Principal Applications Specialist - Finance

Job Details

Job No: 530078

Position Type: Staff Full Time

Campus: UMass President's Office

Campus

Location:

Westborough

Department: UITS-Application Svcs A&F

Categories: Information Technology

Advertised: Jul 20 2026 Eastern Daylight Time

Applications Close: (Not specified)

Pay Range: $110,000 – $140,000

Primary

Work Location:

Westborough, MA. Hybrid work schedule.

The University Information Technology Services (UITS) department of the University of Massachusetts President’s Office is seeking a Principal Applications Specialist to provide functional support for People Soft Financials. UITS is transforming to adopt new capabilities such as cloud architecture, Dev Ops, and agile. We embrace a culture of continuous learning by fostering a growth mindset and working together to solve hard business and technology challenges.

The position requires a consultative mindset focused on adaptive fit-for-purpose approaches rather than one‑size‑fits‑all methodology. The University has deployed several Financial Modules in People Soft in addition to a suite of applications which integrate into the ERP and will be part of the portfolio of responsibility for this role.

• Primary support for one or more People Soft modules, including deep understanding of business processes and procedures, analysis and troubleshooting operational issues, creating and executing test scenarios, ensuring system remains current and compliant through patches, fixes, and enhancements, and working with management to improve operational standards and procedures.
• Collaborate with campus constituents to translate functional business requirements into design criteria, prioritize work to meet campus expectations and deadlines, and document functional specifications.
• Support product reporting and interfaces between People Soft modules and other systems.
• Participate in various Core Team Meetings and function as a Project Lead and Subject Matter Expert.
• Collaborate with other technology groups (application and product managers, infrastructure and operations, security and identity management, architecture, project management office, data and analytics, etc.) on various projects and services.
• Deliver day‑to‑day support for a suite of products as well as conduct operational and maintenance tasks.
• Implement improvement opportunities, ensuring alignment to measurable business outcomes.

• Provide back‑up support to the Manager, as needed, including assisting with project management activities, supervising and mentoring Senior Business Analysts, overseeing daily operational activities to ensure continuity of service, and representing the department at operations and other business meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience.
• 5–7 years of experience in a business office or general finance systems setting with a track record of developing, enhancing, and supporting departmental applications.
• 5–7 years of People Soft experience with deep functional skills in one or more modules and knowledge of application processes such as People Tools, XML, SQL/query, reports, and security.
• 5–7 years of experience in project life‑cycle phases including analysis and design, testing, data conversion, and change management.
• Proven experience in requirement gathering and analysis.
• Excellent cross‑functional collaboration, facilitation, and consultative skills.
• Strong communication skills, writing, and verbal across virtual and in‑person settings.
• Demonstrated leadership skills in a large complex environment.
• Ability to continuously learn new capabilities and apply new ideas and technologies.

• Subject matter expert in Asset Management, General Ledger, Commitment Control, People Soft Security, UiPath, People Soft Test Framework (PTF), and internal/external system interfaces.
• Experience supporting internal and external audits, including coordination with auditors and audit‑related compliance activities.
• Knowledge of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 A and AA requirements.
• Experience applying WAI‑ARIA authoring guidelines and best practices.
• Experience in a higher education environment.

• Hybrid work model with periodic travel to all UMass campuses.
• Periodic weekend and evening work for system maintenance, upgrades, and project implementations.
• Participation in an on‑call rotation.

All offers are contingent on the successful completion of a background check.

The University of Massachusetts President’s Office welcomes all qualified applicants and complies with all state and federal anti‑discrimination laws.