Financial Specialist III

Universities of Wisconsin•Madison, WI

10d•$65,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Financial Specialist III serves as a key member of the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences administrative team, providing advanced financial and administrative support to faculty and staff. Reporting directly to the Department Administrator, this position is responsible for reviewing, approving, processing, and advising on a broad range of complex financial transactions while ensuring compliance with university, UW Foundation, state, and regulatory policies and requirements. The position plays a critical role in monitoring fund balances, maintaining accurate financial records, and supporting the department's financial management and operational success. Responsibilities include transaction processing, employee reimbursements, account reconciliations, funding string review and assignment, and other accounting-related activities. The Financial Specialist III serves as a primary resource for financial policies and procedures, providing exceptional customer service and guidance to faculty and staff. This position also identifies and recommends process improvements and internal controls, resolves complex financial issues, and supports effective business operations. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong organizational skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while building collaborative relationships and meeting deadlines in a service-oriented environment.

Requirements

Experience initiating and monitoring financial transactions, performing reconciliations, and maintaining financial records
Experience working independently to complete assigned financial tasks and collaborating with a team to resolve issues or support shared workflows
Demonstrated ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects, deadlines, and competing demands
Experience using spreadsheets (e.g., Microsoft Excel) to analyze financial data, create forecasts, prepare budgets, and produce reports

Nice To Haves

Hands on experience with UW System financial systems and workflows, such as Workday, ShopUW+, Assetworks, Smartsheets, or Qualtrics, including creating or processing procurements, invoices, internal billing, or expense transfers
Proficiency with accounting and budget analysis demonstrated through preparing, reviewing, or reconciling financial reports for grants, projects, or departmental funds

Responsibilities

Drafts communications and reports and maintains organization of varied records to provide administrative support within a specified work unit
Answers complex fiscal questions and provides information based on set materials and standards to various audiences
Reviews transaction processing internal controls and recommends policies and procedures
Serve as a unit liaison to leadership providing financial advice, recommendations, and financial status updates
Monitors financial transactions and fund balances and generates and reconciles complex reports and statements in accordance with established rules and regulations
May train staff on financial processes and best practices
Reviews and approves complex transactions and assigns funding codes in accordance with established rules, regulations, and policies
Reallocates expenses to appropriate funding strings