Accountant II

UW School of Medicine and Public Health; Madison (WI); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous vacation & sick leave

Competitive insurance & retirement

Job summary

UW School of Medicine and Public Health is seeking an Accountant II to provide financial support for program managers and the director, handling grants, a fee-for-service program, and gifts. The role includes financial reporting, budget management, and process improvement with a focus on compliance and internal controls.

Responsibilities involve collaboration with campus and school leadership, managing invoicing, travel reimbursements, purchasing, and coordinate with stakeholders to ensure

Qualifications

• At least 2 years of accounting, bookkeeping, or financial duties experience.
• Proficiency with Excel, Google Sheets, or Smartsheets including complex formulas and dashboards.

Responsibilities

• Organizes, prepares, and updates financial statements, journal entries, ledgers, and reports in automated systems.
• Prepares and analyzes financial data, reports, and records; investigates discrepancies and implements solutions.
• Provides budgets and projections based on data and policies; ensures data integrity.

Skills

Accounting

Financial reporting

Excel/Sheets

Communication

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Workday

Smartsheets

Job description

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Accountant II

Job Summary:

The Wisconsin Office of Rural Health is looking for an independently functioning but team-oriented person to provide financial support for our program managers and director, who together manage a variety of federal and state grants, a fee-for-service program, and various smaller funds. We also rely on this person to be a liaison to the School of Medicine and Public Health and campus, to ensure our compliance with policies and to provide us with policy expertise in the areas of financial reporting and budget management, invoicing and transaction tracking, travel and expense reimbursement, purchasing, event payments and refunds, and gift processing. The person in this position will perform highly responsible financial tasks under the general supervision of our director. Our work is providing programming, technical assistance, and funding to healthcare providers across the state, and our accountant interacts with a wide variety of people and dynamics in support of our mission.

This position executes and guides financial and accounting transactions in multiple finance functional areas. This role will be responsible for creating and reviewing financial transactions, preparing financial reports and budget management. The incumbent participates in day-to-day financial operations of the office to ensure accuracy of financial transactions and reports and will guide other staff where needed. The position recommends and implements fiscal policies and participates in the development and implementation of new systems and processes to improve customer service, efficiency, and internal controls. Most of these will be digital in nature, so they must be proficient with online applications and processes, and be willing to learn.

Additional position details:

• This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.
• Monday through Friday 9:00a.m.- 5:30p.m.

The selected candidate will have:

• Strong oral & written communication skills to explain and present complex financial data and information through a variety of reports to key stakeholders such as Principle Investigators, Program, and Department leadership.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize workload, effectively manage multiple projects and deadlines, and independently follow-through on tasks unsupervised.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to manage complex budgets and financial transactions.
• A willingness and interest in investigating and analyzing invoices, charges, and payments to identify discrepancies and facilitate a timely resolution.
• Ability to interpret and apply financial regulations and compliance policies
• Detail-oriented with a strong commitment to accuracy and integrity in financial reporting.
• Ability to work directly with high level professionals in healthcare facilities, and engage in an empathetic manner to various cultural settings (rural and small town, tribal, urban, etc).
  
  

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Organizes, prepares, and updates financial statements, monthly and year-end journal entries, accounts, ledgers, and reports for various financial needs within an automated financial system to ensure accurate recording and reporting of financial transactions
• Prepares and analyzes financial data, reports and records, identifies discrepancies, investigates, recommends, and implements solutions as needed
• Provides and prepares budgets and projections based on existing data and established policies and procedures
• Develops and maintains automated financial systems, recommending controls to ensure system reliability and data integrity
• Answers questions and provides accounting related information to internal and external stakeholders according to established policies and procedures
• Assists with accounting and reviewing reconciliations, journal entries, schedules, and reports
• Prepares and/or approves financial transactions and payments
  
  

Department:

School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Administration, Wisconsin Office of Rural Health

The Wisconsin Office of Rural Health (WORH) works to improve the access to, and quality of, rural healthcare in Wisconsin. We receive federal and state funding through grants and state budget line-items, as well as generating income through fee-for-service programs.

Compensation:

The expected salary range for this position is $60,000 up to $85,000 for highly experienced candidates and actual pay within this range will depend on experience and qualifications.

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage and the SMPH FAASLI Benefits Flyer 2026.

Required Qualifications:

• At least 2 years of demonstrated experience in accounting, bookkeeping, or financial duties such as budgeting, financial projections, preparing reconciliations, journal entries, and more complex financial reporting.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or Smartsheets, including complex formulas and pivot tables to create financial dashboards.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a highly regulated environment such as a university or government organization. Two or more years of experience in a relevant sector is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with the financial management of grants and complex accounting tasks related to award management. Two or more years of experience in this work is preferred.
• Experience and expertise with online enterprise applications, like Workday, is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with complex automated accounting systems and processes, including databases and queries, is preferred.
• Experience and expertise with online communication tools, like Zoom and Teams (both video conferencing and chat).
  
  

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree preferred; focus in Accounting, Finance, or Business preferred