Position Overview:
This is a civil service position governed by the Civil Service Rules at the University of Minnesota. Responsible for providing professional financial support. Requires knowledge of and experience with accounting. This position will carry out existing and develop new accounting practices and procedures to manage sponsored and non-sponsored funding sources. The majority of this position is responsible for the oversight and reporting of all department funds (i.e. non-sponsored funds), including O&M, ISO/ESO, ICR, gifts, and other forms of revenue and,  in addition, a small sponsored projects portfolio. Once trained, this position works independently but will consult with the finance team, as needed. Serve as the subject matter expert (SME)  for various constituents in the department and college related to departmental funds. This position reports to the Finance Manager. Hybrid work is available.


JOB DUTIES

Department Financial Oversight & Reporting (50%)
●        Provide financial oversight on department budgets for Computer Science and related educational programs, University awards to students, departmental fellowship scholarship budgets and planning, royalties, and Group Income Pool (GIP) funds.
●        Serve as the point of contact for student groups related to budget planning and approval as well as student group policies related to finance.
●        Assist with the annual departmental budget; prepare annual budgets, enter budgets, and reconcile position budgeting data to PeopleSoft.
●        Assist with coordinating and communicating year-end activities as well as year-end deadlines.
●        Assist with preparing and presenting financial analyses (e.g., trends, variance, scenario), data, reports, and financial statements related to department accounts oversight.
●        Audit departmental financial activity for compliance; approve/deny expenditures as department approver.
●        Responsible for setting up chartstrings with the College and checking to see the work was done correctly.
●        Manage fund transfers to faculty chartstrings for department commitments such as ICR sharing,  match/cost share, buyouts, and gift transfers.
●        Provide oversight on tracking and reconciling department academic year effort on sponsored and non-sponsored accounts.
●        Serve as the Department Procurement Card Administrator (DCA). The role will monitor policy compliance and the department's pcard program, including communicating pcard process and procedures to the department's pcard holder, monitoring pcard activities, and issuing, suspending, and deactivating pcards. The role also same oversight for travel card oversight.
●        Prepare invoices and follow up on processing for external sales, including ensuring payment is received.
●        Assist with instructional staff onboarding/off-boarding process, including training on the basic allowability of their funds.
●        Serves as departmental subject matter expert  related to general UMN financial policies
●        Work closely with Chief of Staff and Facilities & Security Coordinator to share and collaborate on financial information related to capital equipment.
●        Provide backup to finance students related to the monthly reconciliation of departmental accounts.

Grants Contracts and Submission Operations Activities (40%)
●        Responsible for the financial planning regarding assigned faculties' sponsored and non-sponsored account portfolios. This includes accounting, reconciliation, auditing, contract management, subaward setup, negotiations and project closeout.
●        Regularly meet with faculty to review the status of accounts and develop individualized financial plans detailing analysis of their accounts, committed effort, and cost share required.
●        Collaborate across the University with institutional representatives to ensure proper account setup, financial reporting, and other compliance as per sponsor guidelines and University policies.
●        Access data and create ad hoc reports for faculty to make programmatic decisions.
●        Review and approve appointments for personnel and expenses on faculties’ sponsored and non-sponsored funds.
●        Responsible for all internal and external audit requests related to the sponsored funds assigned.
●        Reconcile all required entries to close out account strings as part of year-end closing.
●        Review and approve effort statements with the support of the Department Effort Coordinator.
●        Keep up-to-date on changing policies and procedures, both internal and external sponsors, and communicate to faculty and staff, as needed.
●        Read and interpret proposal solicitations for budget instructions.
●        Prepare proposal budget using solicitation instructions and faculty input.
●        Assist with faculty onboarding/off-boarding process, including training on basic allowability of their funds.
●        Determine appropriate rates to use for personnel, fringe, ISO, and indirect costs.
●        Responsible for timely proposal submission to SPA and agency.
●        Collaborate with other Research Accountants on proposal details, as needed.
●        Maintain official proposal data for the department.
●        May be asked to provide support to the grants team during periods where the workload is heavy.

University-Wide, Collegiate & Department Citizenship, Other Duties as Assigned (10%)
●        Attend Department Financial Meeting as subject matter expert related to department budgets
●        Serve on committees as needed for the University, College, and Department
●        Attends GMUN, FSUN, and SPA Symposium and appropriate training opportunities.
●        Work with unit administration on annual budget preparation and entry.
●        Other duties as needed to manage the accounting/financial function in the dept.

Required Qualifications:
●        BA/BS plus at least two years of professional work experience or a combination of related education and work experience to equal six years.

Preferred Qualifications:
●        Experience with financial planning or budget management.
●        Demonstrated proficiency with computers and common applications such as Microsoft and Google Suites.
●        Familiarity with University systems such as PeopleSoft (PS), EFS, UMReports, ECRT, and EGMS.
●        Demonstrated ability to identify and resolve complex problems proactively.
●        Familiarity with University and sponsor accounting (Federal and non-Federal) regulations.
●        Strong organizational skills with demonstrated ability to simultaneously work on multiple projects with fixed deadlines and re-prioritize tasks as needed to meet all deadlines successfully.
●        Strong customer service skills, including maintaining effective working relationships with internal and external organizations, groups, team leaders and members and individuals
●        Demonstrated experience communicating clearly and effectively.
 

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

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