Analyst, Distributions

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• Hours Per Week: 35 hrs/wk
• Salary Range: $70,000 - $75,000

Position Summary

Columbia Technology Ventures is the technology transfer office for Columbia University and a central location for many of the technology development initiatives, entrepreneurial activities, external industry collaborations, and commercially-oriented multidisciplinary technology innovations across the university. CTV's core mission is to facilitate the transfer of inventions from academic research labs to the market for the benefit of society on a local, national, and global basis. Each year, CTV manages more than 400 invention disclosures, 100 license deals, and 20 - 30 new IP-backed startups, involving over 750 inventors across Columbia's campuses. CTV currently has over 1,500 patent assets available for licensing, across research fields such as bio, IT, clean tech, devices, big data, nanotechnology, materials science, and more.

CTV has extensive experience founding and supporting technology initiatives to enable promising technologies to accelerate across the "valley of death" and reach the market as quickly and successfully as possible. Many of these initiatives are explicitly multi-institutional, requiring extensive collaboration with our peer universities and their tech transfer offices. A few of the organizations CTV has been instrumental in establishing are the PowerBridgeNY clean energy proof-of-concept center, the NYC Media Lab, and the Columbia Biomedical Technology Accelerator (Columbia BiomedX), formally the Columbia-Coulter Translational Research Partnership. In addition, Translational Therapeutics (TRx) Resource was launched in 2016, in collaboration with the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and The Clinical Trials Office, to advance novel therapeutics from the lab towards the path of commercialization and clinical implementation.

CTV's efforts are backed by 50+ full time staff and an additional 35+ graduate student interns (CTV Fellows), providing broad support to the Columbia community and other stakeholders with marketing, legal (patents, contracts, etc.), business start-up help, and administrative tasks. CTV also runs an Executive-in-Residence program, which brings seasoned industry executives, serial entrepreneurs, and investors to campus to support faculty and student entrepreneurial activities.

CTV is advertising for a Distributions Analyst to work as part of our Finance & Administration team. The F&A team has the responsibility for ensuring the efficient and effective execution of our various financial operations, including accounts receivable for license and legal reimbursement revenue, account reconciliations, distribution of revenue received, accounts payable, budget management, and projections. This role focuses on the distribution of licensing revenue, and ensuring the proper assignment of inventorship and allocation of distributable proceeds. As such, this position will be a good experience for anyone interested in the financial operations of intellectual property licensing, or any other revenue-generating business.

The candidate will report directly to the Business Manager, Distributions, but will also work closely with other areas within CTV and Columbia University.

Responsibilities

The Distributions Analyst will work as part of the Finance team in a critical but multifaceted role at CTV, working on all aspects of the distribution of CTV license income and accounts payable, including:

• Working with the Business Manager, Distributions and CTV Compliance to identify inventorship and policy issues for all distributions of license income. Calculating disbursements according to University policies, preparing all paperwork related to the distribution of license income, including journal entries and vouchers for 3rd party payments.
• Reviewing and monitoring checklists for post-revenue receipts (MOA's, IR distinctions, etc.), and working with various Columbia schools, departments, and labs to ensure that all information with respect to license income distributions is up to date and accurate.
• Maintaining and updating distribution information in electronic and hardcopy files. Creating/modifying vendor records in ARC, as well as communicating with outside vendors in order to collect all necessary documentation to assist in the timely payment of license income.
• Researching and preparing reports and analyses related to distribution of license income and accounts payable. Assisting in the design and analyses of special reports.
• Working with Accounts Receivable to calculate and record quarterly license revenue accruals for third party liabilities.
• Maintaining distributions & demographic statistics for AUTM report.
• Assisting the Business Manager with preparation of quarterly and annual net revenue and distribution projection reports.
• Additional projects and duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or its equivalent is required, preferably in finance, accounting, or other related fields.
• Minimum of two years of experience required, ideally in a related function.
• Experience with contract or agreement interpretation preferred, but not required.
• Knowledge of financial analytical methods and fundamental accounting concepts preferred, including excellent analytical skills, the ability to develop complex analytical models, and strong working knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles.
• Must have excellent organizational skills and be extremely detail-oriented.
• Strong communications skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced, high volume environment required.
• Must be able to work well with all levels of management, have a passion for excellent customer service, and a commitment to exceptional quality.
• Strong computer skills, with at least intermediate level Excel skills required.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.