Russell Labs Finance Manager

University of Wisconsin; Madison (WI); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dynamic team at an esteemed institution as a Finance Manager, where you will lead financial operations for multiple academic departments. This role offers the chance to innovate and streamline financial processes while collaborating with talented professionals. You will be at the forefront of implementing new business processes with cutting-edge software, ensuring compliance with financial guidelines, and fostering a culture of teamwork. If you are passionate about finance and education, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Generous vacation and holidays

Competitive insurance plans

Retirement benefits

Paid time off

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in financial operations, including cost accounting.
• Experience with financial systems and tools like Workday and PeopleSoft.

Responsibilities

• Guide financial staff and ensure accuracy of financial transactions.
• Implement fiscal policies and manage departmental budgets.

Skills

Financial Operations

Cost Accounting Principles

Grant Management

Problem Solving

Supervisory Skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Finance

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration

Tools

Workday

PeopleSoft

Smartsheet

Spreadsheets

Job description

Job Summary:

The Finance Manager will join the Russell Labs Administrative Service Center ("The Hub") team in providing support to the academic departments of Entomology, Forest and Wildlife Ecology, and Plant Pathology in their research, instructional, and outreach missions. This position will work collaboratively with the Russell Labs Department Administrator to lead financial operations for the academic departments in Russell Labs.

The Russell Labs Hub is comprised of a group of talented professionals who provide department level support in the areas of administration, building and facilities maintenance, financial and grants services, human resources and payroll, information technology and student services. We are looking for a colleague who is adaptable and motivated to lead various financial functions as we transition to new business processes with the implementation of WorkDay software.

A highly qualified candidate will have a strong understanding of the financial and business process environment at UW-Madison. They will also demonstrate skills of a systems thinker, being able to identify areas for improvement and collaborate effectively with others to implement change and achieve goals in support of the Russell Labs academic departments.

Responsibilities:

Guides financial and or accounting staff performing work in multiple finance functional areas and participates in day-to-day financial operations to ensure accuracy of financial transactions and reports, and/or supervises staff. Recommends and implements fiscal policies and advises on development of processes in support of efficient and compliant reporting.

• 20% Plans, directs, and engages in financial and/or accounting operations for multiple areas; coordinates data management, budget preparation and management, and financial reporting efforts
• 20% May exercise supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 FTE or equivalent employees
• 15% Identifies, verifies, and audits financial charges, credits, and authorizes payments
• 10% Recommends, interprets, disseminates, and implements unit-focused fiscal policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with established rule, regulations and financial guidelines
• 5% Participates in the development, maintenance, and monitoring of automated financial information systems
• 5% Analyzes financial information and makes recommendations to unit leadership
• 5% Serves as a subject matter expert to unit leadership regarding financial operations, status and reporting, and recommends process improvements
• 5% Collaborate with Department Administrator and Department Chairs to manage departmental budgets and provide input on budgetary decisions.
• 15% Facilitate teamwork and relationships between grants and HR functional areas that intersect with business and finance transactions. Foster communications and ensure that systems are in place that promote efficiencies among teams within the Hub.

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
Bachelor's Degreein finance, business, administration, or a related field.

Qualifications:

Required:
- Minimum of three years of working experience in financial operations (e.g., Finance, Accounting, Grant Management, etc.) involving the application of cost accounting principles and standards.
- Experience working with financial and/or grant systems, tools, or other comparable financial platforms and related software and application systems (i.e., Workday, PeopleSoft, Smartsheet, spreadsheets, etc.) to handle financial data and transactions.
- Experience interpreting and applying financial policies and procedures including policy development/update to ensure compliance with established rules, regulations, and financial guidelines, and to process/approve accounting transactions such as cost transfers, procurement, sub-award management, and financial expenditures (e.g., travel, purchasing, etc.).
- Excellent administrative and organizational skills, including identifying and solving problems both independently and collaboratively, prioritizing and delegating tasks, managing competing deadlines, and maintaining keen attention to detail.
- At least two years of experience supervising and/or leading people, including working knowledge of management best practices.

Preferred:
- Knowledge of UW, State, and Federal rules and regulations and/or experience managing finances within an institution of higher education.
- Working knowledge of UW financial systems and tools (e.g., PeopleSoft financial and human resources software (UW SFS and HRS), Workday financial and human resources software, Jaegger procurement software (Shop UW+), and/or UW-Madison Cost Transfer Tool).
- Knowledge of research administration principles and experience performing sponsored project management.

Work Type:

Full Time: 100%

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.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable

Salary:

Minimum $80,000 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications
The starting salary for this position is listed at $80,000 annually, however, final salary will depend on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. Additional benefits information can be found at https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf

Additional Information:

- Evaluation Period may be required
- Work Authorization: The successful applicant will be responsible for ensuring eligibility for employment in the United States by the start of the appointment.

How to Apply:

Click on the "Apply Online" button to start the application process. You will be prompted to upload the following documents/Application Materials:

Resume (required) - Detail your educational and professional background
Cover letter (required) - Refer to your related work experience
References (required) - List contact information for three (3) references, including your current/most recent supervisor. References will not be contacted without prior notice.

It's important that your cover letter and resume reflect your experience for this position related to the Qualifications section. Your application materials will be used during our evaluation to determine your qualifications as they relate to the job. The most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process.

Contact:

Amy Ducy
[e-mail]
608-262-6059
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Official Title:

Financial Manager(FN005)

Department(s):

A07-COL OF AG & LIFE SCIENCES/ADM SVCS CTR/RUSSELL LABS

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Renewable

Job Number:

313954-AS

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

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, 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 by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds 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

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Division Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

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.