Financial Reporting Analyst in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Harvard University

002847SR
School/Unit Harvard University Central Administration
Department Harvard University Information Technology
Job Function Finance
Location Cambridge
Job Type Full-time
Salary Grade 057
FLSA Status Exempt
Union 00 - Non Union, Exempt or Temporary
Term Appointment No

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Why join Harvard University Central Administration?

Harvard University's Central Administration (CADM) is a 5,000+ employee organization that supports the university's overall excellence by understanding and serving the needs of its schools, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and surrounding communities. Through dynamic and collaborative partnerships, CADM provides high-quality and efficient services to the schools to help them achieve their goals.

More About HUIT:

Our Mission: huit.harvard.edu/about

We empower the Harvard community with essential and transformative technologies to advance education, knowledge, and discovery.

HUIT’s core values are:

• Human-centered
• University-focused
• Innovation-driven
• Team-oriented

IT Academy (designed for IT Staff):
HUIT’s IT Academy aims to enable each IT staff person to grow professionally and become a trusted partner to her or his team. The IT Academy is built on the belief that every IT staff member across the University (including technology employees at each school and campus) can grow in her or his area of expertise as well as building strong people and project management skills. Learn more here: https://itacademy.harvard.edu/.

HUIT (Harvard University Information Technology) Finance is seeking a skilled Financial Reporting Analyst to develop, maintain, and enhance financial reporting and analytics to support the Finance teams and help monitor the financial performance of HUIT. This role will focus on creating multiple and regular financial reports, improving existing dashboards and tools, and advancing HUIT’s datadriven strategy through robust analysis and reporting solutions. This role is independently responsible for all systems as it relates to all downstream reporting solutions. The ideal candidate is highly analytical, systemssavvy, and comfortable working across multiple stakeholders in a fastpaced environment, with proficiency in AIenabled tools and techniques to automate, streamline, and enhance financial reporting and analysis.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Financial Reporting & Analysis

• Supports the preparation, the consolidations and the distribution of weekly, biweekly and monthly financial reporting packages for the Finance teams, including variance analyses, key performance indicators (KPIs), and executive summaries.
• Monitor and analyze HUIT’s financial performance against budget, forecast, and prior periods, highlighting trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Support the annual budgeting and periodic forecasting processes with data, reporting templates, and analytical insights.
• Provide ad hoc financial analysis to support strategic and operational decision-making.

Data, Dashboards, Tools

• Design, build, and maintain dashboards and reports to provide clear, actionable insights to finance and business stakeholders.
• Enhance existing reporting tools and processes to improve accuracy, efficiency, and usability.
• Partner with FP&A, VMO, Operations and HUIT teams to understand reporting needs and translate them into scalable reporting solutions.
• Develop and maintain data models and standardized datasets to support self-service analytics.

Innovation

• Demonstrated openness to adopting new AI tools and techniques to improve reporting efficiency and quality.
• Comfort working in a rapidly evolving AI-driven environment and willingness to learn and adapt as tools and processes change.
• Ability to translate complex financial and operational datasets into clear executive-level dashboards and reporting.
• Ability to evaluate, adopt, and continuously improve reporting workflows using emerging AI technologies.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Become a subject matter expert in HUIT’s financial systems, reporting platforms, and data structures.
• Identify and implement process improvements and automation opportunities in the reporting and analysis cycle.
• Collaborate with IT and systems teams on enhancements, testing, and implementation of new reporting capabilities and tools.
• Establish and maintain documentation for reporting processes, data definitions, and key metrics to ensure consistency and transparency.

Stakeholder Collaboration & Communication

• Act as a trusted partner to FP&A and VMO, proactively providing insights and recommendations based on data.
• Present findings and analyses in a clear, concise manner to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.
• Support training and education for business users on new reports, dashboards, and tools.

Core Competencies

• Data-driven mindset with a focus on actionable insights.
• Customer-service orientation and collaborative working style.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• High degree of integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism.

Basic Qualifications:

Basic Qualifications are the minimum threshold a candidate must meet in order to be considered for this role.

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, Data Analytics, or related field, or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in financial analysis, financial reporting, FP&A, or a related analytics role.

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

The following qualifications are strongly preferred. If you meet some, but not all, you are still encouraged to apply; we value employees with a willingness to learn.

Required

• Strong proficiency with Excel (advanced formulas, pivot tables, data modeling) and experience with enterprise financial systems (e.g., Oracle, SAP, Workday, PeopleSoft, or similar).
• Hands-on experience with data visualization / BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, or similar).
• Demonstrated ability to work with large, complex datasets and reconcile data across systems.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills, with strong attention to detail and data accuracy.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex financial information to non-financial audiences.
• Proven track record of driving process improvements and leveraging systems to enhance reporting.

Preferred

• Experience supporting Finance functions.
• Experience in higher education, technology, or shared services environments.
• Knowledge of SQL or other query languages for data extraction and transformation.
• Familiarity with data governance, master data management, and KPI / metric design.

• Working Conditions: Onsite work is performed in an office setting.
• Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week
  Hybrid; 1-2 days onsite per week on average plus ad-hoc meetings
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education
• Other Information:
  Please provide a cover letter and resume as one document with your application.
  This position has a 180-day orientation and review period.

Work Format Details

This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that some of the duties and responsibilities can be effectively performed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its discretion and based upon operational needs. When not working at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University’s Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 057. Please visit Harvard's Salary Ranges to view the corresponding salary range and related information.

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page.

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university's non-discrimination policy. Harvard's equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.