Fiscal & Business Specialist - Research

Fiscal & Business Specialist – Research

This position performs fiscal, budget, and business support for the College of Education Office of Research. Reporting to the appropriate administrator, the Fiscal & Business Specialist – Research independently reconciles sponsored-project and research-related accounts; monitors budgets, payroll activity, and project timelines; processes financial transactions; and maintains supporting documentation. The position supports sponsored projects, faculty start-up funds, Research Initiative Accounts, and other research-related funding sources while ensuring that all activities are completed accurately, timely, and in accordance with University policies, sponsor requirements, award terms, and College procedures.

The position also serves as a liaison among principal investigators, College research administrators, Business and Financial Services Shared Services, Sponsored Research, Research Financial Management, and other central University offices.

Duties and Responsibilities

Account Reconciliation 30%

• Perform monthly reconciliations of sponsored-project accounts to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with award budgets and project periods.

• Investigate and resolve discrepancies in coordination with principal investigators, research administrators, BFSS, Research Financial Management, and other central University offices.

• Reconcile and monitor faculty start-up funds, Research Initiative Accounts, and other funding sources supporting research activity.

• Review expenditures for appropriate funding, allowability, available budget, and compliance with applicable University, College, and sponsor requirements.

• Compile and maintain supporting documentation for reconciliation reports in Finance Mart 2.0, including LTD Summary, LTD Payroll Detail, and RSA reports.

• Maintain complete and organized fiscal records to support financial reviews, project closeouts, and audit requirements.

Financial Transactions and Shared Services Coordination 30%

• Ensure expenditure corrections are adequately documented, timely, and consistent with University and sponsor requirements.

• Serve as a liaison with Business and Financial Services Shared Services to coordinate transactional activity, troubleshoot issues, and facilitate timely, accurate, and policy-compliant processing.

• Review and approve Archivum Travel Authorizations, Expense Reports, and PCard transactions charged to sponsored projects.

• Coordinate with Purchasing, Accounts Payable, Travel, Payroll, Research Financial Management, and other central offices regarding research-related fiscal transactions.

Fiscal Year-End and Project Closeout Support 30%

• Review and clear year-end encumbrances to ensure recorded obligations are accurate, appropriate, and aligned with fiscal year-end close requirements.

• Assist with sponsored-project closeout activities by reviewing outstanding transactions, encumbrances, payroll activity, and remaining balances.

• Complete required fiscal year-end activities within established University and College deadlines.

Policy Compliance, Training & Documentation 10%

• Participate in training and remain current on University policies, sponsor requirements, systems, and procedures related to sponsored-project fiscal administration.

• Develop and maintain desk procedures and other documentation for assigned responsibilities.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

This position requires a High School diploma or equivalent with three years of work experience in positions with fiscal support duties. College or other relevant post-secondary coursework may substitute for the experience requirement on a year for year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience performing fiscal administration, account reconciliation, or budget monitoring in a university or research environment.

• Experience supporting sponsored projects or other restricted funding sources.

• Experience with USF financial and administrative systems, including FAST, Finance Mart 2.0, Archivum, and Bulls iResearch.

• Experience with payroll costing, expenditure transfers, travel, PCard transactions, and fiscal year-end processes.

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