Finance Generalist, Department of Biology

The Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Finance Generalist role at The Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia supports the Biology department's fiscal team, providing comprehensive grant administration, fund management, and day‑to‑day financial operations. This position collaborates with the Department Manager, Chair, and faculty to deliver accurate, timely financial information and hands‑on support.

Strong fund accounting and grant management experience, including NIH considerations, is essential, with an emphasis on

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field.
• 2+ years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience with sponsored program/post-award grant administration, including OSP processes and sponsor reporting.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, especially in reconciliations and account monitoring.

Responsibilities

• Develop and provide financial forecasts.
• Develop and implement accurate, timely, and complete budget and accounting documents.
• Process payroll accounting adjustments and journal entries.
• Obtain and analyze financial data to provide up‑to‑date information on faculty start‑up accounts and capital equipment/ETF balances.
• Update labor distribution for grant and departmental accounts and process labor adjustments with input from PIs and leadership.
• Help ensure bills are paid promptly to maintain compliance with University requirements.
• Resolve discrepancies with vendors as needed.
• Track fund accounts, special projects, and tasks to ensure proper entries and monitor balances.
• Audit Biology expenses and maintain audit‑ready records.
• Provide post‑award grant management including grant transactions, collaboration with OSP for FSR and closings, payroll costing, and sponsor reporting.
• Monitor grant balances and support for non‑funded agreements.
• Perform timely grant account reconciliations coordinating with Post Award Grant and Contract Administrator.

Skills

Organizational skills

Clear communication

Sponsored program admin

NIH salary cap know-how

Effort reporting

SAFM familiarity

Workday familiarity

Excel proficiency

Fund accounting

Grants management

Academic department experience

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field

Tools

Workday

SAFM

Excel

Qlik/UBI

Job description

The Department of Biology seeks a Finance Generalist to join the department's fiscal team. The Finance Generalist supports the full range of financial operations that keep the department's research and academic mission running smoothly. This role sits at the intersection of grants administration, fund management, and day-to-day fiscal operations providing the Department Manager, Chair, and faculty with accurate, timely financial information and hands‑on support.

Candidate Profile

You bring a strong command of fund and grant accounting and are comfortable moving fluidly between reconciliations, payroll adjustments, and sponsor reporting without losing accuracy or momentum. You're detail-oriented by nature, but you also understand the bigger picture why a labor distribution needs to be correct, what a cost share commitment means for a PI down the road, and why a suspense account can't sit unresolved.

You work well both independently and in partnership with Post Award Grant and Contract Administrators, the Office of Sponsored Programs, faculty, and departmental leadership. You're equally comfortable explaining a balance to a PI as you are processing the journal entry behind it. You keep audit-ready records as a matter of habit, not a scramble, and steady enough to manage competing deadlines across multiple accounts and funding sources at once.

What you Bring

• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple accounts, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain financial information clearly to faculty and staff
• Experience with sponsored program/post-award grant administration, including OSP processes and sponsor reporting
• Familiarity with NIH salary cap and cost share requirements
• Experience with effort reporting and payroll costing
• Experience with SAFM or comparable graduate student funding systems
• Prior experience supporting an academic department, center, or research unit
• Ability to prioritize assignments, meet critical deadlines, and communicate effectively.
• Demonstrated experience in fund accounting, grants management, or higher education financial administration
• Strong analytical skills and high attention to detail, particularly in reconciliations and account monitoring
• Experience with financial or ERP systems (e.g., Workday) and proficiency in Excel

Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop and provide financial forecasts
• Develop and implement accurate, timely, and complete budget and accounting documents
• Process payroll accounting adjustments and journal entries
• Obtain and analyze financial data to provide the Business Administrator, Chair, and faculty with up‑to‑date information on faculty start‑up accounts and capital equipment/ETF balances
• Update labor distribution for grant and departmental accounts as needed, and process labor adjustments based on input from PIs, the Business Administrator, and other sources
• Help ensure bills are paid promptly to maintain the department's compliance with University requirements
• Resolve discrepancies with vendors as needed
• Track fund accounts, special projects, and tasks to ensure appropriate entries are made, and monitor account balances
• Audit Biology expenses
• Maintain financial records for department funds in accordance with University and departmental policies, keeping documentation and records audit‑ready.
• Provide post‑award grant management, including grant transactions, collaboration with OSP for Final Submission Release (FSR) and grant closings, payroll costing, and annual sponsor reporting.
• Monitor grant account balances and spending; provide research post‑award administration and support for non‑funded agreements
• Perform timely grant account reconciliations in coordination with the Post Award Grant and Contract Administrator, ensuring PIs receive prompt account review and feedback
• Serve as Effort Reporting Coordinator for the department
• Coordinate faculty summer wages/salaries and financial transactions for special projects and conferences, incorporating cost share and NIH salary cap implications as needed
• Manage suspense (missing funding source) issues
• Manage graduate student program finances/funding in SAFM and the Workday Financial System, including Periodic Activity Pays (PAPs) in conjunction with an existing position
• Serve as a representative for the department in wider institutional finance initiatives as needed
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field.
• Experience: 2+ years of relevant professional experience.

Preferred knowledge, skills and abilities

Experience with Excel, Student Information Systems (SIS or Stellic) or SAFM, Workday, and Qlick/UBI. Ability to prioritize assignments, meet critical deadlines, and communicate effectively.

The Finance Generalist will report to the Biology Finance and Administration Manager.

Physical Demands

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers, however there are occasional requirements to transport items for events. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meeting and programs.

This position is located in Charlottesville, VA.

Anticipated Hiring Range: $70,000 - $75,000 annually commensurate with education and experience. This position will remain open until filled. This is an exempt level, benefited position. The University will perform background checks on all hires (if required) prior to employment.Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States. For this role, the University will not sponsor or consider candidates requiring sponsorship for employment visas now or in the future.

Minimum Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience: 2+ years of relevant professional experience required.
• Licensure: None.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA's commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.

For more information on the benefits at UVA, visit hr.virginia.edu/benefits

For questions about the position, please contact Kevin Elgin, Finance and Administration Manager, at [e-mail]

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/.