Financial Assistant: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - UTK
About The Position
Reporting to the Senior Business Manager, this entry level position supports the department by carrying out essential financial, procurement, HR, and administrative duties. The role ensures adherence to university policies and procedures, maintains accurate personnel and financial records, supports purchasing and travel processes, and provides customer service to faculty, staff, students, and visitors. Responsibilities The Financial Assistant performs a wide range of responsibilities that include financial, human resources, procurement, and administrative activities. Financial responsibilities include managing cash handling and submitting cash receipts, entering journal entries in DASH, processing cost transfers, reconciling graduate student fee waivers, and assisting with labor distribution setup and reporting. The position processes travel documents and travel card transactions, assists with group and guest travel arrangements, manages procurement card reconciliation, supports documentation related to sponsored projects, and helps with accounts receivable invoicing. Procurement responsibilities include supporting purchases for equipment, office supplies, laboratory materials, chemicals, and classroom needs. The role confirms that all required approvals for sponsored project purchases are obtained, validates deliveries, maintains asset inventories, verifies packing documentation, and maintains procurement records. The position ensures compliance with fiscal policy, tracks purchases, reconcile receipts, responds to audit requests, and handles receiving and distribution of goods. Human resources responsibilities include preparing and processing personnel documents such as hiring packets, terminations, retirement forms, and leave requests. The Financial Assistant supports I-9 E-verification compliance, assists with recruitment activities including job postings, candidate record management, job offer processing, DASH workflow support, and processes Net IDs, contingent worker entries, pending employee records, visiting scholar requests, and guest traveler information. The role helps facilitate H one B and J one visa processes, monitors visa timelines, prepares Actual Wage Certification materials, ensures foreign national onboarding compliance, and processes additional pay requests, service awards, and other HR related documentation. Administrative responsibilities include assisting with timetable entry and reporting, providing calendar support for the Department Head and leadership, serving as the first point of contact for guest speakers and visitors, maintaining departmental digital and physical filing systems, supporting record retention processes, and assisting students, faculty, and staff with general needs. The Financial Assistant also answers phones, greets visitors, and supports departmental events and daily operations.
Requirements
- High school diploma or GED
- Minimum 1 year experience in an accounting/HR role
- Organizational and time-management skills
- Ability to multi-task and prioritize tasks based on needs of others and with time-sensitive deadlines
- Ability to work autonomously as well as within a team environment
- Sound interpersonal and communication skills
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office
- Manage and maintain sensitive and confidential information, ensuring it is handled securely and in compliance with the organization's policies and procedures
- Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.
Nice To Haves
- Associate degree related to Business, HR Management, or related degree
- Licenses/Certifications related to accounting, business or HR
- Experience in an academic environment
- Experience hiring foreign nationals or communicating with non-native English speakers
- Experience with procurement/purchasing
- Knowledge of basic accounting principles
- Knowledge of financial / personnel management applications such
- Knowledge of personnel maintenance processes incl. hiring, I-9 e-verification, and USCIS (visa) processes
Responsibilities
- Managing cash handling and submitting cash receipts
- Entering journal entries in DASH
- Processing cost transfers
- Reconciling graduate student fee waivers
- Assisting with labor distribution setup and reporting
- Processing travel documents and travel card transactions
- Assisting with group and guest travel arrangements
- Managing procurement card reconciliation
- Supporting documentation related to sponsored projects
- Helping with accounts receivable invoicing
- Supporting purchases for equipment, office supplies, laboratory materials, chemicals, and classroom needs
- Confirming that all required approvals for sponsored project purchases are obtained
- Validating deliveries
- Maintaining asset inventories
- Verifying packing documentation
- Maintaining procurement records
- Ensuring compliance with fiscal policy
- Tracking purchases
- Reconciling receipts
- Responding to audit requests
- Handling receiving and distribution of goods
- Preparing and processing personnel documents such as hiring packets, terminations, retirement forms, and leave requests
- Supporting I-9 E-verification compliance
- Assisting with recruitment activities including job postings, candidate record management, job offer processing, DASH workflow support
- Processing Net IDs, contingent worker entries, pending employee records, visiting scholar requests, and guest traveler information
- Helping facilitate H one B and J one visa processes
- Monitoring visa timelines
- Preparing Actual Wage Certification materials
- Ensuring foreign national onboarding compliance
- Processing additional pay requests, service awards, and other HR related documentation
- Assisting with timetable entry and reporting
- Providing calendar support for the Department Head and leadership
- Serving as the first point of contact for guest speakers and visitors
- Maintaining departmental digital and physical filing systems
- Supporting record retention processes
- Assisting students, faculty, and staff with general needs
- Answering phones
- Greeting visitors
- Supporting departmental events and daily operations
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
