Financial Specialist

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Job Category:

Employment Type:

Job Profile:

Job Summary:

The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) is seeking an organized and dedicated Financial Specialist II or III to provide support for faculty, staff, students, and guests engaged in research and outreach activities. As part of a small administrative team, this position plays a critical role in purchasing, travel arrangement, reimbursement, and managing financial transactions.

The successful candidate will demonstrate responsible financial judgment, efficiency, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate courteously and clearly in writing and verbally. Since this position serves as WID’s primary point of contact for topics such as travel and purchasing, excellent customer service skills and professionalism are essential. We are seeking a Financial Specialist who can concisely and patiently provide information to faculty, staff, students, guests, and external stakeholders. This role requires the ability to interpret and adhere to UW–Madison financial policies and procedures as well as the terms and conditions of sponsored grants and gifts. With varied responsibilities and tasks, the Financial Specialist will have the opportunity to work both independently and collaboratively with Institute colleagues and other campus units.

This is a part-time (20 hours per week) position with some flexibility in scheduling. Standard University business hours are 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Applicants must be able to work in-person at the Discovery Building on the UW–Madison campus. The anticipated work schedule will be at least 60% on campus, up to 40% remote in-state.

This vacancy is being announced simultaneously with JR10015851; please note that only one vacancy exists. Having two job postings allows the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery to consider candidates with skill sets that match the Financial Specialist II or Financial Specialist III levels for this position.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• 15% - Answers complex fiscal questions and provides information based on set materials and standards to various audiences

• 15% - Drafts communications and reports and maintains organization of varied records to provide administrative support within a specified work unit

• 5% - Reviews transaction processing internal controls and recommends policies and procedures

• 5% - Serve as a unit liaison to leadership providing financial advice, recommendations, and financial status updates

• 10% - May train staff on financial processes and best practices

• 10% - Monitors financial transactions and fund balances and generates and reconciles complex reports and statements in accordance with established rules and regulations

• 30% - Reviews and approves complex transactions and assigns funding codes in accordance with established rules, regulations, and policies

• 10% - Reallocates expenses to appropriate funding strings

Department:

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research – Wisconsin Institute for Discovery

The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery is a research institute on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison that was built to develop a new approach to science driven by unlikely collaborations among outstanding research minds. Strengths in AI and Health, Engineering for Life, and Systems Optimization enable WID to advance basic research and rise to grand challenges.

The position will function under the general supervision of the Administrative Associate Director and will work closely with a small administrative team including an Accountant and two Research Administrators.

Compensation:

This position is being posted at two levels. The chosen title and hourly rate will be determined based on the applicant’s experience, qualifications, and skillset. Base rates are negotiable.

Financial Specialist II

• Finalists that qualify for the Financial Specialist II title can expect an annual base rate minimum starting at $23/hour.
• An applicant that meets the required qualifications and some of the preferred qualifications will be considered for a Financial Specialist II title.

Financial Specialist III

• More advanced and experienced finalists will qualify for the Financial Specialist III title with an expected annual base rate minimum starting at $27/hour.
• An applicant that meets the required qualifications and most of the preferred qualifications will be considered for a Financial Specialist III title. An applicant’s additional unique experience, qualifications, or skillset may also support consideration for the Financial Specialist III title.

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; and retirement benefits.

Required Qualifications:

• Experience processing varied financial transactions, such as invoices, purchase orders, expense reimbursements, or purchases with an employer credit card
• Experience allocating expenses to appropriate funding sources
• Demonstrated history of providing polite, accurate, and timely customer service to internal and external stakeholders
• Experience with both working independently to complete tasks and collaboratively with colleagues to resolve issues and support shared workflows
• Proven ability to manage and prioritize multiple concurrent tasks or projects
• Proficiency using Excel or other spreadsheet applications (comfortable with basic navigation, data entry, simple functions and formatting)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience interpreting financial terms and conditions, including applying allowability rules, budget constraints, and compliance requirements to financial transactions
• Experience with Universities of Wisconsin financial systems and workflows, such as Workday, ShopUW+, Concur, Assetworks, or Qualtrics, including initiating and/or approving transactions and generating reports
• Experience with making work-related travel arrangements for others
• Experience working in a higher education setting
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to new and changing methods, requirements, and priorities
• Have excellent time management skills and capacity to work quickly and accurately. Ability to prioritize work to meet deadlines

Education:

Required: Associate degree

Preferred: Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, public administration, or related fields

How to Apply:

For the best experience completing your application, we recommend using Chrome or Firefox as your web browser. To apply for this position, please click on the "I am a current employee" button or "I am not a current employee" button under "Apply Now". You will be prompted to upload the following documents.

• Resume (required) - Detail your educational and professional background
• Cover letter (required) - Address each of the required and preferred qualifications as they relate to your work experience

To be considered for this job, it’s important that your cover letter and resume reflect brief examples of your experiences related to the required and preferred qualifications listed above. 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.

IMPORTANT: There is only one attachment field; please upload both your resume and cover letter in that field. All requested application materials must be submitted for your application to be considered. Please submit only the materials specified; additional materials will not be reviewed.

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of the appointment. University sponsorship is not available for this position.

References: Finalists will be asked to provide contact information (phone and email) for three references, one of which must be a current or former supervisor. References will not be contacted without prior notice.

Contact Information:

Johnny Wertz, johnny.wertz@wisc.edu, 608-316-4496

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

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.

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, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

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 Divisional 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 your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including 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). 
 
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