Finance Specialist I

Rice University • Houston, TX

17h • $55,000 - $60,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering seeks a highly reliable and detail-oriented financial specialist to support the department’s financial operations. This role ensures accurate and timely financial processing, provides responsive support to faculty and staff, and contributes to the effective day-to-day operation of the department. The position requires strong organizational skills, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while adhering to university policies and deadlines. The successful candidate will work closely with departmental leadership and campus partners to support the effective administration of departmental resources and contribute to a professional, service-oriented environment. The ideal candidate thrives in a team-oriented environment and is highly organized and detail-oriented. They can effectively prioritize competing tasks, take a proactive approach to work assignments, and communicate clearly and professionally in both writing and conversation. They are also able to interpret complex financial data and translate it into actionable insights to support sound decision-making in a collaborative academic setting.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• 1+ years of relevant experience in finance
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• User knowledge and demonstrated experience in financial systems
• Understanding and ability to apply basic accounting skills and concepts
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate information across stakeholder groups
• Attention to detail and accuracy in reconciling complex datasets across multiple sources
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage deadlines across recurring and project-based assignments
• Ability to work independently and problem-solve within established university policies and procedures

Responsibilities

• Performs structured analysis; conducts data mining; identifies, clarifies, and investigates discrepancies and exceptions; proactively develops solutions and processes
• Maintains, reconciles, reviews, combines, and validates financial datasets and accounts
• Contributes to the development of budget, forecasting, and analyses
• Runs and analyzes financial reports; assists in preparation of management information reports
• Performs preliminary analysis, recognizes exceptions, and recommends solutions that may require policy changes or the development of new processes
• Ensures work complies with complex internal policies and external regulations, which may require interpretation
• Serves as a first-line resource to client groups on matters in the work unit
• Performs other duties as assigned

Benefits

• https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits
• Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level