Research Finance Analyst

Brief Summary of Job Duties

Research Finance Analysts (RFA) within Academic Affairs Research Services provide comprehensive post-award financial management for an assigned portfolio of medium to high-volume, complex sponsored projects. The role supports UCSB's research mission through expert fiscal stewardship and coordination with faculty and central offices. Key responsibilities include general ledger reconciliation, transaction review and approval, budget monitoring and forecasting, cost transfers, and subaward and contract administration.

The RFA ensures compliance with sponsor, federal, and university policies, maintains accurate records, and facilitates timely closeout of awards. This position also serves as a resource for mentoring less experienced staff and collaborates with campus partners such as SPO, EMF, Payroll, Procurement, and Accounts Payable.

• Post-award financial management for assigned sponsored projects, including budget setup, expenditure monitoring, and award reconciliation/closeout.
• Ensure spending aligns with approved budgets and funding periods; baseline project budgets prior to expenditures; manage cost transfers and salary cost transfers with appropriate effort reporting.
• Review and approve financial transactions in various systems; monitor for allowability, allocability, and timely reporting.
• Prepare financial reports for Principal Investigators (burn rate analysis, spending projections, scenario modeling, and spend planning).
• Monitor subrecipient invoicing for compliance and coordinate subaward closeout procedures with SPO.
• Provide guidance and training to departmental staff and junior RFAs on current policies and procedures.

• elor s Degree required in a related area and/or equivalent experience/training.
• 2+ years administrative office work experience.
• 2+ years financial management experience, including budgeting, analysis, projections, and reporting.
• 1+ years experience preparing complex proposal budgets and support documents as required by proposal guidelines.
• 1+ years experience with contract and grant administration (pre- and post-award).
• Strong professional orientation with excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to work with all levels of the University community and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Strong writing skills for drafting persuasive text with appropriate level of detail for various audiences and adherence to sponsor guidelines.

• 1+ years experience with UC Contracts & Grants policies and procedures.
• 1+ years experience with UC personnel policies (staff and academic) and payroll systems.
• Ability to quickly learn new software programs.
• Knowledge of sponsor, institutional, and departmental policies; knowledge of current compliance regulations in research administration.
• Competence in spreadsheet and database software for financial analysis and reporting.

• Satisfactory criminal history background check

As a condition of employment, the final candidate will be required to disclose if they have had final administrative or judicial decisions in the last seven years determining misconduct or if they have appealed a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer. Includes references to UC policies on misconduct.

Post-Award Research Financial Management (90%):
The RFAs manages the financial lifecycle of complex awards, ensures compliance with regulations and policies, coordinates with central offices, and produces financial reports for investigators. Pre-Award Proposal Support (10%):
Assists faculty in proposal planning, budget formulation, and submission of pre-award documents. Other sections outline related responsibilities and collaboration with SPO, EMF, and other units.

Equal Employment Opportunity:
The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Reasonable Accommodations: contact HR for accessibility and accommodation requests. Privacy and application status guidance are provided to applicants through the UCSB job portal.