Financial Analyst

Stony Brook University • Town of Brookhaven, NY

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The Financial Analyst provides analytical, operational, and financial reporting support within the Office of the Provost. Reporting to the Senior Analyst on the Academic Budget and Finance team, the incumbent serves as a key liaison for academic unit financial operations, budget tracking, and analytics. The role collects, validates, analyzes, and interprets complex financial and operational data to support data-driven decision-making across Academic Affairs. Under general supervision, the Financial Analyst assists with budget forecasting, variance analysis, executive reporting, dashboard maintenance, and system testing. The position also provides operational continuity support for the Senior Analyst, maintaining reliable reporting workflows and ensuring compliance with University, SUNY, State, Stony Brook, and Research Foundation policies and procedures.

The role requires rigorous attention to detail, a commitment to data integrity, sound judgment in managing confidential information, and strong interpersonal skills. The incumbent collaborates across organizational levels, independently evaluates operational issues, proposes strategic solutions, and supports fiscal accountability.

This is a full-time, FLSA-exempt position based on campus in Stony Brook, New York. It is not eligible for FLSA overtime provisions, and the minimum salary threshold must be met to maintain the exemption. The position is eligible for $4,150 in annual UUP location pay, paid biweekly. The university is unable to sponsor work visas for this position.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree (foreign equivalent or higher) in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Information Systems, Public Administration, or a related analytical field.
• Three years of full-time professional experience in financial analysis, accounting, financial operations, data analysis, or related administrative functions.
• Experience working with financial systems, relational databases, and enterprise reporting tools.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency, including complex formulas, lookup functions, pivot tables, macros, data validation, and financial modeling.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing large, complex data sets and compiling summary reports for management.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey financial concepts to non-financial stakeholders.
• Rigorous attention to detail, commitment to data integrity, sound judgment when managing confidential information, and strong interpersonal skills.

Nice To Haves

• Four or more years of full-time experience in higher education finance, fund accounting, or a large, complex public institution.
• Experience utilizing ERP systems such as Oracle, PeopleSoft, Banner, or Workday.
• Familiarity with SUNY financial systems, state finance structures, or Research Foundation processes.
• Hands-on experience with business intelligence software such as Power BI or Tableau, or querying tools such as SQL.
• Experience with business process analysis, workflow optimization, or financial system implementations.

Responsibilities

• Support monthly, quarterly, and rolling forecast updates by gathering unit inputs, verifying data integrity, and running baseline projections under the direction of the Senior Analyst.
• Perform monthly budget-to-actual and period-over-period variance analysis; investigate cost drivers and draft explanations for material discrepancies across operating and personnel budgets.
• Maintain and update financial models, verifying formulas, operational assumptions, and data linkages across multi-departmental feeds.
• Assist in developing driver-based financial models and scenario and sensitivity analyses for proposed unit initiatives, trade-offs, or funding requests.
• Design, refine, and maintain operational dashboards and reporting templates to track key performance metrics across Academic Affairs.
• Monitor departmental spending trends to identify potential budget overruns or cost-containment opportunities.
• Assist the Senior Analysts in preparing executive presentation decks, briefing materials, and narrative summaries for institutional leadership.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for routine ad-hoc financial reporting and analysis requests across academic units.
• Assist with Chart of Accounts governance, account maintenance, and institutional reporting alignment.
• Support financial system enhancement initiatives, including system updates that affect academic reporting structures.
• Validate Chart of Accounts mapping accuracy and transactional consistency across core reporting platforms.
• Participate in user acceptance testing, data validation, and post-implementation reviews for new reporting tools or ERP upgrades.
• Support data governance standards to maintain financial data integrity and consistency across published reports.
• Provide routine financial and analytical support to unit administrators, department managers, and unit finance staff.
• Collaborate with academic units to understand operational reporting requirements and translate them into functional dashboards or recurring reports.
• Identify and recommend process improvements to streamline data collection, reduce report generation timelines, and strengthen internal controls.
• Assist in creating user documentation, job aids, and reference materials related to financial reporting tools and processes.
• Perform other duties or projects as assigned, consistent with rank and departmental mission.

Benefits

• $4,150 annual UUP location pay, paid biweekly.
• The university indicates that information about its total rewards is available on its WHY WORK HERE page.

What This Job Offers

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