with shifting priorities due to
construction schedules, project delays, or emergency repairs, while
maintaining strong organization, time management, and planning
skills.
- Ability to self-motivate, work independently, and maintain a
high level of organization and productivity while managing
competing priorities.
- Ability to provide informal leadership, training, and guidance
to stakeholders on financial processes and documentation
requirements, ensuring compliance and consistency across project
workflows.
Preferred Qualifications
- Coursework or background in accounting or project/financial
management.
- Prior experience working within a college, university, or
non-profit environment, specifically understanding fund accounting
and restricted capital budgets.
EXPECTED HIRING RANGE: $20.19/hr-$28.37/hr
If you are offered this position at Occidental College, your final
base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such
as skills, education, experience, and/or geographic location. In
addition to those factors, Occidental complies with applicable pay
equity laws and considers internal equity among current employees
when developing the final offer. Please keep in mind that the range
mentioned above is the base salary range for the role. Hiring at
the maximum of the range would not be typical in order to allow for
future and continued salary growth. We also offer a generous
compensation and benefits package.
