Senior Financial Analyst – Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)

The University of Texas at Arlington Portal•Arlington, TX

23h

About The Position

The Senior Financial Analyst – FP&A serves as a strategic financial partner across the Divisions of the Vice President for Research & Innovation ( VPRI ), supporting research, academic, and operational units through advanced financial planning, analysis, and reporting. This role is responsible for ensuring sound financial stewardship, funding source integrity, and budget alignment across a diverse portfolio of programs and initiatives. The position emphasizes financial transparency, data driven decision making, and scalable financial modeling to support leadership planning, resource allocation, and long-term sustainability. The Senior Financial Analyst works closely with HR, Procurement, Post Award, Financial Operations, and departmental leadership to translate complex financial data into clear insights that support strategic objectives across the division.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
Five (5) years of progressive experience in: Financial planning and analysis, Budget development and forecasting, Financial reporting and variance analysis or an equivalent mix of education and relevant experience in similar role.
Demonstrated experience supporting complex, multi-unit organizations (e.g., research, academic, or large operational environments).
Strong proficiency in financial modeling, data analysis, and reporting tools.
Experience working with multiple funding sources and allocation methodologies.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree ( MBA , MPA , MS Finance, or related).
Experience in a higher education or research focused environment.
Familiarity with sponsored funding, cost principles, or post award financial coordination.
Experience with ERP systems, budgeting tools, or data visualization platforms.

Responsibilities

Financial Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting: Lead financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting efforts, including the development of annual and multi-year budgets for departments and programs within VPRI . Create comprehensive forecasts that account for personnel changes, procurement commitments, and evolving programmatic and funding priorities. Partner with departmental leadership to align operational goals with available resources and provide scenario planning and budget impact analysis to support new initiatives and strategic decision-making.
Financial Modeling & Data Transparency: Lead the design, development, and maintenance of robust financial models to enhance budget transparency, forecast accuracy, and funding visibility across programs. Create tools and dashboards that clearly communicate financial scope, trends, and constraints to leadership, enabling informed decision-making. Ensure models are scalable, auditable, and aligned with institutional reporting standards, while driving improvements in data consistency across finance, HR, and operational systems.
Funding Source & Allocation Oversight: Oversee funding source assignment and allocation processes to ensure salaries, benefits, operating expenses, and one-time and recurring commitments are appropriately funded. Review and validate allocation methodologies for accuracy, allowability, and compliance, while monitoring additions, reductions, and reallocation across budget cycles. Partner with Post Award and other key stakeholders to confirm funding compliance and maintain strong fiscal stewardship.
Salary & Personnel Financial Management: Manage salary and personnel-related financial operations by partnering with HR to review salary rosters for accuracy and budget alignment. Ensure funding sources and allocations correspond to approved positions and effort and calculate and monitor monthly salary savings resulting from vacancies, hiring delays, or staffing changes. Maintain accurate reflection of salary expenses in forecasts and budgets, and coordinate with Payroll and Financial Operations to identify and process payroll corrections as needed.
Procurement & Commitment Planning: Support annual procurement planning by reviewing departmental commitment lists to validate estimated costs, timing, and budget availability. Ensure commitments are accurately categorized within Maintenance & Operations (M&O) budgets and monitor the financial impact of procurement activities throughout the fiscal year to maintain alignment with approved financial plans.
Collaboration with Financial Operations: Collaborate closely with Financial Operations to manage student wage distributions, one-time salary commitments, and part-time and operational payroll expenses. Identify and resolve discrepancies between operational activity and FP&A budgets, and communicate necessary adjustments to ensure financial alignment, accuracy, and effective budget oversight.
Reporting, Analysis & Leadership Support: Prepare and deliver comprehensive financial reports that clearly communicate budget status, forecast updates, and emerging risks and opportunities. Translate complex financial data into actionable insights for non-financial stakeholders and provide ad hoc analysis to support leadership in strategic planning, program growth, and resource allocation decisions.
Service Center & Cost Optimization: Serve as a trusted financial advisor to VPRI leadership by overseeing cost-recovery strategies, developing and reviewing service center rates, tracking unit performance, and analyzing proposed programs and capital investments to ensure financial sustainability, operational efficiency, and alignment with organizational goals.
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) & Performance Management: Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing refinement of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for the centralized VPRI finance team to establish clear service expectations aligned with research, academic, and operational priorities. Monitor service performance, analyze trends, and report outcomes to leadership to ensure finance support services enable timely research execution, regulatory compliance, and institutional financial stewardship. Partner with stakeholders to adjust service models and standards as research needs and operational demands evolve.
Performs other duties as assigned.