Financial Specialist

Universities of Wisconsin•Madison, WI

1d•$23 - $27•Hybrid

About The Position

The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) is seeking an organized and dedicated Financial Specialist II or III to provide support for faculty, staff, students, and guests engaged in research and outreach activities. As part of a small administrative team, this position plays a critical role in purchasing, travel arrangement, reimbursement, and managing financial transactions. The successful candidate will demonstrate responsible financial judgment, efficiency, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate courteously and clearly in writing and verbally. Since this position serves as WID’s primary point of contact for topics such as travel and purchasing, excellent customer service skills and professionalism are essential. We are seeking a Financial Specialist who can concisely and patiently provide information to faculty, staff, students, guests, and external stakeholders. This role requires the ability to interpret and adhere to UW–Madison financial policies and procedures as well as the terms and conditions of sponsored grants and gifts. With varied responsibilities and tasks, the Financial Specialist will have the opportunity to work both independently and collaboratively with Institute colleagues and other campus units. This is a part-time (20 hours per week) position with some flexibility in scheduling. Standard University business hours are 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Applicants must be able to work in-person at the Discovery Building on the UW–Madison campus. The anticipated work schedule will be at least 60% on campus, up to 40% remote in-state. This vacancy is being announced simultaneously with JR10015851; please note that only one vacancy exists. Having two job postings allows the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery to consider candidates with skill sets that match the Financial Specialist II or Financial Specialist III levels for this position.

Requirements

Experience processing varied financial transactions, such as invoices, purchase orders, expense reimbursements, or purchases with an employer credit card
Experience allocating expenses to appropriate funding sources
Demonstrated history of providing polite, accurate, and timely customer service to internal and external stakeholders
Experience with both working independently to complete tasks and collaboratively with colleagues to resolve issues and support shared workflows
Proven ability to manage and prioritize multiple concurrent tasks or projects
Proficiency using Excel or other spreadsheet applications (comfortable with basic navigation, data entry, simple functions and formatting)

Nice To Haves

Experience interpreting financial terms and conditions, including applying allowability rules, budget constraints, and compliance requirements to financial transactions
Experience with Universities of Wisconsin financial systems and workflows, such as Workday, ShopUW+, Concur, Assetworks, or Qualtrics, including initiating and/or approving transactions and generating reports
Experience with making work-related travel arrangements for others
Experience working in a higher education setting
Demonstrated ability to adapt to new and changing methods, requirements, and priorities
Have excellent time management skills and capacity to work quickly and accurately. Ability to prioritize work to meet deadlines

Responsibilities

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