Financial Assistant – Clinical Research Finance

Job Description

Financial Assistant | Northwestern University

The Tone:
This is a hybrid position at Northwestern University, located in Chicago, IL. Northwestern University is a leading research institution, and the NUCATS Institute’s Center for Clinical Research (CCR) advances medical science through clinical studies. This role is crucial in providing essential financial and accounting support, ensuring the compliant and efficient management of clinical research studies and related financial activities.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Type: Full-time
• Location: Hybrid – Chicago, IL
• Pay: $21–$24 hourly
• Team: CCR Finance Unit within the NUCATS Institute’s Center for Clinical Research, reporting to CCR leadership.
• Mission: Ensure efficient, compliant, and sustainable financial practices for clinical research studies and related accounts.
• Tech Stack: Spreadsheet, database, word processing software; enterprise systems; multiple banking systems.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Financial Reporting & Analysis: Prepare, analyze, and reconcile a variety of financial reports and account statements, including those for budgets, costs, expenditures, and funds. Create summary reports and queries, review for data integrity, and provide insights to managers and Principal Investigators regarding payment status and compliance.
• Transaction Management: Process and oversee diverse financial transactions, such as invoices, journal entries, and expense reimbursements, within enterprise systems and banking platforms. This involves ensuring approvals, troubleshooting issues, conducting vendor research, and providing policy interpretation to maintain compliance.
• Grants and Awards Administration: Provide comprehensive financial assistance for grant and award lifecycles, from preparing financial information for submissions and setting up sub-contracts to completing post-award accounting, modifying budgets, processing payments, reconciling accounts, and managing grant closeouts.
• Compliance and Record Keeping: Maintain accurate clinical trial databases, financial tracking systems, and study records. Ensure all financial activities, including invoicing, collections, and study closeout reconciliations, adhere strictly to university policies, sponsor requirements, industry standards, and applicable federal and state regulations.
• Stakeholder Support & Training: Deliver excellent customer service by answering questions, providing guidance on financial policies and procedures, and resolving routine discrepancies. Additionally, assist in training new staff members and providing financial instruction to various customers across the institute.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree in any field. The role requires an entry-level professional with a foundational understanding of accounting principles and financial reporting practices.
• Experience: A minimum of two years of accounting, bookkeeping, or other relevant experience is required, demonstrating proven ability in managing financial records, processing transactions, and reconciling various accounts effectively.
• Skills: Proficiency in spreadsheet, database, and word processing software is essential, alongside strong organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail for accurate record-keeping, and the ability to analyze financial information to identify discrepancies. Effective written and verbal communication is also key.
• Bonus: A Bachelor’s degree specifically in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration is preferred. Additional valuable experience includes supporting clinical research finance, managing sponsored research or recharge activities, or familiarity with Northwestern University’s financial systems or similar enterprise platforms, ideally gained within an academic medical center or research institution.