Finance Generalist, Department of Biology

UVA Health•Charlottesville, VA

8d•$70,000 - $75,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Biology seeks a Finance Generalist to join the department’s fiscal team. The Finance Generalist supports the full range of financial operations that keep the department's research and academic mission running smoothly. This role sits at the intersection of grants administration, fund management, and day-to-day fiscal operations providing the Department Manager, Chair, and faculty with accurate, timely financial information and hands-on support. Candidate Profile You bring a strong command of fund and grant accounting and are comfortable moving fluidly between reconciliations, payroll adjustments, and sponsor reporting without losing accuracy or momentum. You're detail-oriented by nature, but you also understand the bigger picture why a labor distribution needs to be correct, what a cost share commitment means for a PI down the road, and why a suspense account can't sit unresolved. You work well both independently and in partnership with Post Award Grant and Contract Administrators, the Office of Sponsored Programs, faculty, and departmental leadership. You're equally comfortable explaining a balance to a PI as you are processing the journal entry behind it. You keep audit-ready records as a matter of habit, not a scramble, and steady enough to manage competing deadlines across multiple accounts and funding sources at once.

Requirements

Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple accounts, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously
Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain financial information clearly to faculty and staff
Experience with sponsored program/post-award grant administration, including OSP processes and sponsor reporting
Familiarity with NIH salary cap and cost share requirements
Experience with effort reporting and payroll costing
Experience with SAFM or comparable graduate student funding systems
Prior experience supporting an academic department, center, or research unit
Ability to prioritize assignments, meet critical deadlines, and communicate effectively.
Demonstrated experience in fund accounting, grants management, or higher education financial administration
Strong analytical skills and high attention to detail, particularly in reconciliations and account monitoring
Experience with financial or ERP systems (e.g., Workday) and proficiency in Excel
Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field.
2+ years of relevant professional experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Excel, Student Information Systems (SIS or Stellic) or SAFM, Workday, and Qlick/UBI.

Responsibilities

Develop and provide financial forecasts
Develop and implement accurate, timely, and complete budget and accounting documents
Process payroll accounting adjustments and journal entries
Obtain and analyze financial data to provide the Business Administrator, Chair, and faculty with up-to-date information on faculty start-up accounts and capital equipment/ETF balances
Update labor distribution for grant and departmental accounts as needed, and process labor adjustments based on input from PIs, the Business Administrator, and other sources
Help ensure bills are paid promptly to maintain the department's compliance with University requirements
Resolve discrepancies with vendors as needed
Track fund accounts, special projects, and tasks to ensure appropriate entries are made, and monitor account balances
Audit Biology expenses
Maintain financial records for department funds in accordance with University and departmental policies, keeping documentation and records audit-ready.
Provide post-award grant management, including grant transactions, collaboration with OSP for Final Submission Release (FSR) and grant closings, payroll costing, and annual sponsor reporting.
Monitor grant account balances and spending; provide research post-award administration and support for non-funded agreements
Perform timely grant account reconciliations in coordination with the Post Award Grant and Contract Administrator, ensuring PIs receive prompt account review and feedback
Serve as Effort Reporting Coordinator for the department
Coordinate faculty summer wages/salaries and financial transactions for special projects and conferences, incorporating cost share and NIH salary cap implications as needed
Manage suspense (missing funding source) issues
Manage graduate student program finances/funding in SAFM and the Workday Financial System, including Periodic Activity Pays (PAPs) in conjunction with an existing position
Serve as a representative for the department in wider institutional finance initiatives as needed
Perform other duties as assigned