Description

This newly-created position is responsible for the University's cash and liquidity operations and will lead the transition of the cash management department from today's more transactional and operational activities to a future-state strategic and value-added function. The incumbent will be expected to bring extensive Treasury expertise to drive significant change in the department, with the goal of creating efficiencies through process improvements and automation. This combination; taking on and ensuring completion of today's critical operational work while simultaneously developing new and better ways of working, requires a significant level of functional expertise in cash and liquidity management, investing, banking products, debt, modeling and forecasting, and Treasury-specific software systems. It also requires advanced interpersonal skills along with the foresight and creativity to identify areas for improvement and develop solutions. In addition, the candidate should have a background in maintaining appropriate financial controls in a high-risk area. The Analyst will independently create data and forecasts that will be used by senior management and the Board of Trustees to make impactful financial decisions surrounding the investment of operating cash and the timing and scale of working capital borrowing, resulting in a potential budgetary impact of several millions of dollars per year. The ideal candidate will demonstrate both the hard-technical skills as well as the soft interpersonal skills that are required for success in this new role.

Cash Management Process Improvement and Automation

• Quickly master the current legacy, transactional cash operation processes
• Identify and prioritize individual processes that can be improved through process flow changes and/or automation using a data-driven analysis of time, effort, cost, etc.
• Develop from scratch the relevant business cases for technology investments, such as an invoicing system or a Treasury Management System (TMS), that clearly demonstrate the hard and soft cost savings associated with these systems as well as the ancillary non-financial benefits of improved accuracy, reduced risk, etc.
• Determine solutions to improve current processes and lead the implementation of these process improvement initiatives through to completion
• Manage the implementation of any new technology from a functional perspective, including set up of core data, building of business processes, setting up system controls, and developing management reports
• Ensure that the appropriate controls remain in place to meet both internal policies and external regulatory and reporting requirements (e.g., Financial Audit, Continuing Disclosure for investors, Rating Agencies, etc.)
• Communicate planned process changes to related parties and stakeholders, such as the campus community and other departments within F&T, which will include the need to demonstrate how the process change will not negatively impact their own work or put an undue burden on them
• Work closely with PRINCO on the combined liquidity forecast between PRINCO and the University, including development of the related Trustee reporting
• Own the new and improved cash management processes going forward, including direct management of the new operations and the administration of any new systems.

Liquidity Forecasting and Analysis

• Develop and maintain both the short-and-long-range liquidity forecasts, which have significant influence on financial decisions made by the CFO and Trustees, including optimizing inputs and structure to ensure data integrity
• Conduct independent analysis of the forecasts, including forecast-to-actual, to make decisions around investments and borrowing, as well as to continually refine the accuracy of the forecasts
• Evaluate the impact of decisions made based on the forecast, such as decisions to borrow for working capital purposes and decisions to invest to ensure that the resulting financial impacts are aligned with the forecast and the University's overall financial strategy
• Work closely with the Integrated Financial Planning team, Provost's Budget Office, and F&T Budget Office to ensure liquidity forecasts are aligned with these other financial statement and budgetary forecasts
• Develop dashboards and other report views that clearly show the critical forecast information for different levels of the organization, including day-to-day liquidity management, senior management information, and Trustee reports

Legacy Cash Operations Management

• Day one, the Analyst will be required to complete the necessary and critical work being done by the cash management office while simultaneously improving those same processes, including:
• Cash positioning and intercompany funding of accounts for Payroll, Taxes, investment, etc.
• Accurately and efficiently process, report, and reconcile all cash receipts
• Oversee automated bank statement accounting processes, addressing any exceptions
• Responsible for the reconciliation of bank balance sheet accounts
• Research unidentified funds and accurately process these transactions
• Process journal vouchers for returned checks and rejected ACH transactions
• Attend to all inquiries regarding check deposits and electronic fund transfers
• Process credit card receipts and assist in managing the related payment card industry (PCI) compliance standards; a specialized and high-risk area that could result in significant fines if not managed diligently
• With the support of the Cash Manager, manage the ongoing relationship with the University's Merchant Account provider, seeking to standardize and improve credit card receipt processes
• Monitor existing University merchant accounts and establish all new accounts that enable departments to collect funds via credit card
• Supervise the credit card terminal loaner program
• With the support of the Cash Manager, manage the ongoing relationships with the University's banking partners.
• Maintain the relationship with the University's armored car service provider
• Serve as the primary contact point for departments for cash management-related issues, which requires extensive knowledge of bank products and involves a high volume of written and verbal communications with University departmental managers, support staff, and students
• Maintain the Cashier's system, which uploads all University receipts into the PeopleSoft Financials system
• Coordinate and test all technical changes to detailed transmission files with the University's operating bank(s)
• Liaise with Finance Technology and the Controller's Office regarding use the ERP system

Projects and Other Duties as Assigned

• Prepare Trustee materials as well as other high-level ad-hoc analyses for senior management, all of which will be used to make impactful financial decisions
• Collaborate with Treasury colleagues and represent departmental needs
• Participate in working groups and on project teams as a representative of Treasury Services
• Other ad-hoc projects and duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a finance-related field, or equivalent work experience, and 7+ years of diversified Treasury experience
• Experience with ERP Financial systems (i.e., PeopleSoft Financials)
• Proficiency using Microsoft Word, Access, and Excel

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior work experience in cash operations, banking, merchant accounts, and PCI compliance
• Familiarity with the business operations and unique processes of a higher education institution
• Experience with applications such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and Treasury Management Systems

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.

PI284705118