Fiscal Specialist 2

Western Washington University•Bellingham, WA

8d•$2,215 - $2,976•Onsite

About The Position

The Fiscal Specialist 2 independently provides fiscal support to the Department Related Activities Committee (DRAC) and its seven constituent programs, which collectively manage approximately $3.7 million in Services and Activities Fee funding. The position coordinates budget development, financial monitoring, reconciliation, allocation management, and reporting; analyzes budget proposals and expenditures; and advises program administrators on fiscal requirements. Working under general supervision, the position applies university and Services & Activities (S&A) Fee requirements, resolves fiscal discrepancies, and prepares financial information to support DRAC and S&A Fee Committee decisions. This is a half-time, nine-month cyclic project position with an initial one-year appointment that may be extended, contingent upon continued funding. The position is 100% in-person and reports to the Director of Academic Budget and Administration.

Requirements

Two years of professional fiscal experience creating and/or reconciling budgets
A high school diploma or GED certificate.
Familiarity with MS Office Suite with intermediate experience in Word, Excel, and MS Outlook required.
Experience providing training on fiscal topics
Customer service experience with a focus on problem solving and communication
Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and with others
Ability to establish and maintain a collegial and collaborative work environment with a variety of staff, faculty and students

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree.
Three years of progressively responsible experience in budget, analysis and financial tasks.
Experience working in higher education
Demonstrated ability to understand and interpret complex policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the annual budget-development process for seven DRAC constituent programs, including establishing timelines, communicating requirements, collecting submissions, and monitoring completion.
Design, develop, and maintain detailed budget spreadsheets, financial models, templates, and tracking tools used by constituent programs and committee members.
Review budget proposals for completeness, mathematical accuracy, appropriate account coding, historical spending patterns, available resources, and compliance with applicable S&A Fee and university requirements.
Analyze proposed revenues, expenditures, fund balances, reserve requests, and prior-year financial activity to identify inconsistencies, unsupported assumptions, potential shortfalls, or other issues requiring clarification.
Reconcile budget-development documents with university financial records and independently research and resolve discrepancies.
Consolidate individual constituent requests into comprehensive DRAC budget reports and supporting documentation for review by the DRAC and S&A Fee Committee.
Prepare budget summaries, projections, expenditure reports, and other fiscal information to support committee deliberations and funding recommendations.
Monitor budgets and expenditures throughout the fiscal year and communicate identified variances, emerging concerns, or corrective actions to the appropriate budget authority.
Provide technical fiscal guidance to program administrators regarding budget preparation, expenditure planning, allowable use of funds, documentation requirements, and management of available resources.
Maintain organized fiscal records and supporting documentation sufficient to demonstrate the basis for budget requests, allocations, adjustments, and expenditures.
Administer and track the allocation of DRAC funding to constituent programs following committee approval.
Verify approved allocations and coordinate the accurate distribution, transfer, and recording of funds within university financial systems.
Monitor allocated funds, expenditures, commitments, reserve balances, reimbursements, and available resources across DRAC programs.
Independently review reserve requests, reimbursements, and other fiscal transactions for completeness, accuracy, appropriate authorization, available funding, and compliance with applicable requirements.
Reconcile internal tracking records with university financial reports and research and correct discrepancies in coordination with program administrators and other university fiscal offices.
Participate in DRAC funding deliberations by presenting financial information, answering technical fiscal questions, and explaining the budgetary effect of proposed allocations.
Interpret and apply university fiscal procedures, S&A Fee requirements, committee decisions, and established funding guidelines to individual transactions and program circumstances.
Identify questionable, inconsistent, or potentially noncompliant fiscal activity; work with the responsible program to obtain clarification or corrective documentation; and elevate significant concerns to the DRAC Advisor or appropriate university office.
Advise constituent programs regarding budget status, fund availability, allowable expenditures, reserve procedures, reimbursement requirements, and year-end financial activity.
Develop and recommend improvements to fiscal processes, tracking tools, documentation practices, and internal controls supporting DRAC funds.
Respond to fiscal inquiries from students, faculty, staff, budget authorities, committee members, and university administrative offices.
Provide technical and administrative support to the DRAC Advisor related to financial management, committee operations, and constituent program needs.
Participate in fiscal year-end activities, special projects, process improvements, records review, and other fiscal assignments supporting DRAC operations.
Maintain current knowledge of applicable university fiscal procedures and S&A Fee requirements.
Perform related duties consistent with the responsibilities of a Fiscal Specialist 2.