Accounts Rep V - Duffield College of Engineering

The Opportunity 

Cornell Duffield College of Engineering is seeking an experienced and customer-focused Accounts Representative V to join the Cornell Duffield Finance and Budget Team. This position plays a critical role in supporting the financial operations of multiple academic units and serves as a trusted resource for faculty, staff, researchers, and students. 

In this role, you will manage a broad range of financial and administrative functions, including financial transaction processing, account monitoring and reconciliation, fellowship administration, gift fund management, compliance reporting, asset tracking, and support for graduate student appointments. The successful candidate will combine strong financial skills with a collaborative mindset and outstanding customer service. 

This is an excellent opportunity for a finance professional who enjoys working in a higher education environment where no two days are the same and where partnership, problem-solving, and attention to detail are highly valued. 

Responsibilities include:  

• Review, process, and approve financial transactions and e-documents. 

• Monitor financial activity and monthly reports, ensuring accuracy and compliance. 

• Perform reconciliations and proactively resolve discrepancies. 

• Support fellowship administration and financial tracking. 

• Monitor and manage gift funds while ensuring compliance with donor intent. 

• Assist with Graduate Research Assistant appointments and student-related financial transactions. 

• Track capital assets and maintain inventory reporting. 

• Provide guidance to faculty, staff, and students regarding university financial policies and procedures. 

• Contribute to audit readiness, compliance monitoring, and stewardship of university resources. 

• Serve as a financial resource and partner to stakeholders across multiple academic units. 

About the College 

Building on our 150-plus-year legacy as one of the nation’s preeminent engineering colleges, the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering is a purpose-driven, inclusive community committed to developing the knowledge, capabilities, and people needed to forge a better future. Comprising more than 10 schools and departments, we are rooted in Ithaca, New York, with a growing presence in New York City and a global network of alumni and collaborators. Guided by our core values, our faculty and staff regularly engage across disciplines and intentionally bring together a range of perspectives as they lead and support ambitious efforts to tackle societal challenges, develop the next generation of leaders, and make a meaningful difference in the world. 

What We Need 

• Associate’s degree in business, finance, or related field, with 4-6 years of experience or equivalent combination.  

• Must be friendly, outgoing, able to work in an office with many interruptions, and have a strong customer service orientation.  

• Mac and PC proficiency using Excel, Word, Kuali Financial System (KFS) or similar software, and mainframe applications are required and must be able to retrieve and manipulate data from multiple sources and online warehouses.  

• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential data with discretion.  

• The ability to multitask and work within tight deadlines is required.  

• Strong analytical, logic, organizational and interpersonal skills as well as the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.  

• Must be able to prioritize and manage multiple projects of varying complexity and urgency.  

• Requires ability to construct complex financial statements that require an understanding of the inter-relationships of the data.  

• Must possess excellent attention to detail. 

• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.   

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it’s ok if you don’t. 

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting/HR or related field preferred with additional familiarity with Cornell University administration, accounting, budget structure, procedures, and policies.  

• Successful completion of Cornell Accounting Certification Program, Cornell Research Administration Certificate, or similar external certification is highly desirable. 

Rewards and Benefits  

• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. New employees should expect to be on campus regularly during onboarding and training. Once established in the role, the expected schedule is remotely 1 day per week and on-campus 4 days per week. The university reserves the right to modify, suspend, revoke or terminate the hybrid work arrangement at any time.  

• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability. Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell. 

• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell 

• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell 

• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: Total Rewards | Working at Cornell. 

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.