Fiscal Specialist 2

Fiscal Specialist 2

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Academic Budget and Administration supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

The Fiscal Specialist 2 independently provides fiscal support to the Department Related Activities Committee (DRAC) and its seven constituent programs, which collectively manage approximately $3.7 million in Services and Activities Fee funding. The position coordinates budget development, financial monitoring, reconciliation, allocation management, and reporting; analyzes budget proposals and expenditures; and advises program administrators on fiscal requirements. Working under general supervision, the position applies university and Services & Activities (S&A) Fee requirements, resolves fiscal discrepancies, and prepares financial information to support DRAC and S&A Fee Committee decisions. This is a half-time, nine-month cyclic project position with an initial one-year appointment that may be extended, contingent upon continued funding. The position is 100% in-person and reports to the Director of Academic Budget and Administration.

Budget Development, Analysis, and Financial Reporting

• Coordinate the annual budget-development process for seven DRAC constituent programs, including establishing timelines, communicating requirements, collecting submissions, and monitoring completion.
• Design, develop, and maintain detailed budget spreadsheets, financial models, templates, and tracking tools used by constituent programs and committee members.
• Review budget proposals for completeness, mathematical accuracy, appropriate account coding, historical spending patterns, available resources, and compliance with applicable S&A Fee and university requirements.
• Analyze proposed revenues, expenditures, fund balances, reserve requests, and prior-year financial activity to identify inconsistencies, unsupported assumptions, potential shortfalls, or other issues requiring clarification.
• Reconcile budget-development documents with university financial records and independently research and resolve discrepancies.
• Consolidate individual constituent requests into comprehensive DRAC budget reports and supporting documentation for review by the DRAC and S&A Fee Committee.
• Prepare budget summaries, projections, expenditure reports, and other fiscal information to support committee deliberations and funding recommendations.
• Monitor budgets and expenditures throughout the fiscal year and communicate identified variances, emerging concerns, or corrective actions to the appropriate budget authority.
• Provide technical fiscal guidance to program administrators regarding budget preparation, expenditure planning, allowable use of funds, documentation requirements, and management of available resources.
• Maintain organized fiscal records and supporting documentation sufficient to demonstrate the basis for budget requests, allocations, adjustments, and expenditures.

DRAC Fund Allocation and Fiscal Management

• Administer and track the allocation of DRAC funding to constituent programs following committee approval.
• Verify approved allocations and coordinate the accurate distribution, transfer, and recording of funds within university financial systems.
• Monitor allocated funds, expenditures, commitments, reserve balances, reimbursements, and available resources across DRAC programs.
• Independently review reserve requests, reimbursements, and other fiscal transactions for completeness, accuracy, appropriate authorization, available funding, and compliance with applicable requirements.
• Reconcile internal tracking records with university financial reports and research and correct discrepancies in coordination with program administrators and other university fiscal offices.
• Participate in DRAC funding deliberations by presenting financial information, answering technical fiscal questions, and explaining the budgetary effect of proposed allocations.
• Interpret and apply university fiscal procedures, S&A Fee requirements, committee decisions, and established funding guidelines to individual transactions and program circumstances.
• Identify questionable, inconsistent, or potentially noncompliant fiscal activity; work with the responsible program to obtain clarification or corrective documentation; and elevate significant concerns to the DRAC Advisor or appropriate university office.
• Advise constituent programs regarding budget status, fund availability, allowable expenditures, reserve procedures, reimbursement requirements, and year-end financial activity.
• Develop and recommend improvements to fiscal processes, tracking tools, documentation practices, and internal controls supporting DRAC funds.
• Respond to fiscal inquiries from students, faculty, staff, budget authorities, committee members, and university administrative offices.
• Provide technical and administrative support to the DRAC Advisor related to financial management, committee operations, and constituent program needs.

Other Duties

• Participate in fiscal year-end activities, special projects, process improvements, records review, and other fiscal assignments supporting DRAC operations.
• Maintain current knowledge of applicable university fiscal procedures and S&A Fee requirements.
• Perform related duties consistent with the responsibilities of a Fiscal Specialist 2.

This is a part-time (.50 FTE) project-employment position ending no later than September 16, 2027.

Required Qualifications

• Two years of professional fiscal experience creating and/or reconciling budgets
• A high school diploma or GED certificate. College credits in business and accounting can often substitute for some required experience.
• Familiarity with MS Office Suite with intermediate experience in Word, Excel, and MS Outlook required.
• Experience providing training on fiscal topics
• Customer service experience with a focus on problem solving and communication
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively both independently and with others
• Ability to establish and maintain a collegial and collaborative work environment with a variety of staff, faculty and students

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• Three years of progressively responsible experience in budget, analysis and financial tasks.
• Experience working in higher education.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and interpret complex policies and procedures.

Conditions of Employment

• All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to View email address on click.appcast.io if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Salary

$2,214.50 - $2,976/month (.50 FTE) depending on qualifications and experience

Benefits Information

Benefits Overview for Classified Positions

Bargaining Unit

This position is part of bargaining unit A and is covered by the collective bargaining agreement with Washington Federation of State Employees.

Application Instructions

Application materials should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.

Closing Date Notes

Position closes 10/05/2026 at 11:55 pm.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU's Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; View phone number on click.appcast.io (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); View email address on click.appcast.io WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified