Budget Analyst II/III, Center for Population Health Research

University of Montana•Missoula Mountain Campus, MT

About The Position

The Center for Population Health Research is hiring a Budget Analyst to support personnel and financial management, accounting, forecasting, and reporting. The position works with faculty, staff, students, campus administrators, and external partners to manage personnel and financial resources. The analyst is expected to build productive working relationships, represent CPHR professionally, and carry out responsibilities independently with minimal supervision. Depending on qualifications and experience, the role may be filled at the Budget Analyst II or Budget Analyst III level. At the Budget Analyst II level, the employee manages moderately complex departmental budgets with minimal supervision and maintains knowledge of administrative and financial functions to provide backup support and operational continuity. At the Budget Analyst III level, the employee independently manages highly complex budgets across multiple departments, oversees an assigned budgeting function, analyzes financial trends, develops forecasting and budget-management strategies, resolves complex financial issues, and recommends process improvements. The position is full-time, 1.0 FTE (40 hours per week), Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., year-round. The minimum probationary period is six months. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States upon hire; sponsorship is not available for this position. A criminal background investigation is required before an offer of employment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, public administration, or a related field, with two to four years of relevant experience for Budget Analyst II; four or more years of relevant experience for Budget Analyst III; or an equivalent combination of education and experience for either level.
Knowledge of accounting principles, standard office practices, and administrative procedures.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Ability to interpret and apply financial policies, grant sponsor guidelines, and applicable procedures.
Ability to monitor grant expenditures, reconcile accounts, analyze financial data, and support budget planning and forecasting.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy in financial recordkeeping and reporting.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to establish effective working relationships with students, staff, faculty, and administrators.
Demonstrated organizational, planning, and time-management skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively, exercise sound judgment, adapt to changing priorities, and learn new systems and processes.
Must be eligible to work in the United States upon hire; sponsorship is not available.
Must complete a criminal background investigation before an offer of employment.

Nice To Haves

Degree with an emphasis in accounting.
Master’s degree preferred for Budget Analyst III.
Experience with pre-award and/or post-award grant administration and financial management.
Experience developing, monitoring, and forecasting budgets, including tracking actual expenditures against budget projections.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including developing and maintaining workbooks for financial tracking, analysis, and forecasting.
Experience with payroll administration and personnel-related financial processes.
Demonstrated knowledge of budget management practices, financial reporting, and account reconciliation.
Experience with University financial systems, policies, and procedures related to grants, travel, purchasing, and contracted services.

Responsibilities

Coordinate personnel processes, including hiring, onboarding, offboarding, personnel records, and contract administration for staff, faculty, graduate research assistants, and non-work-study students.
Manage payroll activities, including biweekly timesheets, payroll processing, Requests for Personnel Transactions (RPTs), and faculty salary transactions.
Coordinate with university departments and fiscal staff to maintain personnel budgets, process grant-funded payroll, and manage funding adjustments.
Coordinate travel arrangements, authorizations, and expense reports; oversee Procard redistributions, purchasing, reimbursements, and other administrative transactions.
Maintain grant and financial records in accordance with University of Montana and sponsor requirements.
Process requisitions, invoices, cost transfers, journal vouchers, and related transactions.
Assist with pre-award activities, including budget development, proposal preparation, Cayuse submissions, and grant applications through sponsor-specific systems.
Monitor and forecast restricted-grant expenditures; prepare monthly financial reports, track spending, identify discrepancies, and estimate unobligated balances.
Support award management and compliance, including quarterly and annual reporting, other support documentation, carryover requests, budgeting, and Core Facilities billing and accounts receivable.
At the Budget Analyst II level, manage moderately complex departmental budgets with minimal supervision and provide backup support across administrative and financial functions.
At the Budget Analyst III level, independently manage highly complex budgets across multiple departments, oversee an assigned budgeting function, analyze financial trends, develop forecasting and budget-management strategies, resolve complex financial issues, and recommend process improvements.