Financial Systems Administrator

New York, NY, Boston MA, or Washington DC

Reports to: Director of IT 

Position Overview

Under the direct supervision of the Director of Information Technology, the Financial Systems Administrator will work to effectively manage the day to day support, security, business support, and compliance/audit support for all financial system applications including the Aderant Expert suite and 3rd party applications for Conflicts, Budgeting and Records. This individual will work directly with key members of the Finance and Records groups, including managers, supervisors and end-users, to manage, develop, and provide logical insight for all financial applications. Additionally, this individual will help to drive process improvement initiatives and technological enhancements, where applicable, for the Finance & Records departments. The individual will also work closely with the IT department staff to provide back-end support, maintenance and upgrades to all financial systems (FS) servers and applications. This includes administration of Microsoft SQL Servers, Web Servers, Windows Servers and all hardware utilized by the financial systems applications. The immediate focus of this position is the conversion of the current financial system to Aderant Expert and additional 3rd party applications along with the support, testing, and integration of all other applicable business applications with the new suite.

Critical Success Factors

• This is a strategic, hands-on position that requires the administrator to take ownership of areas of responsibility and demonstrate leadership.
• The role will require strong project management and organizational skills along with a dedication to establishing documented procedures for critical system processes.
• Participation in strategic planning with Finance, Records and IT to identify business process improvement opportunities which take advantage of the enhancements that are provided by the applications to address specific functional issues/requirements.
• The Firm will look to the successful candidate to proactively identify and develop plans to address financial system issues as well as opportunities for system enhancements to ensure efficient operation and maximum up time.

Compliance

• Assist in the implementation and enforcement of policies and standards for the operation of the financial systems.

Responsibilities

• The following is a summary of the essential functions for this position. Other duties may be performed, both major and minor, which are not mentioned below. Specific activities may change from time to time as directed.
• Provide technical/functional direction and oversight for the financial systems including monitoring, updating and maintaining the financial application servers scheduled rules, tasks and processes, databases and file shares. Address and correct found errors in a timely and efficient manner.
• Aid management in making implementation decisions by creating analysis for cost- benefit and return on investment.
• Design, obtain approval and certify the necessary security roles related to access to the financial systems.
• Responsible for technical compliance and audit functions for the financial systems.
• Work with IT, Finance, and other departments to help meet business requirements utilizing the financial systems.
• Review and monitor the applications and make recommendations for design enhancements relative to ongoing practices and to address any existing or potential pain points.
• Review, document, and maintain internal controls and processes/procedures related to the financial systems including security and enhancements/change management.
• Responsible for driving projects related to system process optimization and other performance enhancement initiatives.
• Develop and manage effective internal relationships. Partner with key stakeholders to advance projects and transformation initiatives.
• Plan and implement system software upgrades, analyze and work with users/analysts to determine impact of vendor software upgrades and assist with regression testing of FS application processes and integrations.
• Develop and maintain IntApp Integration Builder and other platform integration tasks as required.
• Responsible for specifying back-up and restore procedures of all FS applications and databases and coordinating with Network Services to implement those procedures.
• Provide daily customer support for all the existing Finance applications within the Firm; work with vendors and customers towards resolution of financial application issues; log, track and close incident tickets.
• Responsible for successful completion of financial system month-end accounting close backups and all relevant communication.
• Provide after-hours on call coverage for, but not limited to, ongoing level 3 support, month end accounting close, and server/software maintenance.
• Responsible for Disaster Recovery of critical FS applications; maintain and update FS servers and applications as well as all related documentation pertaining to DR planning.
• Create, track and update all project tasks and continually inform the department and management of project statuses.
• Conduct research on hardware and software products to support future FS buying efforts and to justify recommendations.
• Act as a Project Manager for Finance application projects whenever required.
• Any other responsibilities as required by management. 

Competencies

• Demonstrated experience in planning, managing, and/or leading complex projects or initiatives with a desire to implement best practices.
• Understands and applies current information, technology, resources, methods and procedures necessary to perform assigned work.
• Accepts responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work and understands that their individual performance directly affects business results.
• Analyzes problems, develops effective solutions and understands implications of solutions. Makes appropriate and timely decisions.
• Communicates clearly and concisely in written/verbal communications with staff of varying technical expertise. Proactively communicates to facilitate workflow, teamwork and efficiency. Chooses appropriate communication tools and utilizes technology to facilitate communications.
• Produces high quality work; is efficient, accurate and has good attention to detail; consistently strives to improve performance; seeks opportunities to develop professionally and expand job knowledge. Displays high level of personal integrity.
• Works effectively with co-workers as part of the team to get the job accomplished. Flexible and open-minded; willing to share and exchange ideas/suggestions.
• Actively listens and responds to needs of others; interacts with co-workers in a tactful, respectful and positive manner. Contributes to a productive work environment by valuing diversity and the differences in people and ideas.
• Demonstrates knowledge of, and adheres to, Firm policies and procedures; effectively manages PTO and punctuality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field and 7+ years of experience including systems planning and development.
• Advanced SQL/Transact-SQL skills.
• Advanced experience with SQL Server administration.
• Advanced experience with Excel.
• High proficiency with Power Point and Word.
• Experience with Web-Server administration.
• Solid understanding of networking concepts and server operating systems, IntApp Integration Builder, or other ETL tools.
• Experience with Disaster Recovery and business continuity processes and procedures.
• Experience with the Aderant Expert ERP application/SQL table structure/relationships and customization tools preferred but not required.
• Previous experience in IT project management, preferably finance related projects.
• Ability to manage and act as the champion for system change and migrations.
• Solid knowledge and understanding of process improvement concepts.
• Self-motivated person with excellent time management skills.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to communicate results.
• In-depth technical skills and familiarity with financial systems.
• Regular attendance according to the position’s management approved work schedule is required for this position.