Senior Financial Analyst

The Senior Financial Analyst reports to the Director, Finance and will assist with the strategic financial planning for the College of Arts and Sciences, Lowe, UMIA, and HGA. This position will be a financial professional who has exceptional analytical, communication and interpersonal skills, as well as strong organizational and time management capabilities. The Sr. Financial Analyst will possess the ability to present business information to senior administration in a manner easily understood by non-financial professionals. This individual will also have a strong understanding of financial applications and creation of financial reporting.  An attention to detail and insistence on the accuracy, timeliness, reliability, and usefulness of business information will be important characteristics. This position will serve as a resource for other departments in financial and business planning. The incumbent will assist with the interpretation of financial metrics and support any implementation plan process which is based on such metrics.

Specific core duties include:

Conduct financial and planning analyses; provide analyses to support decision making to the leadership of the University.

Assist with the development and maintenance of an integrated Faculty planning model, including the implementation of a monitoring and reconciliation process.

Assist in building and maintaining financial models with the use of advanced MS Excel formulas and within Tidemark, the University's budget & modeling application.

Assist with the development of financial plans and incremental cost/benefit analysis; as a key component of the budgeting process, assist with the implementation of systems that report on key financial ratios, metrics, and benchmarking criteria; together with the supervisor, prepare and periodically update long range financial projections.

Present business applications to varied audiences in a manner clearly understandable by non-technical managers. Excellent communication skills - both written (narrative, tabular and graphical) and oral are critical.

Extract data from various business application systems, provide detailed analysis of the data at the University, division and department levels and interpret the data. Present information at all levels to the Dean and Sr. Business Officer for ultimate distribution to senior College leadership and faculty.

Analyze and coordinate the distribution of a variety of financial data and relevant reports in a clear, concise, and timely manner; routinely perform variance and historical analysis; create financial, transactional, and ad-hoc reports as needed.

Prepare a standard reporting package incorporating key operating measures; present forecasts of expected actual performance against plan and/or prior periods.

Assist with the development of annual budgets as well as the quarterly variances and forecasts.

Performance, at the highest professional level, of all other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Specific duties related to but not limited to the College of Arts & Sciences, Lowe, UMIA, and HGA:

Assist in the oversight of operational accounts (programs) and ensure they are being adequately monitored and reconciled; project revenue and expenditure budget variances; monitor, verify and reconcile expenditure of budgeted funds.  Responsible for expenditure control.

Provide timely detailed financial and/or narrative reports on budget variances, projected revenues and expenditures, and staff salaries.

Oversee fiscal management for assigned cost centers including contract review, expenditure requests, and account reconciliation.

Assist with the adherence to and execution of the division’s annual budget in accordance with University Budget Guidelines and Policies.

Work in an integrated manner with the department units on financial management, as well as financial reporting needs and requirements.  

Consult with assigned departments regarding budget, financial reports, reconciliations, irregular and unusual transactions, and problem resolutions.

Responsible for fiscal year closing of assigned accounts.

Serve as a resource for other departments providing assistance to faculty and staff with cost analysis, fiscal allocation and budget preparation.  Consult with departments regarding budget analysis, financial reports, reconciliations, irregular and unusual transactions, and problem resolutions.

Responsible for USpace for the multiple departments in which they have oversight including but not limited to effort distribution analysis, determination of space utilization, and providing reports regarding space use and allocations.

Assist in equipment inventory and certification.

Assist in Unrelated Business Income reporting.

Responsible for creating and updating various standard operating procedures.

Exercises discretion and independent judgment in daily activities.

Responsible for creating and sustaining a collaborative work environment where personnel is treated respectfully, ethically, and professionally at all times; responsible for building positive and productive relationships with colleagues at all levels and departments across campus.

Support the Sr. Business Officer and the Director, Finance operationally and with other projects as needed.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field.

Three years of relevant work experience. Four or more years of progressively responsible experience, preferably in a University setting preferred.

Any relevant education, certifications and/or work experience may be considered.

A combination of a strong background with computer application systems and financial analytical skills are critical.

Ability to work in a complex environment with the skills to manage multiple projects and deadlines, establish priorities, set objectives, and achieve stated goals.

Ability to work as a team or independently.

Attention to detail and able to meet strict deadlines.

Appreciation for organizational subtleties and a high level of discretion.

Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Customer service experience, focus, and above average problem-solving skills.