Financial Specialist

University of Wisconsin Madison•Madison, WI

21h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) seeks a Financial Specialist II or III to support faculty, staff, students, and guests involved in research and outreach. Working as part of a small administrative team, the position supports purchasing, travel arrangements, reimbursements, and other financial transactions. It serves as WID’s primary point of contact for travel and purchasing matters and requires courteous, clear communication and strong customer service. The role requires responsible financial judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to interpret and follow UW–Madison financial policies and procedures, as well as the terms and conditions of sponsored grants and gifts. The Financial Specialist works independently and collaboratively with Institute colleagues and other campus units. This is a part-time position of 20 hours per week, with some scheduling flexibility. Standard University business hours are 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The employee must be able to work in person at the Discovery Building on the UW–Madison campus. The anticipated schedule is at least 60% on campus and up to 40% remote within Wisconsin. The position is offered at the Financial Specialist II or III level, with title and negotiable base rate determined by experience, qualifications, and skills. The expected minimum starting base rate is $23 per hour for Financial Specialist II and $27 per hour for Financial Specialist III. The position functions under the general supervision of the Administrative Associate Director and works closely with an Accountant and two Research Administrators. Employees can expect benefits including vacation, holidays, sick leave, competitive insurance and savings accounts, and retirement benefits.

Requirements

Experience processing varied financial transactions, such as invoices, purchase orders, expense reimbursements, or purchases using 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 working independently to complete tasks and collaboratively with colleagues to resolve issues and support shared workflows.
Ability to manage and prioritize multiple concurrent tasks or projects.
Proficiency with Excel or other spreadsheet applications, including basic navigation, data entry, simple functions, and formatting.
Associate degree.
Ability to work in person at the Discovery Building on the UW–Madison campus.
Eligibility to work in the United States by the effective date of appointment without employer sponsorship.

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 or approving transactions and generating reports.
Experience making work-related travel arrangements for others.
Experience working in a higher education setting.
Ability to adapt to new and changing methods, requirements, and priorities.
Excellent time-management skills and the ability to work quickly and accurately.
Ability to prioritize work to meet deadlines.
Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, public administration, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Create general transaction reports.
Draft communications and advanced reports, and organize varied records to provide administrative support.
Reallocate expenses to appropriate funding strings.
Answer advanced fiscal questions and provide information to varied audiences based on established materials and standards.
Audit or reconcile original purchase documents with payments.
Review transaction-processing internal controls and recommend policies and procedures.
Audit or process advanced transactions and assign funding codes according to established rules, regulations, and policies.
Audit, monitor, organize, and update fiscal records, reports, and related materials.
Support purchasing, travel arrangements, reimbursements, and financial transactions for faculty, staff, students, and guests.
Serve as WID’s primary point of contact for travel and purchasing topics.