Financial Specialist III

Job Summary:

The College of Letters and Science (L&S) is the heart of UW-Madison and home to a tremendous breadth and depth of departments and degree-granting programs in the humanities; natural, physical, and mathematical sciences; social sciences; and the computing, data, and information sciences.

Join L&S for an exciting role as a Financial Specialist III with a team of other finance champions. You'll have an opportunity to make a positive impact by facilitating and processing financial transactions within available financial resources. This is a new initiative with an evolving team as the college implements Administrative Transformation Program (ATP) within L&S. The role is perfect for trailblazers passionate about building effective relationships while applying equitable practices that foster a community of belonging.

Reporting to the Financial Manager, the Financial Specialist III will work directly within one to three L&S departments as an expert on accounting and financial operations, policies, and procedures. The role involves key functions, such as:

-Ensure seamless processing of travel and events from planning through reimbursement process
-Processing expense reimbursement, purchasing, procurement, billing operations, cost transfers and accounting journals, financial coding for payroll
-Coordinating with the supervising financial manager and department administrator(s) to ensure continuous workload re-prioritization needs are addressed in timely manner

Responsibilities:

Primarily reviews, approves, and advises on a variety of complex financial transactions. Reconciles transactions. Maintains financial records, provides administrative processing support, and provides customer service for staff and customers in an assigned program area to support program financial management. Recommends controls and process improvements and troubleshoots complex financial errors. May be a lead or resource for others in the unit.

• 10% Monitors financial transactions and fund balances and generates and reconciles complex reports and statements in accordance with established rules and regulations
• 25% Reviews and approves complex transactions and assigns funding codes in accordance with established rules, regulations, and policies
• 10% Reallocates expenses to appropriate funding strings
• 5% Drafts communications and reports and maintains organization of varied records to provide administrative support within a specified work unit
• 15% Answers complex fiscal questions and provides information based on set materials and standards to various audiences
• 15% Reviews transaction processing internal controls and recommends policies and procedures
• 15% Serve as a unit liaison to leadership providing financial advice, recommendations, and financial status updates
• 5% May train staff on financial processes and best practices

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Education:

Preferred
Associate's Degree or equivalent work experience preferred

Qualifications:

Ensure your cover letter or resume, at a minimum, describe your experience with the required qualifications.

Required Qualifications:
-Minimum 1 year experience completing or approving business operation transactions such as expenses, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cost transfers, salary funding or purchasing OR possesses an Associate's Degree or higher
-Demonstrated ability to creatively solve problems by applying policies and procedures in a complex business environment.
-Experience using Excel for coordinating, processing, and tracking data
-Demonstrated strong communication and organizational skills with the ability to effectively prioritize tasks
-Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills including the ability to work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, and levels of education

Preferred Qualifications:
-Experience in higher education, public service or similarly regulated industry
-Experience communicating to people relating to policy and procedures
-Experience gathering financial data, preparing financial reports, and/or preparing/reviewing purchasing transactions

At UW-Madison, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but are unsure if your past experience aligns with every qualification, we still encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this role.

Work Type:

Full Time: 100%

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. It is anticipated this position will need to be on campus for 2-3 days on a weekly basis. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable

Salary:

Minimum $53,000 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications
The typical starting salary for this position is $53,000 - $64,000 depending on qualifications and experience. Only those with extensive relevant experience will be placed around the high end of that range. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays and paid time off; competitive insurances and saving accounts; and retirement benefits.

Additional Information:

The successful applicant will be responsible for ensuring eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment.

How to Apply:

Please click on the "Apply Now" button to start the application process.

Applications must be submitted by the deadline date. To apply, please upload a cover letter and resume. Please note your application materials may be used as a writing sample.

Selected applicants will receive an invitation to participate in virtual interviews (via Zoom) approximately 7-10 days after the closing date. Those moving on to second round interviews will be invited to an in-person interview at UW-Madison. Once final applicants are identified, they will be asked to provide names and contact information for at least three professional references, including a current/most recent supervisor.

For questions on the position, contact: Olivia MacDonald, olivia.macdonald@wisc.edu. 

Contact:

Olivia Macdonald
olivia.macdonald@wisc.edu
608-262-1005
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

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Official Title:

Financial Specialist III(FN008)

Department(s):

A48-COL OF LETTERS & SCIENCE/ADMINISTRATION/ADMIN

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Renewable

Job Number:

310065-AS

 

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, click here

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request at the following website: https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.