Budget Analyst IV, MT Coop Wildlife Research Unit

Salary: $29.48 Hourly
Location : Missoula Mountain Campus
Job Type: Hourly Staff Full-time
Job Number: 202400680
Department: Mt Coop Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana
Opening Date: 05/12/2026
Closing Date: 5/31/2026 11:59 PM Mountain
FLSA: Determined by Position


Description
Reporting to the Unit Leader of the MT Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit (MTCWRU), the Budget Analyst primarily focuses on managing the grant portfolio of research projects within the Unit, including tasks such as budget and report tracking, grant submission support, compliance oversight, data management, and communication with researchers, ensuring smooth operation and adherence to funding agency guidelines while supporting the research team's productivity. Knowledge of grant funding, grant rules and grant guidelines for the US Geological Survey/US government, State of Montana and the University of Montana will be required.
Examples of Duties and Responsibilities
Proposal Preparation & Review

• Compile administrative data on behalf of researchers / principle investigator, such as past grant personnel expenditures, projected personnel salaries, etc.
• Prepare budget estimates in collaboration with researcher / principal investigator.
• Review budget documents for compliance with federal, state and university policies and grantor terms articulated in requests for proposal or other documents.
• Any proposals that may require Institutional Animal Care and Use (IACUC) or Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, work with researcher / principal investigator to ensure documents are submitted.
• Prepare all necessary documents to support proposed research initiated federal funding agreements such as cooperative agreements and research work orders.
• Perform other tasks necessary to carry out this function.

Post Award Fiscal Responsibility

• Track all project expenditures against budgeted amounts, monitoring expenditures for overspending or underspending and for compliance with federal, state and university policies and grantor terms.
• Monitor budget allocations and proactively identify probable future overspending or underspending of allocations, coordinating with the principal investigator to correct or mitigate issues, as appropriate.
• Take steps to ensure that receipts and supporting documentation for all university-issued credit card (Pro Card) payments and other transactions are recorded in a timely manner and in accordance with university accounting controls and grantor record-keeping requirements.
• Process, verify, and post receipts for all transactions.
• Perform monthly reconciliations of all accounts.
• For grants that require special financial reports, as described by grantor terms, assist with compiling financial data on behalf of researchers /principal investigator.
• Provide principal investigators with notifications of approaching deadlines associated with the grant.
• Perform other tasks necessary to carry out this function

Compliance

• Assist researcher/ principal investigator to adhere to institutional, state and federal regulations regarding ethics, data privacy, and research integrity.

Travel Expensing, Contract Service Requisitions & Vehicle Fleet Management

• Prepare Travel Expense forms on behalf of employees who will be traveling and submit these forms in the university's procurement system (GrizMart)
• Prepare purchase orders and contract service requisitions ensuring that all requisitions are expensed to the correct grant accounts.
• Maintain travel expense records, contract services records, and supporting documentation in accordance with grant terms.
• Work with the Unit leader to track monthly vehicle use to meet federal and state reporting requirements.
• Manage mileage expenses and assign to appropriate grant indexes and track Unit vehicle account.
• Manage WEX cards and expenditures for the vehicle fleet.
• Work with Unit Leader to ensure proper maintenance and insurance of Unit fleet.

Personnel Management Support & Payroll Processing

• Prepare and submit documents to initiate recruitment and hiring activities, such as electronic hiring forms and requests for recruitment exception.
• Act as a liaison with Human Resource Services and the hiring manager to ensure the efficient conduct of other personnel procedures, including the posting of vacancy announcements, coordination of hiring committees, onboarding of selected employees, requesting of compensation adjustments, etc.
• Collect biweekly time sheet data for all grant funded employees, review time sheet data for completeness and accuracy, and submit time sheet data to the university Payroll Department in advance of payroll deadlines.

Administrative Support

• Prepare the Unit annual cooperators report.
• Producing ad hoc reports and analysis, as requested.
• Plan and coordinate meetings, timelines, and reports for special projects, as requested.
• Provide training on administrative procedures and research compliance to new employees in research areas.

