Temporary Financial Specialist - Facilities Services - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Temporary Financial Specialist supports the Facilities Services department’s budgeting process and performs and presents financial analysis to inform management decisions and initiatives. Reporting to the Manager of Budget and Accounting, the role develops and improves financial reporting and analysis, assists with the annual position and operating expense budget, works with department Directors to understand drivers of financial results, and completes assigned research and reporting tasks. The position develops and maintains analytical models and reporting packages; researches General Ledger entries and cost center expenses and recoveries; analyzes budget-to-actual variances and financial trends; and identifies root causes, future impacts, and possible courses of action. It extracts and synthesizes data from the General Ledger, ERP system, and other sources for routine and ad hoc reports, including annual reports requested by the University and government agencies. Under the Manager of Budget and Accounting’s direction, the role gathers and analyzes budget inputs, tracks budget versions, prepares and reviews budget adjustments and fund transfers, and maintains budgets in the EPM budgeting system. It partners with Directors to explain financial results, support position planning and annual budgets, and improve budget management. The role also reviews accounting classifications and supports process improvements, financial controls, and procedures that improve the accuracy and visibility of expenses and recoveries. This is an on-site position at the University of Tennessee Knoxville campus. The position requires a valid driver’s license and authorization to work in the United States full-time without current or future need for employment-based visa sponsorship.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Analytics, Accounting, or a related field.
Four years of relevant, progressively responsible work experience, including two years involving financial analysis, budgeting, or modeling.
Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
Experience with large enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, such as Oracle Fusion Cloud.
Strong understanding of foundational accounting principles.
Intermediate knowledge of higher education budgeting, planning, and reporting.
Comprehensive computer skills, including researching General Ledger transactions, generating financial reports, analyzing data, and converting data into useful information for executive decision-making.
Ability to research and understand operational drivers that influence financial results.
Comfort with ambiguity and ability to develop research and analysis approaches to accomplish concrete analytical and business objectives.
Ability to interpret model data, develop options for action, and make recommendations based on the interpretation.
Proficient with Microsoft Excel and other data reporting, analysis, and transformation tools.
Effective oral and written communication skills.
Ability to manage projects and facilitate their successful and timely completion.
Self-motivated, self-directed, detail-oriented, thorough, collaborative, and able to work in a team environment.
Valid driver’s license.
Legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need now or in the future for employment-based visa sponsorship.

Responsibilities

Scope financial analyses and develop models that answer questions and support decision-making.
Develop, maintain, validate, and document financial models and templates.
Research cost center General Ledger entries to understand expenses and recoveries.
Develop performance indicators of operational and financial effectiveness.
Use models to identify and assess trends, root causes, and financial drivers.
Conduct budget-to-actual variance analyses and assess causes, future impacts, and alternative actions.
Research industry and external resources for best-practice approaches to departmental analytics.
Design, build, implement, document, and maintain financial reporting packages for Facilities Services and its cost centers.
Extract and assimilate financial data from the General Ledger, ERP system, and other sources for routine and ad hoc reporting.
Communicate financial information in a timely, proactive, and quality-driven manner.
Gather data for routine annual reports requested by the University and government agencies.
Gather inputs for the department’s annual budget process in accordance with University RCM budget guidelines and calendar.
Analyze staffing, spending, and recoveries trends to validate budget development.
Track working budget versions and document reasons for variances between versions.
Collect, prepare, analyze, and review budget adjustments and fund transfers.
Input and maintain budgets in the EPM budgeting system.
Support Directors as a Finance Business Partner by presenting variance reports and financial analyses.
Explain how Directors’ activities and decisions affect department spending and recoveries, and help identify more efficient budget management approaches.
Work with Directors to understand drivers of department spending and recoveries, and assist with position plans and annual budgets.
Review General Ledger entries to verify expenses are assigned to the correct accounts and cost centers, and coordinate reclassifications with Accounting when needed.
Assist with researching, documenting, and reviewing processes and recommending updates to improve expense and recovery accuracy and visibility.
Assist with justifications and proposals for financial Standard Operating Procedures that improve controls and reduce financial risk.