Finance Administrator (Administrative Operations Professional II), Engineering Business Center-North

The Engineering Business Center-North, within the College of Engineering at the University of Arizona, is seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Finance Administrator. This position is part of the business and administrative support team serving four academic departments: Academic Affairs, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Systems and Industrial Engineering. The Finance Administrator will assist with business and finance operations, including reviewing and monitoring departmental accounts to ensure appropriate spending and compliance with university and sponsor regulations; reconciling financial accounts and payroll expenditures; tracking salary distributions, budgets, and fund balances; analyzing routine budget variances; and supporting the preparation of financial forecasts and reports.

Additionally, the Finance Administrator will help compile monthly financial reports, assist in identifying process improvements, and ensure documentation is maintained in accordance with university records retention schedules. The ideal candidate will work under general supervision and should have a foundational understanding of business and operational functions within a department or unit. They will collaborate closely with the business office team to streamline processes, support compliance, and improve service delivery for the departments supported by the Business Center.

Strong communication skills are essential, as this position regularly interacts with faculty, staff, and university units to interpret financial policies and procedures. This position reports to the Director of Finance and Administration and will work closely with them to support the financial and administrative functions of the Business Center.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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• Assist the Director of Finance and Administration in the review and monitoring of departmental accounts to ensure appropriate spending and compliance with university policies. Utilize knowledge of University systems and department tools to support financial analysis and reconciliation efforts.
• Identify routine budget variances, provide explanations, and offer recommendations for corrective action.
• Assist in reconciliation of UA payroll expenditures to ensure faculty, staff, and student position distributions are aligned with departmental budgets, including reviewing financial data to identify discrepancies and supporting the preparation of reconciliation reports.
• Initiate Position Distribution in UAccess Employee, verify accuracy of funding requests, working closely with faculty and staff to ensure compliance with budget guidelines.
• Maintain approved department budgets, performing financial data analysis to track expenses against approved Expenditure Authority/College approved budgets and identify potential variances.
• Compile and interpret financial data using UAccess Analytics to generate monthly reports and, providing accurate and timely information to support management in decision-making.
• Initiate Salary Expense Transfers (SET) to ensure accurate allocation of salary expenditures to the appropriate account numbers, maintaining financial accuracy and compliance.
• Analyze spending patterns to identify opportunities for cost reductions and process improvements.
• Provide financial data to administrative staff to support the preparation of disbursement vouchers, travel authorizations, and expense reimbursements. Assist with generating financial reports, forecasts, and budgets by offering data analysis and insights.
• Initiate and process UA Foundation forms for reimbursements and fund transfers to UA Gift accounts.
• Collaborate with the Finance/Business team to monitor fund allocations, ensuring alignment with the approved budget, projections and financial models.
• Perform general error corrections to address accounting discrepancies. Conduct financial analysis to verify the accuracy of the general ledger and support the preparation of accurate financial reports.
• Assist in the preparation of financial forecasts which may include analyzing historical data, identifying trends, and making recommendations to the Director of Finance and Administration.
• Serve as backup to the business office by assisting in the reconciliation process for UA Purchasing Card (P-Card) transactions and compiling the required supporting documentation, ensuring compliance with university policies and procedures.
• Organize and file departmental account documentation and correspondence, financial transactions per records retention schedules, and other sponsor supporting documentation.
• Perform other duties and projects as needed to support financial operations and compliance.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Strong initiative and prioritization skills.
• Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, and Outlook).
• Proficient using Smartsheet or other cloud-based work management platform(s).
• Knowledge of accounting, financial, and industry principles, practices, and procedures.
• Ability to research and analyze data.
• Ability to maintain sensitivity with confidential information.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• Experience in higher education or government accounting.
• Budgeting experience, including various fund types (recurring operating funds, gifts, grants and indirect cost revenue, auxiliary funds, etc).
• Experience with UA policies and procedures, and with UAccess Financials, Research, Employee, Analytics, and Student.