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Finance Professional, Extension Dean's Office

Employer
University of Minnesota Extension
Location
Saint Paul, MN
Closing date
Nov 28, 2021

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Sector
Business and Finance
Organization Type
Corporate
Working Title: Finance Professional
Classification: Finance Professional 3-Finance Generalist, 8223FG
Appointment: Full-time, Civil Service, https://z.umn.edu/civil-service-rules2021
Benefits: University benefits eligible, https://humanresources.umn.edu/benefits
Minimum salary: $27.61 + depending on qualifications
Office location: Coffey Hall, St. Paul Campus
Apply By: November 28, 2021, initial review deadline

ABOUT THE POSITION
The Finance Professional is the accountant for four Extension units (Development; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Global Initiatives; and Research and Engagement). This position is responsible for budget development, management, and reporting; general accounting; compliance and auditing; and approving/denying expenditures based on existing administrative requirements and policies. They handle a diversified portfolio including funds from federal, state and local government as well as gifts, charitable grants, sponsored projects, and external sales. The Finance Professional provides expert guidance to Extension administration, educators, and staff and consults with University of Minnesota (UMN) partners and the University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF) finance team.
This position is part of Extension's Finance and Planning unit which is responsible for acquiring, managing, and dispersing sponsored and non-sponsored funds. Collectively, the team designs and implements strategies that ensure services provided by the finance and planning unit are efficient, cost-effective, consistent and user-centered.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Budget Development, Management, and Reporting - 30%
• Maintain the Chart of Accounts for four Extension administrative units, Extension gift funds, and county program gift funds. Set up of accounts for new sponsored and non-sponsored projects (including pre-award/advance accounts) and rebudget sponsored projects as needed.
• Review Extension annual budget instructions, compile budget information for each unit, guide unit leaders in the preparation of a detailed and functional budget, enter data into Extension's budget tool (Recap), and participate in annual budget meetings.
• Complete annual budget entry, upload, and fiscal year closeout in the University Enterprise Financial System (EFS).
• Review, monitor, and reconcile financial activity monthly in EFS. Analyze fiscal data for anomalies; investigate anomalies and recommend solutions.
• Retrieve data from a variety of sources including the UMF Donor Management System (DMS), UM Analytics, and Extension portal. Prepare and distribute routine, customized, and ad hoc financial reports to unit leaders and local educators responsible for county program gift funds.
• Develop and maintain forecasting tools to project future-year unit revenue and expenses.
• Regularly confer with unit leadership to review status of budgets and offer options that aid in management decisions.

Financial Management - 45%
• Serve as a certified approver with responsibility for approving/denying sponsored and non-sponsored financial expenditures related to procurement card activity, cash advance, and employee travel/expense reimbursement. Review for allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and fund availability. Ensure fiscal compliance and adherence to policy and procedure.
• Monitor gifts made to the University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF) on behalf of Extension and process gift transmittals; prepare UMF Invoice Request Forms with Extension portal documentation; and retrieve and share fund statements from DMS.
• Monitor endowment income, create/update Memoranda of Agreement (MOA's), establish new UMF gift funds, and prepare transfer requests.
• Track student scholarships awarded with gift funds, providing reports, and answering questions as needed. Record recipients of 4-H scholarships in the STAR (Scholarship Tracking & Reporting) system.
• Work collaboratively with Extension employees, UMF finance team, University partners, sponsors, donors, collaborating/subaward institutions, service providers, and contractors/consultants to determine financial needs, problem-solve financial issues and recommend solutions.
• Provide post-award management to grant rebudgets, contracts, and/or subawards. Work with Sponsored Financial Reporting on closeout of grants, payroll adjustments, and removal of deficits.
• Perform a variety of additional accounting functions including preparing general ledger adjustments; transferring funds; and, initiating and processing journal entries.
• Clarify UMN sponsored and non-sponsored financial policies and UMF financial policies and advise employees on proper procedures to follow.
• Support the creation and execution of business processes and training tools used to award scholarships, distribute gift/donor funds, and receive sponsorship gifts.
Payroll Accounting and Coordination - 15%
• Assist in processing Extension hires using the Hiring Authorization (HAT) system.
• Ensure accurate and appropriate costing of personnel expenditures through payroll reconciliation and auditing; identify and process corrections.
• Compute and enter distribution changes (including complex retro distributions).
• Coordinate effort certification for faculty and staff on sponsored funds, ensuring compliance and deadlines are met.
• Run payroll reports to compile data and calculate quarterly salary savings.

Administrative responsibilities - 10%
• Back up Finance and Planning Team accountants during vacations and/or transitions
• Attend and contribute to the Extension Finance and Planning team meetings and Development team meetings.
• Participate in ongoing University-wide continuing education related to position: Certified Approver; Financial Systems Users Network; and, Grants Managment Users Network.
• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS
Required
• BA/BS in business administration, finance, accounting, or related field plus at least 4 years of related professional experience or an equivalent combination of related education and professional accounting experience to total 8 years.
• Experience with:
  • Fund accounting
  • Budget development and management
  • Financial analysis and reporting
  • Web-based enterprise financial systems
    • Ability to work toward becoming a certified approver within one year of employment.
    • Demonstrated verbal and written English communication skills.
    • Advanced skills with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite, and Adobe.

Additional Requirements
• Must be able to work on computer and monitor for prolonged periods of time.
• Must have reliable internet if/when working outside of assigned office location.
• The ability to work in a designated office or remotely as needed/arranged.

Preferred
• Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Work experience in higher education, governmental agencies, public and/or non-profit sectors.
• Knowledge of University of Minnesota policies and procedures
• Cross-cultural communication experience
• Demonstrated ability to:
- Independently manage and prioritize work.
- Deliver high quality, accurate work.
- Proactively identify and resolve problems,
- Deliver high-level customer service.
- Communicate clearly and effectively to financial and non-financial audiences, both verbally and in writing.
- Anticipate business needs of the department, develop and analyze alternatives, and make recommendations to unit leaders.
• Experience with the:
- UMN budgeting process and budget entry into PeopleSoft Financials (EFS).
- Donor Management System (DMS).
- Chrome River or similar expense management software
- UMN Reporting Center and UM Analytics.
• University of Minnesota Certified Approver

ABOUT EXTENSION
University of Minnesota Extension is a major outreach arm of the University of Minnesota, a land grant institution with a mission to serve the public through applied research and education. The mission of the University of Minnesota Extension is to make a difference by connecting community needs and University resources to address critical issues in Minnesota. Extension strives to attract and retain high-quality, passionate employees, and weave diversity, equity and inclusion into all aspects of Extension's programming and employee engagement https://extension.umn.edu/

Type: Full-time.

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