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Financial Assistant for Student Activities

General Responsibilities
Provide full-time office management and administrative support for the Student Activities Finance Office (SAFO). Foster friendly, service-oriented relationships with MIT's student organization leaders, and related offices and departments. Actively serve as a member of MIT's Student Activities Office staff team providing input and taking initiative consistent with the goals of the office. Recommend and develop mechanisms for improving departmental service and advice to student organizations and governments.

Roles and Responsibilities
• Serve as a contact for information regarding student organizations financial transactions and reporting. Provide overall, first-contact coordination for SAFO processes. Advise students on their accounts and direct inquiries or set up meetings as appropriate. Ensure effective and timely processing of forms and other requests.

• Advise students and student organizations on financial management development opportunities and resources available through the Student Activities Office. Publicize such opportunities and maintain effective mechanisms for marketing office programs.

• Develop and maintain an effective communications system both with student groups and among the staffing team. Serve as primary contact for daily walk-in traffic for Student Activities Finance Office.

• Review and sign off daily on main account expense vouchers for student groups. Contact responsible individuals in a timely manner if questions arise regarding a specific voucher that will hold up processing. Follow-up with outstanding inquiries on behalf of the office.

• Prepare and review daily deposits for student organization accounts as submitted to the office.

• Write and issue all student organization and residence hall government checks daily once approved for payment with guidance from staff.

• Process Institute journal vouchers, travel forms, requisitions, and purchase order requests for student groups. Assist with processing of invoices on purchase orders.

• Assist staff in review of monthly account statements for student organizations. Identify any possible monthly reclassification of expenses for student group funding accounts.

• Process monthly account reconciliation in conjunction with staff.

• Participate and conduct monthly Treasurer Training workshops in conjunction with the staff, and upon request, conduct informal trainings for groups as needed.

• Work with the Residential Program staff in ensuring effective oversight of residence hall government accounts and in ensuring effective communication with Housemasters regarding the status of these accounts.

• Assist staff with maintenance of SAFO handbook. Assist with the coordination and production of office expense vouchers, handouts and correspondence, including publicity for treasurer training.

• Take initiative and act on office issues or challenges, address present problems quickly and thoroughly, and communicate results.

Experience/Qualifications
• Minimum of four and a half years of direct/related experience required. Bachelor’s degree can count towards experience. Bachelor’s degree required.

• SAP and Quickbooks experience preferred. Work with financial systems required.

• Must be comfortable in a fast-paced, sometimes intense environment where there will be lots of opportunity to interact with students and other members of the MIT community.

• Must be able to handle multiple tasks as well as be able to prioritize competing requests for your time. Need to be able to be flexible and adaptable.

• Experience and/or willingness to work with a diverse student body and staff essential.

• Must be proficient with Microsoft Office. Knowledge of web-editing, desktop publishing, and database software preferred (or willingness to learn quickly).

• Must be detail oriented, self-motivated, and show initiative to follow through. Ability to provide effective customer service and to work in a team environment necessary.

• Flexibility with scheduling and hours required, including occasional evenings and weekends.

• Strong organizational, writing, and communication skills required.

• Experience with MIT student services organizations a plus.

Supervision Received/Exercised
Direct supervision is received from the Financial Administrator for Student Activities and the Assistant Dean for Student Activities. Supervision may be exercised over student office workers.