Temporary Business Operations Specialist
About the Opportunity
Summary:
The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) seeks
a Budget & Operations Specialist to support the department's
purchasing, procurement, and student/research staff employment
operations. This position serves as a point of contact on
procure-to-pay and contract processes for department and research
purchases - processing and facilitating purchasing requests with a
high level of accuracy and customer service, managing purchase
orders and contracts from initiation to completion, and supporting
financial operations tied to procurement, including reimbursements,
reconciliations, and budget tracking. This position also serves as
the department's intake point for hourly student and research staff
hiring requests. Reporting to the Business Manager, this role
requires strong attention to detail, discretion in handling
sensitive financial and personnel information, and the ability to
work independently within established university procurement and
financial policies.
Qualifications:
Education & Experience:
- Bachelor's degree required.
- Minimum of 2-4 years of progressive administrative experience
in a fast-paced office environment; experience in a university or
academic setting strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience serving as a primary point of public
contact in a multi-constituent environment (students, faculty,
visitors, vendors).
Skills & Competencies:
- Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) required.
- Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, make sound
independent decisions, and carry out complex assignments with
minimal supervision.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including
the ability to draft professional correspondence, presentations,
and reports on behalf of the department.
- Outstanding interpersonal and customer service skills; ability
to interact professionally and warmly with individuals at all
levels, including students, faculty, senior administrators, and
industry guests.
- High level of discretion and ability to handle confidential
information with professionalism and sound judgment.
- Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and
follow-through; resourceful and committed to building deep
institutional knowledge of department programs, faculty, and
university resources.
Responsibilities:
- Procure-to-Pay & Purchasing Operations: Serve as
point of contact for procure-to-pay and contract processes for
department purchases. Process and facilitate purchasing requests
with a high level of accuracy and customer service. Manage purchase
orders and contracts from initiation to completion; serve as
liaison with the Office of General Counsel and vendors for contract
tracking, filing, and negotiation. Create documentation to capture
existing and new procurement workflows; support training for
faculty and staff on procurement processes and timelines.
- Financial Operations Support: Own reimbursement
processing for students and department guests, verifying compliance
with university policy and submitting and/or approving transactions
through Concur or the CANDEX. Perform reconciliations and maintain
accounting files for audit compliance; analyze and help resolve
financial discrepancies. Review departmental purchasing requests
and route them through proper approval processes; support budget
tracking and ordering for departmental programs, ensuring
grant-funded or restricted-fund orders carry proper
authorization.
- Student & Research Staff Hiring: Serve as the
department's intake point for faculty requests to hire student
employees, hourly student workers, and research staff. Collect
required hiring documentation, initiate hiring transactions in
Workday or the applicable system, and coordinate with the Student
Employment Office on timesheet submissions and payroll support;
ensure data entry accuracy for budget and tracking systems.
- Process Support & Special Projects: Analyze
purchasing and spend data to help identify trends and process
improvements. Support documentation and continuous improvement of
procurement processes. Support special projects and administrative
tasks as assigned by the Business Manager.
- Processes purchase order, contract, and reimbursement
transactions on behalf of the department within established
university policy and approval limits. No independent budget
authority.
Position Type
Temporary
Additional Information
Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work
experience, education and skills when extending an offer.
Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit
eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid
time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as
well as commuting & transportation. Visit
https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for
more information.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive
consideration for employment without regard to race, religion,
color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability
status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable
law.
This job is for a current or anticipated job vacancy.
Pay Rate:
$28/hr.
To apply, visit https://northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/careers/job/Boston-MA-Main-Campus/Temporary-Business-Operations-Specialist_R141068
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