Business & Finance Specialist

Department of Animal Sciences

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Oversee procurement, support financial administration, and serve as primary contact for department appointments and onboarding.

• Oversee end to end procurement process including purchase orders, p-card, t-card purchases, sole source purchases, solicitations, contracts, change orders, and vendor information utilizing IBuy, Banner, and other OBFS applications. Purchase supplies and equipment on various types of funds according to departmental and university protocols and document receipt upon arrival. Review internal and vendor invoices, statements, transactions, and expenditure documents and records for completeness, accuracy, proper account coding, fund availability and appropriateness, and conformity to policies
• Make travel arrangements for faculty and staff when attending meetings and conferences, including but not limited to flights, hotels, rental vehicles, meeting space reservations, meal arrangements. Also prepare and submit travel and employee reimbursements in Emburse Enterprise to ensure compliance with corporate card and reimbursement policies. Provide detailed expense justifications for all transactions. Remain updated on allowability of expenses and policies on P-Cards & T-Cards.
• Manage a Post-Award portfolio, maintaining files, tracking special conditions, reconciling balances, corresponding with faculty throughout the life of the award on items such as allowable expenses, personnel needs, managing deficits, and providing expenditure projections, expense transfers, subaward invoice processing, liaise with collaborators and other offices, and manage deliverables. Act as a liaison between department and SPA Post-Award Administration staff for various post award issues, required documentation, reporting and close-out activities.
• Assist with the management of departmental fund portfolio, maintain various reports and spreadsheets to manage the funds. Advise principal(s) on allowability of charges on distinct fund types according to department policy or sponsor guidelines. Consistently update principal(s) of portfolio status. Provide detailed transaction, encumbrance, and payroll history on accounts as needed.
• Assist with departmental and vendor billing for service activities.
• Assist in processing fund transfers via journal vouchers and identify necessary labor redistributions.
• Remain current with university and sponsoring agency policies, regulations, and procedures and ensure compliance by attending various meetings and trainings offered by Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance (SPaRC) and the University/campus Office of Business and Financial Services. Maintain active Illinois Certified Research Administration (CRA) designation once certified.

• Primary point of contact for all department appointments, Teaching Assistants, fellowships, including but not limited to International Students/ Visiting Scholars. Including entering the appointment requests and/or fellowships into the appropriate systems for processing, as well as communicating expectations to students, faculty, staff, and visitors. This includes onboarding and making sure that all necessary training is set up and completed.
• Lead the departmental visa processes for all international students, faculty, staff, and visitors. This includes F-1, and H1-B, and extensions for J-1 visas. She assists with work authorization documents, and preparing new International Visitors, working with faculty on scope of work, working with the International Student and Scholar Services department on the application filing, and aiding the visitor with their social security number and new hire paperwork upon their arrival.
  
  This is not limited to new International Visitors, but also includes International Faculty, students, and Visitors currently working needing extensions, changes in visa status, and keeping an accurate log of who will be arriving/departing and when. Work as a liaison for the department between Human…