Fiscal & Business Specialist - Research

Position Summary

This position performs fiscal, budget, and business support for the College of Education Office of Research. Reporting to the appropriate administrator, the Fiscal & Business Specialist – Research independently reconciles sponsored-project and research-related accounts; monitors budgets, payroll activity, and project timelines; processes financial transactions; and maintains supporting documentation. The position supports sponsored projects, faculty start-up funds, Research Initiative Accounts, and other research-related funding sources while ensuring that all activities are completed accurately, timely, and in accordance with University policies, sponsor requirements, award terms, and College procedures. The position also serves as a liaison among principal investigators, College research administrators, Business and Financial Services Shared Services, Sponsored Research, Research Financial Management, and other central University offices.
 

Duties and Responsibilities

Account Reconciliation 30%
•    Perform monthly reconciliations of sponsored-project accounts to ensure accuracy, completeness, and                      alignment with award budgets and project periods.
•    Investigate and resolve discrepancies in coordination with principal investigators, research administrators,                BFSS, Research Financial Management, and other central University offices.
•    Reconcile and monitor faculty start-up funds, Research Initiative Accounts, and other funding sources                       supporting research activity.
•    Review expenditures for appropriate funding, allowability, available budget, and compliance with applicable               University, College, and sponsor requirements.
•    Compile and maintain supporting documentation for reconciliation reports in Finance Mart 2.0, including LTD         Summary, LTD Payroll Detail, and RSA reports.
•    Maintain complete and organized fiscal records to support financial reviews, project closeouts, and audit                   requirements.

Financial Transactions and Shared Services Coordination 30%
•    Ensure expenditure corrections are adequately documented, timely, and consistent with University and                     sponsor requirements.
•    Serve as a liaison with Business and Financial Services Shared Services to coordinate transactional activity,               troubleshoot issues, and facilitate timely, accurate, and policy-compliant processing.
•    Review and approve Archivum Travel Authorizations, Expense Reports, and PCard transactions charged to               sponsored projects.
•    Coordinate with Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Travel, Payroll, Research Financial Management, and other                 central offices regarding research-related fiscal transactions.

Fiscal Year-End and Project Closeout Support 30%
•    Review and clear year-end encumbrances to ensure recorded obligations are accurate, appropriate, and aligned       with fiscal year-end close requirements.
•    Assist with sponsored-project closeout activities by reviewing outstanding transactions, encumbrances, payroll      activity, and remaining balances.
•   Complete required fiscal year-end activities within established University and College deadlines.

Policy Compliance, Training & Documentation 10%
•    Participate in training and remain current on University policies, sponsor requirements, systems, and                         procedures related to sponsored-project fiscal administration.
•    Develop and maintain desk procedures and other documentation for assigned responsibilities.
•    Perform other duties as assigned.
 

Minimum Qualifications

This position requires a High School diploma or equivalent with three years of work experience in positions with fiscal support duties. College or other relevant post-secondary coursework may substitute for the experience requirement on a year for year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

•    Experience performing fiscal administration, account reconciliation, or budget monitoring in a university or               research environment.
•    Experience supporting sponsored projects or other restricted funding sources.
•    Experience with USF financial and administrative systems, including FAST, Finance Mart 2.0, Archivum, and             Bulls iResearch.
•    Experience with payroll costing, expenditure transfers, travel, PCard transactions, and fiscal year-end                        processes.
•    Intermediate or advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
•    Experience coordinating financial transactions with centralized shared-service units.