Financial Associate - Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position performs sponsored programs functions associated with increasingly complex proposal reviews and submissions to include, budget development, solicitation interpretation, ensuring compliance with University and sponsor policies and processing award documents with little or no contract negotiations. This role manages the Unapplied Cash Receipts Account and serves as the primary Accounts Receivable specialist for sponsored projects. Responsibilities include reviewing, researching, and applying sponsor payments to ensure accurate posting, timely reconciliation, and compliant financial reporting. The role analyzes deposits from invoices, sponsor portals, and automatic payments; prepares and reviews check and electronic deposits; and ensures all cash is fully applied and reconciled by month-end. When documentation is incomplete or payments are misrouted, the position independently investigates using DASH, Cayuse/Huron, internal systems, and direct sponsor outreach, often coordinating across multiple stakeholders to resolve issues. As a resource for sponsored program accounts, and in accordance with UT and ORIED policies and procedures, this position independently monitors aging, collections, and sponsor payment trends; initiates follow-up and escalates unresolved items; researches and resolves billing and payment discrepancies; reviews invoices and financial records to ensure proper accounting treatment and regulatory compliance; provides guidance to departments and faculty on billing, allowability, accountability, and payment application; and maintains accurate AR records and prepares reports to support month-end close, audits, and management oversight. Each member of DRA-SAS is expected to be an active participant in meeting team objectives and goals, and improving work outcomes. Under the general supervision of the DRA-SAS administrative team lead, administrative coordinators independently analyze information and interpret situations to determine how to solve a problem or complete an assignment effectively, and share these solutions and best practices with other members of the team. They also make recommendations to the team lead to create and change office-level procedures. Accurate and timely application of cash is essential to the financial integrity of sponsored projects. Delays or errors can trigger incorrect late-payment notices, damage sponsor relationships, and result in inaccurate federal reporting. High accuracy and independent judgment are required to protect university revenue and ensure full compliance with university, state, federal, and sponsor requirements. All DRA-SAS team members provides on-site administrative support for ORIED’s CM-based staff (not limited to DRA staff). That support may include, but is not limited to: answering the door and welcoming guests, managing reservations for CM conference rooms and workspaces, managing parking tag reservations, interfacing with ORIED business staff and CM building manager on facilities concerns, managing incoming and outgoing mail and package and service deliveries, and managing the [email protected] email account for the department to disseminate emails received to various staff and respond to emails accordingly. This role also serves as backup to other DRA SPA financial support and Administrative assistant staff, including assisting with the distribution of sponsored project billings and financial reports, sharing office receptionist/phone duties, transporting checks to the Central Cashier's Office, organizing and scheduling meetings for SPA staff, and providing regular and adhoc financial reports as directed by the supervisor. Other duties as assigned include temporarily assuming additional operational and financial administrative duties in the event of a job vacancy on the team, until the position can be filled.

Requirements

High School diploma or GED
Three years prior experience in an office environment
Knowledge of Microsoft Office
Ability to solve problems
Ability to learn new software and processes
Ability to improve processes through critical thinking
Ability to effectively communicate with diverse faculty, staff, and sponsors
Ability to multi-task, organize a high-volume of work, and pay attention to detail
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
Ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
Ability to be dependable, punctual, and a team player
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

Bachelors degree
Accounting or business experience
Prior university experience
Knowledge of UT fiscal, HR, and research policies
Knowledge of granting agency requirements
Knowledge of Uniform Guidance and Federal Acquisition Regulations
Knowledge of IRIS and Cayuse

Responsibilities

Manages the Unapplied Cash Receipts Account and serves as the primary Accounts Receivable specialist for sponsored projects.
Reviews, researches, and applies sponsor payments to ensure accurate posting, timely reconciliation, and compliant financial reporting.
Analyzes deposits from invoices, sponsor portals, and automatic payments; prepares and reviews check and electronic deposits; and ensures all cash is fully applied and reconciled by month-end.
Independently investigates incomplete documentation or misrouted payments using DASH, Cayuse/Huron, internal systems, and direct sponsor outreach, often coordinating across multiple stakeholders to resolve issues.
Monitors aging, collections, and sponsor payment trends; initiates follow-up and escalates unresolved items.
Researches and resolves billing and payment discrepancies (misapplied payments, short-pays, overpayments, duplicates, and posting errors).
Reviews invoices and financial records to ensure proper accounting treatment and regulatory compliance.
Provides guidance to departments and faculty on billing, allowability, accountability, and payment application.
Maintains accurate AR records and prepares reports to support month-end close, audits, and management oversight.
Analyzes information and interprets situations to determine how to solve a problem or complete an assignment effectively, and shares these solutions and best practices with other members of the team.
Makes recommendations to the team lead to create and change office-level procedures.
Provides on-site administrative support for ORIED’s CM-based staff.
Answers the door and welcomes guests to ORIED’s CM suite.
Manages reservations for CM conference rooms and workspaces.
Manages parking tag reservations.
Interfaces with ORIED business staff and CM building manager on facilities concerns.
Manages incoming and outgoing mail and package and service deliveries.
Manages the [email protected] email account for the department to disseminate emails received to various staff and respond to emails accordingly.
Serves as backup to other DRA SPA financial support and Administrative assistant staff.
Assists with the distribution of sponsored project billings and financial reports.
Shares office receptionist/phone duties with DRA Administrative Specialist.
Transports checks as received in the office to the Central Cashier's Office.
Organizes and schedules meetings for the SPA staff, this includes monthly meetings, inter-department trainings, special events, etc.
Provides regular and adhoc financial reports as directed by the supervisor.
Temporarily assumes additional operational and financial administrative duties in the event of a job vacancy on the team, until the position can be filled.