Financial Analyst Jobs in Chicago, IL

About The Position

Requirements

• Any one or combination totaling four years (48 months) of relevant college coursework and/or work experience developing financial or economic analyses, research designs, strategic plans, or data models. Relevant coursework may be in financial analysis/planning fields such as accounting, business administration, economics, finance, statistics, or a closely related field; the posting specifies credit-hour and degree equivalencies.
• One year (12 months) of professional-level, progressively responsible financial work experience.
• Full professional proficiency in English and Spanish, including written and verbal communication and reading.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work for any employer in the United States; the position is not eligible for work-visa sponsorship.
• Ability to satisfy the required background check.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, economics, statistics, data analytics, public administration, higher education administration, or a closely related field.
• Experience with federally funded grant programs, preferably U.S. Department of Education TRIO or other higher education grant-funded programs.
• Knowledge of federal grant administration, fiscal compliance, and reporting requirements, including maintaining documentation for audits, monitoring visits, continuation applications, and reviews.
• Experience with budget management, financial analysis, reconciliation, forecasting, expenditure monitoring, and budget reallocations or amendments.
• Strong data-management and analytical skills, including collecting, validating, reconciling, analyzing, and reporting quantitative and qualitative data.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel or comparable spreadsheet/data-analysis software, including organizing large datasets, performing analyses, and developing reports and dashboards.
• Experience creating reports, dashboards, and data visualizations to monitor performance indicators, outcomes, financial activity, and organizational goals.
• Experience with student information systems, financial management systems, databases, or grant-management systems.
• Knowledge of assessment and program evaluation practices and data-informed decision-making.
• Experience preparing or supporting federal, state, institutional, or grant-related reports; U.S. Department of Education Annual Performance Report experience or similar is preferred.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate, complete, audit-ready financial and program records.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills, including managing priorities and deadlines across programs or funding sources.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including communicating financial, data, compliance, and procedural information clearly.
• Ability to collaborate with university offices and stakeholders, including Institutional Research, Grants Accounting, Finance, Procurement, Human Resources, and Student Affairs.
• Experience developing, documenting, and improving administrative processes involving financial transactions, student records, data collection, reporting, or compliance.
• Demonstrated commitment to serving diverse student populations and ability to work effectively in a Hispanic-Serving Institution and Minority-Serving Institution environment.
• Experience coordinating or supervising student employees.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, identify problems, recommend solutions, and maintain effective working relationships in a deadline-driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and analyze budgets and expenditures for three federally funded TRIO Student Support Services grant projects.
• Maintain financial records for expenditures, purchasing transactions, payroll expenditures, invoices, commitments, and available balances.
• Prepare budget reports and financial analyses, identify discrepancies and spending trends, and develop budget projections and expenditure forecasts.
• Reconcile departmental financial records with university financial systems and coordinate resolution of discrepancies.
• Assist with budget amendments, reallocations, revisions, and related financial documentation.
• Monitor grant expenditures for compliance with applicable university, state, federal, and U.S. Department of Education requirements and approved budgets.
• Maintain audit-ready financial and program documentation and support grant reporting, audits, monitoring activities, continuation applications, and renewals.
• Coordinate data preparation and documentation for Annual Performance Reports for the three TRIO Student Support Services grants.
• Develop and maintain procedures for collecting, validating, reconciling, and reporting program data.
• Analyze student and program data, including enrollment, retention, persistence, academic standing, graduation, FAFSA completion, participation, and post-graduation outcomes.
• Produce reports, dashboards, and data summaries to monitor grant objectives, program performance, outcomes, and trends.
• Conduct periodic data audits and coordinate corrections to missing, inconsistent, or inaccurate information.
• Collaborate with Institutional Research and campus offices to obtain and reconcile institutional data.
• Support departmental assessment and evaluate program performance, resource utilization, and progress toward grant objectives.
• Coordinate purchasing, procurement, travel, contractual services, memberships, and other grant-funded administrative processes.
• Track purchasing and financial documentation and maintain records supporting departmental expenditures.
• Coordinate inventory records for grant-funded equipment and supplies.
• Provide TRIO SSS staff with guidance on departmental financial procedures, documentation, and purchasing processes.
• Coordinate assigned office operations and supervise student employees supporting departmental administrative functions.
• Coordinate and monitor the electronic student application and intake process for the three TRIO Student Support Services programs.
• Maintain participant records, verify application and eligibility documentation, monitor enrollment, and prepare reports on participant targets.
• Coordinate applicant information and interview scheduling and ensure participant information is accurately recorded in departmental systems.
• Coordinate newsletters, website updates, recruitment campaigns, promotional materials, social media, and communications with stakeholders.
• Provide additional financial, data, records-management, and operational support for the department.

Benefits

• State of Illinois benefits may be available, including health, dental, and vision benefits, sick and vacation days, and participation in the State Universities Retirement System.