Sr. Financial Analyst

The Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) has a $470 million annual operating budget in addition to a $100-200 million annual capital budget. The Whiting School is made up of nine academic departments, twenty-one research centers and institutes, and three academic centers. The Engineering Business Office (EBO) manages the development, monitoring and analysis of the school’s operating and capital budgets and five-year plan, as well as supporting finance of the Dean’s Office Units and the effective management of research grants. The EBO works in a collaborative manner with the faculty and staff throughout the school’s Dean’s Office units, the departments, centers, and institutes to ensure sound financial management consistent with industry’s best practices.

Under the supervision of the Associate Director of Finance, in the (WSE) Business Office, we are seeking a Sr. Financial Analyst who will provide support for the school’s operating and capital budgeting processes, quarterly financial reporting, and financial management as well as participates in other school budget, planning and financial analytical tasks and project management support for strategic initiatives.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Financial Administration and Support

• Work closely with faculty and staff to monitor expenses.
• Approves transactions such as purchasing, payroll, travel reimbursement requests, and other financial transactions.
• Assist managers in compiling strategic plans for units and reporting problems to senior management.
• Interpret data for the purpose of determining past financial performance and/or to project future financial performance.
• Perform complex statistics, cost, and financial analysis of data reported in the various accounting systems.
• Record, classify, and summarize financial transactions and events in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
• Monitor various aspects of assigned department/centers performance including, but not limited to: federal financial status reports, deficit balances, cash balances, space analysis and control salaries.
• Act as a liaison between assigned units and other University Offices.
• Apply a working knowledge of applicable laws and regulations.

Financial Reporting

• Assist the Associate Director of Finance and other staff in the preparation of quarterly reports for presentation to school leadership.
• Review and analyze the operating results of all assigned departments/centers/institutes.

Budget Preparation

• Under the direction of the Associate Director of Finance, assist in the formulation and development of the school’s operating budget and five-year plan.
• Review and analyze all budget documents in preparation for Spring departmental budget meetings with the Dean and Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, as well as follow-up discussions to ensure the accuracy of all submissions
• Support the school budget process by creating budget templates and other documents used by the school’s departments and divisions to submit budget information.
• Prepare data files, departmental summaries, and briefing presentations regarding department and center operating budgets using SAP, Microsoft Office products, and other budget preparation tools.
• Coordinate with the Senior Director of Finance and Operations and the Associate Director of Finance, and other school staff to prepare the final operating and capital budget and five-year plan presentations for the school and central university leadership.

Strategic Planning and Guidance

• Develop financial reports for forecasting, trending, and results analysis.
• Interpret financial transactions and events for users who must make economic or business decisions.
• Assist management in five-year strategic fiscal planning process.
• Prepare quarterly projections and conduct complex studies to determine cost of business activities.
• Prepare ad-hoc reports for Deans.
• Lead various groups and special projects, as assigned.
• May direct the activities of staff or a function and represent the function at meetings.
• Provide and assist with training on WSE policies and procedures.
• Recommend budget adjustments, and other cost improvement measures.
• Use various software applications, such as spreadsheets and databases to assemble, manipulate and/or format data and/or reports.
• Other duties as assigned.

Special Projects

• Conduct in-depth research on financial, organizational, and budget issues to provide senior leadership with information and recommendations, as assigned.
• Assist the School with implementation and tra