Business and Finance Specialist - Siebel School of Computing and Data Science

Business and Finance Specialist

Siebell School of Computing and Data Science

The Grainger College of Engineering

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Siebel School of Computing and Data Science (SSCDS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a globally recognized leader in computing, data science, and interdisciplinary innovation. The Business and Finance Specialist will work under administrative direction to independently coordinate and manage relevant business and financial operations for the school, requiring expertise in financial practices as well as school- and university-specific policies and procedures.

Oversee financial operations for the school by managing the full lifecycle of a subset of department-level accounts:

• Assess need for, create, and/or request new accounts, establish accounts in school-specific financial management system, deposit funds into accounts, receive all expenditure requests to determine allowability, the appropriate account to charge the purchase, and availability of funds.
• Provide guidance to others in the school regarding appropriateness of assigning new accounts, based on type and source of funding.
• Review and approve iBuy orders, Banner requisitions, P-Card transactions, and employee reimbursements or/and T-Card transactions in Emburse.
• Oversee financial management of budgets and expenses of special programs within the unit, including coordinating with others throughout the school to ensure programs are adequately resourced and timely with business office requests.
• Develop and maintain spreadsheets for budget management by tracking income and expenditures, processing journal vouchers, earning redistributions, completing fund transfers, and periodically audit assigned accounts as necessary.
• Support the monthly reconciliation of department-wide accounts, collaborating with others to ensure accuracy, completeness, and conformity with university and school policies and procedures.
• Coordinate with school student groups to effectively manage their budgets and expenditures, including overseeing and approving expenses on related funds.
• Track and approve funding on appointments for Teaching Assistants and Course Assistants to ensure compliance with school policy.

• Analyze Chrome River items to ensure that the proper approvals have been obtained. Route accordingly if additional approvals are required.
• Review Chrome River items for compliance with University and school policies and procedures.
• Confirm account string is accurate and valid and matches the pre-approvals related to each expense.
• Guide and educate school staff responsible for processing Chrome River with proper procedures and current trends in policy enforcement.

• Collaborate with the Assistant Director of Finance and other relevant staff in closing of the financial books at fiscal year-end, including processing journal vouchers, earning redistributions, budget transfers, intra-transfers, etc.
• Update and maintain the school's electronic chart of accounts.
• Locate documentation for account reconciliation and audit purposes.
• Identify and correct school transactions posting to rogue accounts.
• Process school requests via various campus systems, including Pinnacle, F&S invoices, and DAWS.
• Develop and implement school policies and procedures to streamline operations when change is implemented university-wide.
• Serve as backup to other business office staff, including other business/administrative associates, the Procurement Officer, and the Assistant Director of Finance.
• Approve school purchases in iBuy up to $10K.

• Respond to a wide variety of inquiries and requests independently and in a timely manner.
• Demonstrate knowledge about school, college, and university finance policies and procedures by providing accurate information in response to complex questions or referring individuals to the proper department on campus.
• Communicate regularly with finance staff from other departments as well as university payroll, university…