Business & Finance Specialist

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

About The Position

The Business & Finance Specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences oversees procurement, supports financial administration, and serves as the primary contact for departmental appointments and onboarding. The role manages purchasing and financial transactions, travel arrangements and reimbursements, post-award activities, fund reporting, and compliance with university and sponsor policies. It also coordinates appointments, onboarding, training, and visa processes for students, faculty, staff, and visitors, while providing event, shipping, correspondence, and teaching-preparation support. This is a 100% full-time Civil Service 5010 – Business/Administrative Associate position appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible. The budgeted salary range is $55,000 to $67,000, commensurate with experience and internal equity. The position is not eligible for work-authorization sponsorship and is intended to be benefits-eligible.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, or a field related to the position.
Two years of professional business, financial, and/or managerial work experience; a relevant master’s degree may substitute for one year of work experience.
Knowledge of sponsored research administration principles and applicable sponsor, university, and regulatory requirements.
Knowledge of, or ability to learn, university policies and procedures and the policies, procedures, laws, regulations, and codes applicable to grants and contracts.
Strong background in accounting principles and business practices.
Ability to perform detailed work, organize and prioritize tasks, manage competing deadlines, solve problems, and multitask accurately in a high-volume, time-sensitive environment.
Professional service skills, including sound professional judgment, confidentiality, and effective communication.
Ability to work independently with little supervision and contribute effectively to a collaborative team.
Excellent customer service, interpersonal, and computer skills.
Proficiency with computers, including word processing, spreadsheets, and database management.

Nice To Haves

Illinois Certified Research Administrator designation.
Experience in higher education administration.
Experience providing administrative support related to research, grants, or similar activities.
Experience with enterprise financial, reporting, and research administration systems, including Banner, myResearch Portal, EDDIE, and agency proposal-submission systems, or comparable systems.

Responsibilities

Oversee procurement from beginning to end, including purchase orders, P-card and T-card purchases, sole-source purchases, solicitations, contracts, change orders, and vendor information using IBuy, Banner, and other OBFS applications.
Purchase supplies and equipment using various fund types in accordance with departmental and university protocols, and document receipt of delivered items.
Review internal and vendor invoices, statements, transactions, and expenditure documents for completeness, accuracy, account coding, fund availability, appropriateness, and policy compliance.
Arrange faculty and staff travel, including flights, hotels, rental vehicles, meeting spaces, and meals; prepare and submit travel and employee reimbursements in Emburse Enterprise; and provide transaction justifications.
Stay current on expense allowability and P-card and T-card policies.
Manage a post-award portfolio, including maintaining files, tracking special conditions, reconciling balances, advising faculty on expenses and personnel needs, managing deficits, projecting expenditures, processing expense transfers and subaward invoices, liaising with collaborators and offices, and managing deliverables.
Liaise with SPA Post-Award Administration staff on post-award issues, documentation, reporting, and close-out activities.
Assist with departmental fund portfolio management and maintain reports and spreadsheets; advise principals on allowable charges and provide portfolio updates and account transaction, encumbrance, and payroll histories.
Assist with departmental and vendor billing for service activities, process fund transfers through journal vouchers, and identify necessary labor redistributions.
Stay current with university and sponsor policies and procedures, ensure compliance, and attend relevant Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance and university/campus training and meetings.
Maintain an active Illinois Certified Research Administration designation once certified.
Serve as the primary contact for departmental appointments, teaching assistants, fellowships, international students, and visiting scholars; enter appointment and fellowship requests into appropriate systems and communicate expectations to relevant parties.
Coordinate onboarding and ensure required training is arranged and completed for graduate students, visitors, fellows, teaching assistants, and other personnel.
Lead visa processes for international students, faculty, staff, and visitors, including F-1 and H-1B matters and J-1 extensions; assist with work authorization, visitor preparation, scope-of-work coordination, application filing with International Student and Scholar Services, Social Security number assistance, and new-hire paperwork.
Track international arrivals and departures and manage visa extensions and status changes; liaise with Human Resources, ISSS, and USCIS as needed.
Serve as backup approver for timesheets submitted by hourly staff hired under supported faculty.
Develop and maintain process documentation, templates, reference materials, training resources, and other tools for appointment administration and operational efficiency.
Facilitate domestic and international packing and shipping; distribute mail, submit maintenance work orders, and assist with key-inventory management.
Assist with and coordinate annual conferences and events, including the Dairy Annual Golf Outing, Transition Illinois, the Department Spring Award Luncheon, and Graduate Student Appreciation Week; manage registration lists and fees and gather and share event information.
Prepare correspondence, provide recommendations, edit event presentation materials, support teaching preparation by formatting tests and quizzes and arranging notes, and monitor attendance records.
Provide backup for other departmental business-office personnel and undertake related responsibilities that support the department’s mission.