Finance Manager

Job Summary The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean's Office seeks applicants for a full-time position as a Finance Manager 1 for the CLAS Shared Services Business Center. The Finance Manager serves as an advanced senior resource within the CLAS Shared Services Business Center and provides leadership, technical expertise, and supervision of staff. This position is responsible for managing day-to-day operations, overseeing and delegating to assigned staff, and reviewing and analyzing the fiscal and administrative operations for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Finance Manager oversees accurate financial records and transactions; monitors revenue, expenses, commitments, and available balances; and provides budget projections, analysis, and reporting across multiple fund sources, including state, entrepreneurial, grant, contract, Foundation, and other restricted and unrestricted accounts. The position advises departments, faculty, administrative staff, and CLAS Shared Services leadership on budget status, forecasts, compliance requirements, internal controls, and operational priorities. This position requires a strong understanding of the financial impact of transactions across ledgers and fund sources in order to advise departments, faculty, administrative staff, and CLAS Shared Services leadership on budget status, forecasts, compliance requirements, and operational priorities. The role also supports senior-level business projects, process improvement, internal controls, onboarding and training, student worker coordination, and service delivery improvements within a complex shared services environment. Reporting Relationship and Teamwork This position reports to the Director of the CLAS Shared Services Business Center and manages the day-to-day operations and assigned financial staff. The Finance Manager independently plans and carries out work in alignment with College and University priorities, keeps leadership informed of significant fiscal, compliance, operational, and personnel matters, and escalates issues requiring higher-level review. The position works collaboratively with Business Center leadership and staff, CLAS Shared Services Grant Management colleagues, department and program administrators, faculty, central University offices, auditors, and external agencies. The Finance Manager is expected to foster a responsive, accountable, inclusive, and service-oriented team environment. Duties And Responsibilities Manage the work of assigned personnel, including establishing priorities; assigning, scheduling, and reviewing work; balancing workloads; monitoring service levels and deadlines; and ensuring the accuracy, quality, and timeliness of work products. Provide formal supervision, including participation in recruitment and selection; onboarding and training; regular coaching and feedback; performance evaluations; professional development; attendance and leave coordination; and corrective or employee-relations processes in consultation with the Director and Human Resources. Set clear expectations, document procedures, promote cross-training and knowledge transfer, and develop staff capacity to support consistent operations and continuity of service. Manage, review, and support day-to-day fiscal and administrative operations for assigned College units, programs, and initiatives, including budgetary, transactional, payroll, purchasing, compliance, and related business activity. Supervise the maintenance, reconciliation, and quality control of financial records, budget controls, internal bookkeeping, and transactions in University systems. Monitor revenue, expenses, payroll, commitments, available balances, and spending trends; develop forecasts and projections across state, entrepreneurial, grant, contract, Foundation, and other fund sources. Prepare and review regular and ad hoc financial reports, budget summaries, variance analyses, projections, and decision-support materials for Business Center leadership, departments, programs, and faculty. Support annual and multi-year budget development and monitoring, staffing analysis, and resource planning; identify trends, risks, opportunities, and issues requiring leadership attention; and make recommendations regarding resource commitments. Review, submit, process, and/or approve financial and payroll transactions in accordance with delegated authority, University policies and procedures, internal controls, and applicable state, federal, sponsor, Foundation, and College requirements. Advise departments, faculty, and administrative colleagues on account balances, anticipated payroll and other expenses, forecasts, commitments, incoming funding, allowable activity, and financial implications across ledgers and fund sources. Maintain, evaluate, and improve financial practices, records, internal controls, procedures, systems, and workflows; implement changes required by legislation or University policy and recommend improvements that increase efficiency, consistency, compliance, and service quality. Provide quality assurance and oversight for internal tracking systems, databases, reports, and tools related to finances, personnel, grants, commitments, and business operations. Serve as a liaison with departments, faculty, CLAS Shared Services teams, central University offices, auditors, and external agencies regarding fiscal matters and management practices; coordinate responses to audit inquiries and resolution of findings or issues. Resolve complex financial, budgetary, regulatory, operational, and administrative questions; exercise sound judgment within established authority and escalates significant exceptions, risks, or policy matters appropriately. Participate in senior-level projects, workload and continuity planning, policy implementation, and service-improvement initiatives that strengthen operations, reduce risk, and improve responsiveness to the College. Maintain the confidentiality of sensitive financial, personnel, student, faculty, and administrative information. Perform related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field. Six years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, budget administration, business operations, and/or financial administration. Experience formally supervising employees, including assigning and reviewing work, providing guidance and feedback, and conducting performance evaluations. Demonstrated experience with generally accepted accounting principles, budget management, financial controls, and compliance requirements. Experience preparing financial reports, monitoring budgets, reconciling activity, forecasting expenses, and analyzing revenue and expenditure trends. Experience with principles and practices related to budget management, business operations, internal controls, and compliance. Demonstrated written, verbal, interpersonal, and customer service skills, including experience communicating financial information clearly to non-financial audiences. Demonstrated organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills, with experience managing competing priorities and meeting deadlines. Demonstrated experience working independently, exercising sound judgment, maintaining confidentiality, and presenting conclusions or recommendations effectively to supervisors or senior management. Experience using Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, and related financial, reporting, database, or administrative systems. Preferred Qualifications Experience working in a higher education environment. Experience working with multiple fund sources, including state, entrepreneurial, grant, contract, Foundation, or other restricted and unrestricted funds. Experience with University financial, payroll, purchasing, budget, reporting, or human resources systems. Experience supporting faculty, departments, academic programs, grants, contracts, or college-level business operations. Experience developing standard operating procedures, workflow documentation, internal tracking tools, dashboards, or process-improvement materials. Advanced Excel skills, including use of formulas, pivot tables, data validation, lookup functions, and analysis of large data sets. Demonstrated experience producing detailed reports and analyses, generating forecasts, performing trend analysis, and supporting business planning and prioritization. Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and respectful service to diverse student, faculty, staff, and administrative population. APPOINTMENT TERMS This is a full-time, permanent position. The University offers a competitive salary, and outstanding benefits, including employee and dependent tuition waivers at UConn, and a highly desirable work environment. For additional information regarding benefits, please visit UConn Health Benefits and explore the sections under the Benefits & Leaves and Engagement & Learning headers. Other rights, terms, and conditions of employment are contained in the collective bargaining agreement between the University of Connecticut and the University of Connecticut Professional Employees Association (UCPEA). TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT Employment of the successful candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check. All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics. All members of the University of Connecticut are expected to exhibit appreciation of, and contribute to, an inclusive, respectful, and diverse environment for the University community. The University of Connecticut aspires to create a community built on collaboration and belonging and has actively sought to create an inclusive culture within the workforce. The success of the University is dependent on the willingness of our diverse employee and student populations to share their rich perspectives and backgrounds in a respectful manner. This makes it essential for each member of our community to feel secure and welcomed and to thoroughly understand and believe that their ideas are respected by all. We strongly respect each individual employee’s unique experiences and perspectives and encourage all members of the community to do the same. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, age, sex, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disabilities, veteran’s status, status as a victim of domestic violence and/or sexual assault and/or trafficking in persons as defined by Connecticut law, prior conviction of a crime, workplace hazards to the reproductive systems, or gender identity or expression The University of Connecticut is an AA/EEO employer including for Disability and Veteran status. #J-18808-Ljbffr University of Connecticut