Business Coordinator, Strategy

Department: Kellogg Strategy
Salary/Grade: EXS/5

Job Summary:

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University offers multiple unique programs to give our MBA students an opportunity to engage in learning across disciplines. These programs are supported by the Kellogg Academic Department infrastructure that provides high level support to academic department faculty, PhD students, visitors, and staff.

Reporting to the Associate Director, the Business Coordinator is an integral part of the Kellogg Academic Departments infrastructure by providing high-level financial and administrative support. This role is responsible for excellent client service delivery to faculty, students, and visitors while supporting both academic programming and departmental financial operations. As a member of the academic departments' administrative team, this role coordinates research seminars, faculty recruiting events, and other academic events, managing logistics such as scheduling, travel arrangements, and visitor hospitality. The position also supports faculty activity reporting and monitors PhD student status and progress.

The Business Coordinator is also responsible for timely and accurate processing of financial transactions, including reimbursements, invoice payments, contracts, and related documentation, in compliance with university policies. The role also coordinates the hiring and payment of independent contractors, temporary employees, and student staff in alignment with HR and financial guidelines and contributes to the development and administration of annual budgets, including fiscal resource allocation and expense tracking.

In addition, this role provides departmental operations support, including managing supply and technology inventory and orders, assisting with office space coordination, and responding to and elevating departmental requests to the correct stakeholders. The Business Coordinator collaborates with faculty, staff, and university offices to ensure smooth execution of department events, financial processes, and daily operations.

Please note: Supervisor provides objectives, deadlines & specific instructions only for new, difficult, &/or unusual work. Work is reviewed upon completion & only occasionally to verify technical accuracy & compliance with practice, policy, & procedures. EE informs supervisor of on-going progress &/or potentially controversial matters.

Specific Responsibilities:

Administration:

• Use an advanced knowledge of skills, methods & practices & some innovation, analysis, & reasoning to choose appropriate alternatives from among pre-defined policies & procedures to complete work that includes successive steps & involves some non-routine problems &/or decisions.
• Ensures that the program mission, values, guidelines, policies & procedures are implemented & maintained.
• Identifies service improvement opportunities, including leveraging technology, that will better enable program/project to achieve its goals and objectives.
• Performs general office support activities as assigned.
• Provides support to independent contractors, temporary employees, and student staff within the academic departments including but not limited to the hiring activities, timekeeping, and payments.

Budget & Financial:

• Directly responsible for payroll, purchasing, travel & entertainment (T&E) transactions & requesting new chart strings using NU protocol.
  • Provides review and oversight of all types of financial transactions, some of which may be complex in regard to size or duration of account.
  • Enters individual &/or summary of transactions into journals &/or general ledger or other NU enterprise system.
  • Prepares faculty, student, and visitor reimbursements.
  • Processes grant-related expenditures on travel, consulting &/or equipment, along with various forms, such as Intra Institutional Vouchers, Requests for Accounting Corrections, the Research Assistant and Scholarship Appointments, &/or payroll adjustments, in accordance with granting agency guidelines & University policies & procedures.
• Ensures prompt payment of invoices, researching errors/delayed transactions.
  • Reviews; ensures approval based on alternatives regarding practice & policy; prepares, processes, reconciles & provides receipts (as appropriate) for transactions.
  • Troubleshoots problems; performs vendor/account research as needed; obtains additional information from or provides instruction & guidance for customers/vendors; corrects or escalates.
• Monitors open encumbrances & deficit chart strings.
  • Processes transfer &/or appropriation charges & may balance &/or close accounts.
  • Maintains Chart of Account lists.
• Reviews & reconciles actual expenses to budget per NU Audit guidelines.
• Provides financial policy interpretation to determine the validity of customer requests & ensure compliance

Communications & Outreach:

• Maintains internal and external contact lists related to the academic department.
  • Develops and strengthens internal and external relationships by fostering active engagement in program success.
• Produces, edits, &/or distributes dept communications.
  • Develops coordinated, consistent marketing and brand messages
  • Participates with area/unit senior staff in the conceptualization, development, and presentation of materials used in functional operations.
• Manages website, assuring updates are made in a timely manner.
• Plans numerous special events throughout the year, assuring all logistics are complete.
  • Coordinates programming, educational, student, alumni, workshops, meetings, etc. including speakers, schedules, itineraries, and logistics.
  • Develops plans and arranges meetings, workshops, events, etc. designed to exchange information, promote research objectives, and to build internal and external relationships within NU
  • Ensures that event details including communication, venues, presenters, travel arrangements, materials, refreshments and technology are arranged and completed in an appropriate and timely manner.

Facilities & Safety:

• Monitors area facilities conditions & directs requests to Kellogg Facilities.
• Maintains key database & security.
• Works with management to assign staff &/or faculty space including appropriate floor refresh/renovation & furniture purchase.
• Coordinates set up furniture, data & phone lines.
• Participates in communication of area safety plan.

Faculty Support:

• Coordinates faculty recruitment activities; place ads; candidate communication & visit.
• Provides support for preparation of Promotion & Tenure cases.

IT Services:

• Acts as liaison to IT for technology recommendations
  • Assists with IT orders and inventory
  • Ensures technology systems are properly installed & maintained.
• Issues work order requests for maintenance, repairs & upgrades.

Student Support:

• Implements department strategy regarding structure, process, & staff support of PhD students in compliance with Kellogg and NU policy.
• Oversees annual recruitment & selection process & related data entry & organizes and supports "Day At Kellogg" events and activities.
• Works with Associate Director to plan annual & quarterly PhD student activities, including research and prospectus presentations as well as course schedules.
• Interacts frequently with the PhD Program & assures all program-oriented deadlines are met using the graduate student tracking system.
• Provides administrative support to PhD students

Supervisory:

• Supervises 1-2 student staff.
• Provides work direction.
• Assists with training of new team members and student staff.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as business, accounting or related; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

• 1 year administrative experience including budgets, finance, grants, facilities, &/or human resources; or other relevant experience.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and databases; quick to learn new platforms.

• Strong customer service skills with the ability to build and maintain client relationships.

• Excellent organization, time management, and communication skills (written and verbal).

• Detail-oriented and efficient, with a strong focus on accuracy.

• Adaptable and collaborative, able to work independently and in fast-paced team environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education, academic, or professional services environments (e.g., hospitality, consulting, nonprofit)

• Experience supporting financial processes and/or event coordination.

• Familiarity with university systems or enterprise tools and experience working with multiple stakeholders.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Strong coordination and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

• Attention to detail and financial accuracy, with sound judgment and problem-solving skills.

• Proactive, service-oriented, and collaborative, with the ability to learn systems quickly and work effectively with diverse stakeholders.

Target hiring range for this position will be $58,000 - $65,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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