Senior Application Specialist, Finance Job in New York 10027, New York US
Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world. Columbia is one of the top academic and research institutions in the world, conducting path breaking research in medicine, science, the arts, and the humanities. It includes three undergraduate schools, thirteen graduate and professional schools, and a school of continuing education. We are committed to attracting and retaining the best and brightest in the workforce to support our mission of excellence in higher education and research.
Reporting to the Financials ERP Executive Project Director, the Senior Application Specialist is responsible for the development and maintenance of PeopleSoft and related systems, including both scheduled and ad-hoc reporting. This position plays a key role as a liaison between various client groups within Finance and across the University, supporting the University’s business through configuration and development of Finance applications.
Ongoing responsibilities include but are not limited to:Leads analysis, design, development, testing and deployment of work units in PeopleSoft and related systems. Troubleshoots issues and responds to system errors and failures, recreating issues in a test environment; Escalates incidents to the next level of system support and provides technical assistance to service desk agents by analyzing the appropriate routing of system issues, questions and customer service requests via a customer relationship management (CRM) tool; Achieves agreed upon service level performance metrics by effectively troubleshooting and resolving incidents; Interfaces with users to verify issue resolution, validate incidents and communicate progress to customers in a timely manner via the CRM tool; Actively contributes to ongoing process improvement by assisting in the development and communication of policies, procedures and user support tools; Populates knowledge base for future use within the Finance division; Works closely with Finance and Information Technology to coordinate development activities, and respond to business needs; Works closely with representatives of diverse business functions University-wide in the specification of work units; Collaborates with a team focused on continued maintenance, development, testing and deployment of PeopleSoft work units with special focus on the General Ledger, Commitment Control and Project Costing modules; Translates functional needs into technical specifications and engages with Information Technology development teams in the construction of the work units; Participates in the routine application of patches and fixes, overseeing end to end functional testing; Collaborates with the application development and support teams and serves as a consultant to functional leaders in the design, development and testing of business process and technical solutions in support of the business; Serves as a liaison with third party vendors, subcontractors, external community and customers to resolve incidents and facilitate communications; Responsible for direct management of Application Specialists, assisting with prioritization of work and ensuring appropriate level of required support is sustained to effectively troubleshoot and resolve issues in a timely manner. Performs other duties and special projects as assigned.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree or other professional certification preferred. A minimum of six years related technical system experience is required.; experience in higher education preferred. Prior supervisory experience with PeopleSoft Financials required. Experience with PeopleSoft General Ledger, Commitment Control, Project Costing and Procurement modules preferred. Knowledge in a range of finance and accounting processes including financial reporting, fund accounting, year end, etc. required. Experience with process improvement preferred. Demonstrated ability to work in a high pressure, fast-paced environment. Demonstrated excellence in a variety of competencies including: project management, teamwork, analytical thinking and client/customer awareness. Ability to work with changing priorities and with multiple projects. Excellent analytical, organizational, interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, including a high level of attention to detail and active listening skills. Must be able to problem-solve and troubleshoot, in addition to the ability to work independently in a dynamic team environment. Demonstrated ability to effectively partner with a diverse group of administrators. Must be able to negotiate issues, resolve problems and have strong influencing skills. The successful candidate must be able to work well with all levels of management, both internally and externally, be flexible in nature, have a sound judgment with a collaborative style that fosters teamwork and cooperation beyond the immediate team to the broader organization. Must have a passion for excellent customer service and commitment to exceptional quality.
To be considered an applicant, all interested parties MUST apply through the Columbia University online employment application system. Paste the following quick link into your browser to access this position posting:
jobs.columbia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=129376
Columbia University is an Equal Employment / Affirmative Action Employer