Financial Operations Associate

Job Summary:

Established in 2007, the UW-Madison Institute for Clinical & Translational Research (ICTR) (https://ictr.wisc.edu/) provides training, funding, and services to help clinical and translational researchers from many fields grow their careers and increase their impact. ICTR is based at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) and represents a robust, multidirectional partnership between SMPH and the UW-Madison Schools of Education, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine; the College of Engineering; and the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute.

ICTR is supported through grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Wisconsin Partnership Program, and other sources that include UW-Madison campus partners. ICTR is one of more than 60 sites around the country supported by the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program of NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

We're recruiting a Financial Operations Associate to join our finance and grants team within ICTR Central Administration. This highly collaborative team is responsible for planning, facilitating, and reporting on expenditures related to a wide range of activities: training awards for scholars, pilot research grants, travel and events, contracts with external vendors and partners, and more-all while ensuring compliance with funder and university requirements.

Reporting to the Associate Director for Finance, the Financial Operations Associate serves as a financial business partner for multiple program areas within ICTR, facilitating purchases and payments, providing transactional oversight and guidance based on UW policies and procedures, tracking and reconciling budgets and expenditures, and problem solving to support program operations.

Now is a great time to join ICTR! Across UW, we're preparing to transition soon to Workday, a robust platform that will replace our current financial and HR databases and workflow systems. This means that everyone across campus will be learning and using these tools for the first time together. The Financial Operations Associate will be integrally involved in this transition for ICTR and will quickly become a go-to resource for navigating Workday related to financial administration.

We're looking for someone who thrives on detail and process, loves working with numbers, provides great customer service, and is eager to learn. Spring 2025 grads are encouraged to apply!

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.

• 20% Monitors financial transactions and fund balances and generates and reconciles complex reports and statements in accordance with established rules and regulations
• 20% Reviews and approves complex transactions and assigns funding codes in accordance with established rules, regulations, and policies
• 10% Reallocates expenses to appropriate funding strings
• 15% 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
• 5% Reviews transaction processing internal controls and recommends policies and procedures
• 10% 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

Education:

Preferred
Associate's Degree

Preferred
Bachelor's Degree

Qualifications:

Minimum Years and Type of Relevant Work Experience:
-Experience or education focused on accounting, financial management, economics, or other similar disciplines.
-Experience in a customer service role.

Preferred Skills, Experience, Qualifications:
-Experience tracking and reconciling expenditures.
-Experience working with grants or research projects.
-Experience using an organization wide shared financial system.
-Experience interpreting and applying financial policies and procedures.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
-Proficient in Excel (using formulas, creating tables, etc.).
-Keen attention to detail.
-Ability to work independently and effectively under general supervision, exercise good judgement, and maintain confidentiality.
-Strong motivation and aptitude to learn new skills and tools.
-Team-oriented work style that includes effective collaboration with colleagues and proactive attention to potential conflicts.
-Strong customer service orientation (good communication, responsive to requests, deadline orientated, motivated to produce high quality work).
-Ability to interpret and apply financial regulations and compliance standards