Stakeholder Relations & Client Support

• Act as the first point of contact in the Unit offices, greet all guests and direct them appropriately for further support.
• Act as a liaison between university administrative units, including Business Services and Human Resource Services, and principal investigators, researchers, and other grant-funded personnel to ensure that inquiries are appropriately addressed and procedural instructions are provided and followed.
• Other Duties as Assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Account Reconciliation - Able to reconcile internal account records with receipts, invoices, and other external financial statements.
• Administrative Support - Able to follow instructions and procedures to carry out administrative tasks.
• Audio Communication - Able to utilize live audio communication systems, such as telephones or video conferencing software, to politely, promptly, and accurately respond to verbal statements.
• Budget Management - Able to compare actual and projected expenditures to an adopted budget and to identify and implement solutions to address actual and projected discrepancies.
• Budget Planning - Able to review a grant proposal and prepare a reasonable estimate of all costs that would be incurred during a given period of the grant's lifetime.
• Client Service - Able to apply principles of customer experience management and stakeholder relations to deliver quality service to visitors, clients, and other stakeholders.
• Coordinatio n - Able to keep track of various personnel and financial assets, various metrics and goals, and various stakeholder interests and needs in order to create and implement plans that reach desired outcomes.
• Financial Reporting -Able to prepare statements of account and other routine reports of an organization's financial position.
• Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)- Able to apply GAAP in order to conduct compliant accounting activities.
• Grant Compliance - Able to understand and reasonably interpret the terms of a grant contract and to carry out activities and advise others in carrying out activities in a manner that complies with the terms of a grant contract.
• Information Technology - Able to utilize computer operating systems and applications to access the internet and navigate to websites; create, review, and edit documents in applications such as word processors and spreadsheet editors; apply artificial intelligence approaches, and communicate with others using applications such as email clients and instant messaging systems.
• Interpersonal Skills - Ability to have a positive attitude and work productively with a wide range of people including Unit staff, students, University staff, State staff, Federal staff, etc.
• Problem Solving - Able to identify possible solutions to complex problems and to select take initiative to find the best solution.
• Records Management - Able to maintain files and records in a well-ordered manner which enables the efficient entry of new records and identification of pertinent, existing records.
• Spreadsheets - Able to utilize spreadsheet formulas, pivot tables, data filtering, data formatting, data cleaning, data visualization, and other common spreadsheet functions.
• Work Ethic - Willing to work diligently to help Unit achieve its Mission.

Additional Information
Compensation Title: Budget Analyst IV

Union: FOCUS-MFPE

Work Schedule: Full-time, 1.0 FTE (40 Hours a week), Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Option for one day remote after probationary period, 12 months/year

Probationary Period: Six (6) months minimum


Benefits Include : Insurance package, mandatory retirement plan, partial tuition waiver, and wellness program.


Screening of applications will begin after the closing date. Complete applications received by the closing date will be guaranteed consideration.

A complete application includes:

1. Letter of Interest - addressing your qualifications and experience related to the stated required skills for the position. A general letter salutation such as "Dear Search Committee" or "Dear Hiring Manager" is acceptable.
2. Detailed Resume - listing education and describing work experience
3. Three (3) Professional References - names and contact information

The Affiliation of the University of Montana (UM Affiliation) is an equal opportunity employer. UM Affiliation does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of protected class status as described in UM's non-discrimination policy and any applicable law. Reasonable accommodations are provided in the hiring process for persons with disabilities. For example, this material is available in alternative format upon request. Qualified candidates may request veterans' or disabilities preference in accordance with state law.

Criminal Background Investigation is required prior to the offer of employment. In accordance with university regulations, finalists for this position will be subject to criminal background investigations.

References: References not listed on the application materials may be contacted; notice may be provided to the applicant. UM partners with SkillSurvey for reference checking. Applicants may receive emails from SkillSurvey to submit reference information.


Testing: Individual hiring departments within the UM Affiliation may elect to administer pre-employment tests, which are relevant to essential job functions.

Employment Eligibility: All New Employees must be eligible and show employment eligibility verification by the first date of employment at UM and all affiliated campuses, as legally required (e.g., Form I-9). The University of Montana will require proof of authorization to work in the United States before final hiring. Due to the September 19, 2025 Presidential Proclamation and related guidance from USCIS and the Department of State, the University may be limited in its ability to offer H-1B sponsorship. At this time, we are unable to sponsor new H-1B visas that require payment of the additional fee introduced by the Proclamation.
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