Finance Assistant, Economic Studies (Job ID: 2025-3766)

The Brookings Institution • Washington, DC

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Join one of the most influential, most quoted and most trusted think tanks! The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level. We bring together leading experts in government and academia from all over the world, rooted in open-minded inquiry and representing diverse points of view, who provide the highest quality research, policy recommendations, and analysis. Research topics cover a full range of public policy issues in economics, foreign policy, development, governance and metropolitan policy. With fair and transparent business practices, clear communication, mutual respect, and a collaborative atmosphere that offers both professional and personal development opportunities, Brookings offers an inclusive and welcoming workplace that values the efforts of all contributors. About the Economic Studies Program : The Economic Studies program analyzes current and emerging economic issues facing the United States and the world and, based on that research, provides innovative, practical policy recommendations. ES’s work covers a broad array of economic issues, including economic growth, economic opportunity and mobility, the labor market, regulation, health policy, the environment, tax policy, retirement policy, and fiscal and monetary policy. Economic Studies scholars influence key economic policies by conducting rigorous and relevant research and then disseminating and communicating their findings to the policy community and to the broader public. Position Location : This position is hybrid . Hybrid positions combine regular in-person presence at our Washington, DC office with the option of two days of remote work each week . Note: Please be advised that The Brookings Institution is currently undergoing a multi-year strategic plan implementation, and as part of this effort, the role, supervisor, and program may change.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; some business courses preferred.
• Minimum one year of related financial or administrative experience required; experience can come from part-time work, work in a college setting, or internships.
• High level of attention to detail required; strong administrative and organizational skills; excellent oral and written communication skills; strong customer service orientation; and knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Must be a mature, self-motivated, team player who gets along well with a variety of personality-types and can work independently.
• Must be flexible and capable of working in a fast-paced environment with shifting and competing priorities.
• Extreme honesty and discretion required, with the ability to appropriately handle confidential information.
• Must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

• Some background in research, academic, financial, or non-profit setting is preferred.
• Budget experience and/or familiarity with budgeting or accounting software a plus.

Responsibilities

• Assists with preparation and monitoring of budget tracking systems and spreadsheets.
• Assists or leads with monthly accounting closing process procedures including running and reviewing reports, preparation of journal entries, payroll adjustments and tracking the progress of corrections submitted to accounting.
• Coordinates review and project management of all monthly program-wide internal charges by cost center, program and scholar, including facilities and ITS charges, guest space and computer charges; makes corrections as needed.
• Codes P-card expenses for the assigned cost centers or scholars.
• Tracks, monitors and prepares vendor, invoice, and contract payments for review by ES Finance team.
• Works with ES Finance team to problem-solve payment and accounting issues that arise.
• Draft or assists with proposal and forecast budgeting, as needed.
• Draft or assists with preparation of project and program budget materials, as needed.
• Attends meetings and training sessions, as needed.
• Responsible for organizing and maintaining folders in the ES Finance SharePoint site under supervision from the ES Finance team including but not limited to budget files, contract files, vendor and payment files.
• Distributes or coordinates distribution of relevant correspondence to ES staff as requested.
• Responsible for managing the timesheet and effort certification processes including sending timesheet e-mails to new staff, running the status reports and sending reminders to ensure submission, certification and approval deadlines are met.
• Assists project management of the ES contract process including assisting drafting contracts, routing contracts in Ironclad, coordinating with ES Finance team and project teams on communications with consultants and vendors, maintaining executed contracts and contract deliverable tracker.
• Updates and maintains Workday and Adaptive data as needed under the supervision from ES Finance team including requesting and maintaining vendor IDs, sponsor IDs, grant IDs, running Workday reports, reviewing/monitoring data audit reports, award setup and exception profiles, and provides general project and award maintenance support as needed under supervision from the ES Finance team.
• Assists ES Director of Finance with portfolio management.
• Assists ES Finance team with internal projects and initiatives as needed.

Benefits

• Brookings provides a generous benefit package that is comprehensive and includes both traditional benefits and unique offerings.
• Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision benefits, generous time off, and workplace flexibility.
• For more information, please visit Brookings Benefits .

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees