Research Billing System Analyst

Overview

Department Information:
Engineering a world of possibilities. At Mines, the Billing Systems Analyst I is responsible for the billing management of sponsored research projects in the Office of Research Administration ("ORA"). This is a key member of the research team and serves as a resource to sponsors, faculty, and campus administrators. Billing for sponsored research is complex and requires accounting expertise and understanding of GAAP.

Essential responsibilities include cash management, billing, accounts receivable, financial reporting, systems monitoring, and customer service. The role requires independent work, issue research, strategic analysis of financial reports, and process improvement recommendations. Attention to detail and timeliness are essential. This position is currently in a hybrid work environment; on-campus presence is required on a regular basis based on business needs.

• Billing set-up and modifications
  • Create new billing schedules and amend existing schedules in the School's financial system and ORA's enterprise project tracking system. Use information from legal agreements, proposal documents, and other project-related documents. Assign appropriate invoice types consistent with project instruments and billing terms. Register with sponsor sites as necessary to perform drawdowns or invoice submittals biweekly/monthly.
  • Familiarize yourself with sponsor agreement formats, financial terms, and conditions to set up billing correctly.
  • Understand the School's financial system to perform billing schedules accurately and execute corrections as needed.
• Invoicing
  • Process, review, and submit monthly, quarterly, and annual sponsor billing with attention to detail.
  • Navigate sponsor websites for invoice submissions or drawdowns. Ensure invoices comply with agreement terms and conditions. Complete complex sponsor payment remittance forms and reconcile Mines' chart of accounts with sponsor cost categories. Proficient in Excel to create checks and balances for remittance accuracy.
  • Retrieve supporting documentation from Mines financial document storage to attach to invoices. Read and interpret standard financial system reports for issues when a bill is not processing. Understand the financial system screens and functions.
  • Identify and research sponsor short pays and coordinate with ORA staff to resolve timely.
  • Collaborate with the Controller's office to resolve discrepancies between the general ledger and sub-ledger accounts receivable. Document resolution actions.
  • Monthly reconcile unbilled reports and investigate discrepancies to ensure expenses are billed in the following month.
  • Read and interpret standard accounting reports and use judgment to assess accuracy.
  • Process disbursements (refunds) by reviewing award history, verifying payments/expenses, and documenting the refund rationale. Complete required forms and maintain backup documentation.
  • Review awards for closeout billing accuracy, ensuring payment completion and no unresolved billing discrepancies.
  • Ensure sponsor contact information is current for invoice delivery.
  • Participate in award closeout to ensure all invoicing and payments are complete, working with Research Accountants to resolve closeout issues.
  • Develop and/update ad-hoc reports using Mines Financial System, Cognos, or other databases for tracking and analysis of sponsored activity.
  • Be familiar with Mines fiscal policy and federal regulations related to billing and unallowable expenses.
• Apply Payments
  • Daily monitoring and recording of cash receipt transactions based on source documents and electronic bank statement integration. Apply payments accurately and research as needed.
  • Identify when payment amounts differ from amounts due and determine corrective steps.
  • Perform monthly review of grant holding accounts to verify postings.
  • Maintain proper supporting documentation for each cash receipt and communicate promptly about issues.
  • Correct misapplied payments and ensure an audit trail.
  • Become familiar with sponsor payment types.
• Accounts Receivable Collections
  • Prepare, analyze, review, and research accounts in the Aging Report related to collections. Perform collections daily/weekly to address outstanding invoices.
  • Use judgment to determine appropriate collection actions and escalate delinquent accounts as needed.
• Training and Process Improvement
  • Actively participate in office-wide process evaluation and reengineering efforts. Evaluate processes for efficiency and resource utilization, and recommend improvements to management. Lead improvement efforts when approved.
  • Maintain current procedural statements and manuals.

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or equivalent experience
• Two or more years of experience with accounts receivable, cash receipts, and account reconciliations
• Aptitude for navigating complex federal invoicing websites
• Ability to read and understand terms and conditions in legal documents
• Strong customer service skills…