Financial & Payroll Administrator

Description:

About us:

The Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering is home to about 60 professors leading research on a very broad range of topics. On the Industrial Engineering side, research areas include Operations Research, Information Engineering, Human Factors, and Applied Machine Learning, all of which seek to improve the systems we as humans rely on to navigate our world. On the Mechanical Engineering side, research areas include Robotics, Mechanics & Design, Materials, and Thermofluids, topics that are applied to applications including manufacturing, energy production, and bioengineering.

We are also home to about 2,000 very talented students: about 1,300 undergraduates are enrolled in the Industrial Engineering and in the Mechanical Engineering BASc programs. We have about 350 Master of Engineering (MEng) students, a professional program for students taking courses with us for a year or two. And we have about 350 MASc and PhD students, who work individually on research projects with a particular professor.

The Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering prides itself on being a good place to work: respectful, accepting of difference and professional.

We value employees who are goal-oriented and self-motivated, and who are constantly looking to improve how we serve our students and faculty. We believe in teamwork, in working together for the greater good, and yet doing so in a way that respects each employee’s work-life balance. Finally, we value each employee as an individual, and look for opportunities to recognize each contribution.

Your opportunity:

Reporting to the Manager of Research and Finance Administration, the Financial and Payroll Administrator will be responsible for supporting the research and financial management at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering by working independently and as part of a team. The Financial and Payroll Administrator ensures all expenses are processed on time and correctly per University and sponsor’s guidelines, and research sponsor deadlines are met. The incumbent will work with a portfolio of Principal Investigators and will be responsible for their payroll, finance and business affairs.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Forecasting and planning financial activities incorporating budgets with multiple sources of revenue and/or recoveries
• Monitoring, recording, reconciling and/or reporting on funding accounts for grants and contracts
• Recording detailed transactions for many accounts including payroll. Analyzing information to identify spending trends and recommend cost saving measures
• Identifying and resolving individual data anomalies and discrepancies
• Verifying the accuracy and completeness of information
• Applying the University Guide to Financial Management and other applicable policies, agency and regulatory requirements
• Collecting supporting documentation required for accounting, payroll and/or HRIS processing
• Liaising with internal contacts to resolve accounting, payroll and/or HRIS processing issues

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in commerce, accounting or finance, or acceptable combination of equivalent experience.
• Minimum three (3) years of related experience in financial management, including experience working with budget variance reports and experience monitoring fund accounts for grants and contracts.
• Experience with the University’s Financial Information System (FIS), Human Resources Information System (HRIS) and Research Information System (FIS) and RIS or equivalent systems.
• Experience preparing and processing expense reimbursements.
• Experience classifying and processing invoices in FIS or equivalent systems.
• Experience processing payroll and troubleshooting and resolving payroll discrepancies.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and the promotion of a respectful and collegial learning and working environment.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to communicate complex financial procedures to a range of audiences with varying levels of financial knowledge.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise a high level of confidentiality, professionalism, good judgment, initiative, tact and discretion.
• Ability to organize and prioritize work to meet deadlines and to multi-task.
• Accurate data entry and attention to detail.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and demonstrated ability to work independently while also being an effective team player.
• Highly developed computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and SharePoint.
• Demonstrated capability to deliver exceptional customer service in a timely manner to students, staff, and academics.

Assets (Nonessential):

• Related experience in a university environment or higher educational institution
• Experience with Kronos payroll system and FileMaker system.
• CPA designation is an asset

To be successful in this role you will be:

• Accountable
• Approachable
• Cooperative
• Efficient
• Organized
• Proactive

Closing Date: 11/18/2026, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: USW 
Appointment Type : Budget - Continuing 
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone:
USW Pay Band 11 -- $79,640 with an annual step progression to a maximum of $101,845. Pay scale and job class assignment is subject to determination pursuant to the Job Evaluation/Pay Equity Maintenance Protocol.
Job Category: Finance/Budget/Planning/Audit

Lived Experience Statement
Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity deserving groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the posted position.

Job descriptions are available upon request for internal applicants.