UConn Careers

JOB SUMMARY

The School of Fine Arts Financial Services Office at the University of Connecticut seeks qualified applicants for a full-time Assistant Finance Director (Finance Manager 2) within the Office of the Dean.  Under the direction of the Assistant Dean and Chief Operating Officer of the School, this position provides fiscal oversight and support to all areas of the School of Fine Arts, performs a wide range of complex professional finance and accounting duties, especially in the areas of financial operations, budget development, financial systems and reports, internal controls, audits, grant management, purchasing, and staff development.  This position leads the day-to-day financial shared services office and supervises a team of professional staff as well as student staff.

The School of Fine Arts is committed to being a welcoming community that reflects and enacts the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We seek skilled, engaged candidates who will enhance our representational diversity and contribute to diverse, equitable, inclusive, and belonging environments throughout the University.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

The Assistant Finance Director is a single position at the management level and performs diverse and specialized finance and accounting work that is complex and involves significant accountability and decision-making responsibility.  This position is responsible for supervising staff and managing areas such as budget, revenue, and cash management, accounts receivables, payroll, accounts payable, general ledger, grant management, purchasing, and other accounting activities, such as scholarship and foundation-related management.  This classification is distinguished from the Assistant Dean and COO in that the latter has overall responsibility for providing administrative direction and oversight in all financial and related functions and activities for the Financial Services Office.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Manage the financial services office operations, including the day-to-day financial and accounting activities including the timely completion of all payroll transactions, monitoring procurement card usage, payments to vendors, processing reimbursements, and all other pertinent fiscal transactions. Approve (or delegate approval of) all expenditures and ensure that all financial activities are timely, accurate, and compliant with funding guidelines and University and School policies and procedures.
• Review, evaluate, recommend, and implement improvements to the Financial Services Office administrative and financial internal control systems, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance with generally accepted accounting standards and audit compliance.
• Plan, organize, and consolidate the preparation, implementation, and administration of the school’s annual operating budget, including the day-to-day financial management, oversight, and coordination of all approved budgets.
• Develop quarterly forecasts for the school’s revenues, expenditures, and year-end fund balances; analyze financial trends, prepare analysis into major drivers, and develop management recommendations and solutions to major budget variances. 
• Assist the Assistant Dean and COO with long-range forecasting and strategic financial planning and analysis; provide financial analysis, models, and other resources to help support financial and strategic planning.
• Direct the scholarship management fiscal process, foundation disbursements, and relevant accounting for all inter-institutional awards and payments, ensuring compliance with donor and School guidelines; provide financial information for foundation account administration and sponsored research grant proposals.
• Manage fiscal sections of benchmarking surveys and internal and external reporting requirements.  
• Oversee the year-end closing process and all relevant fiscal transactions and general ledger entries.
• May be responsible for managing special projects of varying complexity and drafting internal policies and procedures. 
• Performs related duties as required.

EXAMPLES OF PROVEN SUCCESSFUL COMPETENCIES

• Planning & Organizing
• Customer Service and Relationship Building
• Critical Thinking, Innovation and Problem Solving
• Influential Communication
• Change Management and Adaptability

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1. Master’s degree in a related field with six to seven years of related experience.
2. Demonstrated fiscal responsibility and comprehensive knowledge of accounting, financial reporting, and analysis.
3. Demonstrated success in creating, executing, and monitoring budgets and financial forecasts to achieve established goals.
4. Proven ability to efficiently manage multiple high-priority projects, timelines, and deliverables.
5. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with peers, leadership, and subordinates.
6. Consistently strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build and sustain effective working relationships with colleagues of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
7. Demonstrated supervisory experience and proven ability to delegate high volume, complex work, and approvals across varying workstreams.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. Experience working in a higher education environment.
2. Experience working with Kuali Financial Systems, Core-CT, Concur travel system, and Husky Buy purchasing system.
3. Advanced proficiency in Excel (including pivot tables, VLOOKUPS, and other complex formulas) and other analytical and reporting applications.

APPOINTMENT TERMS

This is a full-time, permanent, 12-month position with an anticipated start date of early December. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. 

The University offers outstanding benefits, including employee and dependent tuition waivers at UConn, and a highly desirable work environment. For additional information regarding benefits visit: https://hr.uconn.edu/health-benefits/. Other rights, terms, and conditions of employment are contained in the collective bargaining agreement between the University of Connecticut and the University of Connecticut Professional Employees Association (UCPEA).

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Employment of the successful candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check.

TO APPLY

Please apply online at https://hr.uconn.edu/jobs, Staff Positions, Search #498738 to upload a resume, cover letter, and contact information for three (3) professional references.

This job posting is scheduled to be removed at 11:55 p.m. Eastern time on November 18, 2024.

All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics, which may be found at http://www.ct.gov/ethics/site/default.asp.

All members of the University of Connecticut are expected to exhibit appreciation of, and contribute to, an inclusive, respectful, and diverse environment for the University community.

The University of Connecticut aspires to create a community built on collaboration and belonging and has actively sought to create an inclusive culture within the workforce.  The success of the University is dependent on the willingness of our diverse employee and student populations to share their rich perspectives and backgrounds in a respectful manner.  This makes it essential for each member of our community to feel secure and welcomed and to thoroughly understand and believe that their ideas are respected by all.  We strongly respect each individual employee’s unique experiences and perspectives and encourage all members of the community to do the same.  All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

The University of Connecticut is an AA/EEO Employer.