Job Description

Staff - Union

Job Category CUPE 2950

Job Profile CUPE 2950 Salaried - Front Counter 3 (Gr4)

Job Title Finance / Administration Assistant

Department Administration and Faculty Affairs | Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering | Faculty of Applied Science

Compensation Range $3,696.00 - $3,789.00 CAD Monthly

Posting End Date April 30, 2023

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date May 14, 2024

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is one of the largest academic units at the University of British Columbia Vancouver campus, with approximately 1,100 undergraduate and 400 graduate students enrolled in its degree programs. The department is also engaged in a range of research activities, with over 50 research-track faculty members actively involved in their respective scholarly communities.

The Finance/Administration Assistant provides front-line assistance to the department\xe2\x80\x99s administration services office. In addition to providing reception and general administrative support to the department, this role is responsible for processing a high volume of financial transactions in a large, research-intensive department.

Organizational Status
The Finance/Administration Assistant is a member of the department\xe2\x80\x99s administration services and finance teams. The incumbent reports to and receives direction from the Administration and Faculty Affairs Coordinator, but day-to-day work will also be assigned and supervised by the Finance Coordinator. Within the department, as this is a front-line support role, the individual works closely with faculty, staff, and students. The incumbent also liaises with staff from other academic units, central finance, and external vendors as required.

Work Performed
Reception/Administrative Support:

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  Serves as the front-line receptionist for the ECE administrative services office; responds to general inquiries over phone, e-mail, and in person; politely greets and assists visitors.
• 
  Distributes campus mail to faculty and staff.
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  Processes room booking and building access requests.
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  Assists in administrative tasks for faculty recruitment for the department
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  Arranges meetings and catering; transcribes and distributes meeting minutes.
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  Uses a web-based ticket tracking system to manage work requests.
• 
  Provides general day-to-day administrative support to the department head.
• 
  Provides back-up support to other CUPE team members within the administrative services, such as other Receptionists and/or Finance Assistants, as needed/upon request.
• 
  Performs other administrative tasks consistent with classification as needed.

Finance Support:

• 
  Performs accurate and timely data entry of financial transactions (ex. Reimbursements, funding transfers, expense reports, PAJs for retroactive costing allocations, purchases) into Workday.
• 
  Reviews transactions to ensure appropriate back-up documentation is attached and appropriate approval processes are followed at all times.
• 
  Tracks rejected transactions, follows up on problems and resolves errors.
• 
  Prepares and processes bank deposits.
• 
  Monitors Workday to ensure accuracy of data entry; independently troubleshoots errors; elevates unusual issues to the appropriate staff member.
• 
  Provides routine finance information to faculty, staff, and students (ex. Regarding submission instructions, status of paperwork received, processing times, relevant Workday processes).
• 
  Runs finance reports on a monthly (or as-needed) basis, identifies action items, and independently initiates follow-up as needed.
• 
  Maintains electronic financial records.
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  Maintains up-to-date knowledge of applicable accounting principles and legislations, interprets and enforces financial policies/procedures established by UBC and funding agencies that affect the use of departmental and research funds.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
The Finance/Administration Assistant is the first point of contact for many students and visitors to the department, and is a front-line representative of the ECE administration services office. The incumbent\xe2\x80\x99s decisions directly impact the quality of service and overall image of the department. The incumbent may occasionally encounter difficult situations and must be able to exercise sound judgment and act in a professional, tactful manner at all times. Failure to do so may negatively impact the reputation of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the University of British Columbia (UBC). The incumbent is expected to become familiar with all relevant departmental and university policies and apply these policies using good judgment. Misinterpretation of policies or providing inaccurate information may impact the department\xe2\x80\x99s ability to attract outstanding students and harm the department and UBC\xe2\x80\x99s reputations within the broader academic community.

The incumbent is expected to exercise sound decision making while performing financial management functions in accordance with established procedures. Lack of attention to detail, data entry errors, poor judgement or ineffective communication may lead to operational inefficiencies, poor internal and external relations or missed deadlines. Inaccuracy in updating reports could result in missing signed financial reports during audit.

Most duties in this role require a high level of confidentiality, particularly when handling personal information of UBC students or employees. At UBC, we follow rules and practices outlined in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), which requires us to protect personal information from unauthorized collection, use or disclosure. Failure to follow FIPPA increases the risk of a privacy breach, which could negatively impact affected individuals and the department.

Supervision Received
The Finance/Administration Assistant works under the general supervision of the Finance Coordinator and Senior Finance Assistant, with overall reporting to the Administration and Faculty Affairs Coordinator.

The Finance/Administration Assistant is responsible for many recurring tasks that are routine in nature. Training is provided for new tasks, but the incumbent is expected to independently and confidently manage recurring tasks with minimal supervision by applying existing knowledge, using fact-finding skills, and exercising sound judgment. Occasionally, the incumbent may encounter unusual or complex cases, which can be referred to the manager or senior team member for further guidance.

Supervision Given
None required.

Minimum Qualifications
High school graduation, plus one year of related post-secondary education, plus three years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one\xe2\x80\x99s own

• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one\xe2\x80\x99s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications
An undergraduate degree is an asset. Ability to analyze and resolve routine job-related problems. Ability to perform basic arithmetic. Ability to accurately process finance transactions and administrative requests within required timelines. Ability to accurately gather, organize, and summarize financial information. Ability to apply generally accepted accounting principles in an appropriate manner. Ability to enter, retrieve, correct, and interpret job-related data. Ability to exercise good judgment. Ability to work independently and within a team. Ability to provide quality service to faculty, staff, students and others in a courteous, patient manner. Ability to listen actively and attentively, and obtain clarification as the need arises. Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail. Ability to identify and correct missing and incomplete data. Ability to accurately create and maintain electronic records. Ability to prioritize tasks in order to meet important deadlines. Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. Ability to exercise tact, discretion and confidentiality. Ability to perform word processing at 65 words per minute. Ability to prepare and complete job-related documents using relevant content and appropriate format (e.g., forms, letters). Ability to effectively use job-related software (e.g., Mac OS, Microsoft Office, Google Calendar, Zoom, internet and email) at an intermediate level.