Financial Analyst - Personnel Expense & Financial Reporting

University of Iowa•Iowa City, IA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Financial Analyst – Personnel Expense & Financial Reporting supports monthly and year-end close processes for University of Iowa Health Care, helping ensure the accuracy and integrity of enterprise-wide accounting and financial reporting. The position focuses primarily on personnel expense accounting and related liabilities, including compensation accruals, employee benefit obligations, and other estimates, while also supporting financial reporting, professional liability and self-insurance accounting, and non-patient revenue and receivables. The role prepares journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, analytical reviews, supporting schedules, workpapers, and audit documentation. It partners with Human Resources, Payroll, Compensation, clinical departments, finance teams, and other stakeholders to obtain information, investigate variances, and support accurate and timely reporting. The analyst also assists with technical accounting research, implementation of GASB standards, systems and process improvements, and maintenance of accounting documentation and internal controls. The position is eligible for hybrid work within Iowa. A work arrangement form is required upon employment, and arrangements are reviewed annually under applicable remote-work and employee-travel policies.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 1 year of accounting, auditing, financial reporting, financial analysis, or related finance experience.
Demonstrated understanding of accrual accounting, journal entries, account reconciliations, and basic financial statement concepts.
Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
Ability to organize work, manage multiple priorities, and meet established deadlines.
Ability to investigate variances and reconciling items and communicate questions or concerns appropriately.
Ability to learn complex accounting processes, financial systems, and business operations.
Ability to work independently on established processes following training and seek guidance on unusual or complex matters.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work effectively with finance and non-finance stakeholders.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel.
Experience working effectively in a welcoming and respectful workplace environment.

Nice To Haves

Certified Public Accountant license or progress toward CPA licensure.
Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
Experience in healthcare, academic medicine, higher education, governmental accounting, or another large and complex organization.
Experience with personnel expense accounting, payroll accruals, variable compensation, employee benefit liabilities, pension, OPEB, compensated absences, or similar accounting areas.
Exposure to GASB standards or governmental accounting.
Experience with self-insurance, professional liability, captive insurance, actuarial estimates, or other accounting estimates.
Experience with non-patient receivables, contractual revenue arrangements, or similar accrual and reconciliation processes.
Experience using PeopleSoft or another large ERP or HRIS environment.
Experience with payroll, time and attendance, compensation, or other operational systems feeding financial reporting processes.
Experience with relational databases, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, or other reporting and data visualization tools.
Demonstrated interest in process improvement, automation, and strengthening accounting documentation and controls.

Responsibilities

Prepare journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, supporting schedules, and financial statement workpapers for personnel-related expenses and liabilities, including salaries, variable and faculty compensation, contract labor, employee benefits, compensated absences, and related estimates.
Gather and evaluate information from clinical department administrative officers and other stakeholders to support recurring personnel expense accounting.
Apply established methodologies to recognize personnel expenses in the appropriate accounting period, considering payroll cycles, premium pay, earned-but-unpaid compensation, timing differences, and other arrangements.
Investigate unusual activity, incomplete information, and unexpected fluctuations, consulting the Manager or Senior Financial Analyst when additional judgment is needed.
Prepare assigned accounting and reporting work related to pension, other postemployment benefits, and compensated absences, including application of GASB Statements No. 68, 75, and 101 with guidance and review.
Prepare related journal entries, reconciliations, financial statement support, variance analyses, audit schedules, and documentation.
Review personnel expenses and related liabilities analytically, identifying trends, timing differences, data inconsistencies, and matters requiring investigation.
Develop working knowledge of PeopleSoft HR and financial data, HR transaction tools, time and attendance data, feeder systems, and reporting tools affecting personnel expense recognition.
Partner with Human Resources, Payroll, Compensation, Carver College of Medicine, clinical departments, operational finance teams, and other stakeholders to support accurate and timely reporting.
Develop familiarity with compensation structures, premium-pay practices, labor agreements, and related business processes affecting personnel expense accounting.
Manage assigned recurring monthly-close activities, including preparation, reconciliation, and analysis of financial statement areas.
Prepare journal entries, account reconciliations, analytical reviews, variance explanations, and schedules for assigned income statement and balance sheet accounts.
Maintain complete, well-supported, easy-to-follow workpapers that meet accounting and review standards.
Investigate reconciling items, unexpected account activity, and financial statement variances and coordinate resolution with appropriate team members.
Support annual financial statement preparation and year-end close, including assigned schedules, footnote information, financial statement support, and audit documentation.
Respond to routine audit requests and prepare supporting documentation and explanations for assigned reporting areas.
Assist with accounting process changes required to comply with GASB pronouncements and other authoritative guidance.
Maintain process documentation, accounting methodologies, and internal-control support for assigned responsibilities.
Prepare accounting entries, reconciliations, supporting schedules, and periodic internal financial statements for Iowa Medical Mutual Insurance Company (IMMIC).
Assist with coordination and preparation of information for professional liability actuarial valuations.
Prepare and reconcile professional liability expenses and liabilities using actuarial reports, claims information, insurance activity, and other supporting data.
Investigate differences between recorded balances and actuarial or claims information and escalate unusual matters for review.
Prepare assigned parts of the annual internal malpractice assessment, including allocation of costs among participating entities, departments, or other organizational units.
Prepare assigned premium tax filings, regulatory reports, and recurring IMMIC submissions.
Maintain documentation supporting actuarial inputs, allocations, reconciliations, journal entries, and other professional liability accounting activity.
Assist with external audits, regulatory examinations, and other reviews related to IMMIC and professional liability accounting.
Prepare and maintain assigned material non-patient receivable accruals, reconciliations, journal entries, and schedules, including professional-service arrangements between Carver College of Medicine clinical departments and external healthcare organizations.
Obtain and evaluate information from clinical departments and other business owners to support recurring accruals.
Reconcile assigned receivable balances and monitor collections to support accurate recording and timely resolution.
Review deposit activity and help ensure receipts are applied to appropriate general ledger accounts.
Investigate aged balances, unusual fluctuations, missing accrual information, misapplied receipts, and other reconciling items and coordinate resolution with stakeholders.
Review assigned non-patient revenue and receivable balances analytically and identify matters requiring follow-up.
Maintain documentation for material accrual assumptions, reconciliation procedures, and recurring receivable accounting processes.
Assist with technical accounting research and implementation of new or emerging GASB standards and other accounting matters affecting assigned areas.
Prepare or contribute to implementation workpapers, internal-control narratives, accounting documentation, and technical support.
Identify opportunities to improve reconciliations, journal-entry support, analytical review, documentation, and recurring accounting processes.
Use Excel, SQL, Power BI, reporting tools, and other technologies to improve the efficiency and consistency of assigned work.
Partner with finance, analytics, Information Technology, and operational stakeholders on reporting and workflow improvements.
Maintain process documentation, job aids, and cross-training materials.
Identify recurring issues, inefficient processes, and data-quality concerns and communicate improvement opportunities.
Participate in cross-training and knowledge-sharing within the Accounting & Financial Reporting team.
Foster working relationships with stakeholders across UI Health Care, the University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, and external organizations.