Senior Financial Analyst

Department

SING EVP Headquarters - Finance & Ops - CoS NL

About the Department

The Office of National Laboratories (ONL) works to provide UChicago researchers, National Laboratories leaders, and scholars with guidance, resources, and central administrative support for their pursuit of new knowledge and novel solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. We work to create possibilities, enabling our researchers on campus and at our national laboratories to tackle cutting-edge, big picture scientific research and to better scale their scholarship and research discoveries.

The University’s stewardship of Argonne and Fermilab, on behalf of the Department of Energy, provides institutional support and unique resources that help these National laboratories tackle some of the greatest scientific and technical challenges of our time. Fermi Forward Discovery Group, LLC (FermiForward) was recently selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science as the management-and-operating (M&O) contractor for the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). FermiForward consists of the University of Chicago (UChicago) and Universities Research Association, Inc. (URA), with Amentum and Longenecker and Associates, Inc. as integrated subcontractors. As part of the new contract, FermiForward secured millions of dollars in commitments from more than 20 partner research universities and organizations to enhance and enable the scientific vision and amplify the impact of Fermilab across the world.

Job Summary

Reporting to the Director of Financial Compliance, the Senior Financial Analyst supports the financial management and compliance activities of the Office of National Laboratories. This role is responsible for processing and reconciling day-to-day financial transactions, administering financial systems, and preparing budgets, forecasts, and financial reports. The Analyst ensures compliance with University and Department of Energy (DOE) requirements and provides analysis to inform decision making. The position works closely with University partners to strengthen financial controls, support Board of Governors reporting, and contribute to audit readiness and process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Administers and optimizes financial systems, including hierarchy and role management; leads enhancements to reporting, analytics, and data integrity.
• Processes and reviews monthly invoices, partner billings, effort reconciliations, and cost corrections to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Reviews and approves Board of Governors payment and reimbursement requests, ensuring adherence to DOE and University budget guidelines.
• Manages annual reconciliation of all Board of Governors expenses and financial matters; prepares and submits formal fiscal year close-out reports to DOE.
• Prepares, analyzes, and presents monthly, quarterly, and annual ONL financial submissions, including budgets, forecasts, and ad hoc reports.
• Delivers clear, actionable financial analysis and recommendations to senior leadership to inform strategic decision-making.
• Ensures compliance with University, DOE, and other federal financial regulations, policies, and reporting standards.
• Strengthens internal controls, streamline processes, and enhances system functionality to improve efficiency and transparency.
• Leads internal and external audits through data preparation, documentation, and timely response to information requests.
• Contributes to the development of financial policies, tools, and templates that support effective governance and compliance.
• Works independently to maintain and support the planning and execution of financial strategy.
• Uses best practices and in-depth financial knowledge to assist in the preparation of annual budgets. Works with minimal guidance to provide analytical support for complex budget projects. Examines past budgets and researches economic and financial developments that affect spending.
• Reviews estimated expenditures. Develops expenditure projections and periodic budget variance reports. Prepares forecasts as well as analyses.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Ba