A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.
The University of Michigan Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center's mission is to improve the lives of individuals with food allergy by advancing research that strengthens patient care and expands food allergy education, research, and community services. We are seeking a Finance Specialist to support the Center's financial operations and research administration.
This position provides comprehensive financial support for the Center and its faculty, including day-to-day general finance activities and strong pre- and post-award support for research and other sponsored activity. The Finance Specialist will maintain and improve financial reporting tools and processes, analyze and interpret financial data, and ensure accurate reconciliation and stewardship of funds. A core expectation of this role is superb customer service, delivering responsive, solutions-oriented support to research faculty and partnering units to help enable successful research operations.
General Finance & Reporting
- Analyze and interpret moderate to complex financial data; prepare routine and ad hoc reports and provide variance analysis.
- Extract and compile accounting and operational data into meaningful reports for faculty, unit leadership, and administrative stakeholders.
- Prepare budget templates and prepare reports and responses as needed.
- Assist with financial presentations and visuals for leadership and other audiences.
Research Administration (Pre- & Post-Award Support)
- Coordinate end-to-end proposal preparation and submission timelines, including gathering required materials (scope, budget inputs, biosketches/other support, subrecipient documentation, and compliance items) and routing proposals through the appropriate U-M submission systems.
- Develop, review, and maintain proposal budgets and justifications in alignment with sponsor guidelines and U-M policy (e.g., allowable costs, effort, F&A, cost sharing), and serve as a primary point of contact to help faculty navigate proposal requirements and resolve issues prior to submission.
- Support post-award financial management for sponsored projects, including monitoring budgets and expenditures, assisting with allowable cost guidance, and helping faculty and administrators understand financial status and projections.
- Partner with faculty and administrative stakeholders to ensure sound stewardship of sponsored funds and timely resolution of grant-related financial questions.
Customer Service & Partnership
- Provide highly responsive, professional, and solutions-oriented service to research faculty and staff.
- Communicate clearly about financial status, requirements, timelines, and next steps; proactively identify issues and recommend options. Assure account balances are appropriately managed and that any potential overages are identified.
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 2+ years of experience with financial database systems.
- 2+ years of experience designing and producing financial reports.
- Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, criteria, and moderately complex formulas.
- Outstanding interpersonal and customer service skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with faculty and staff at varying levels.
- Ability to manage multiple tasks concurrently in a changing environment and meet deadlines.
- Ability to work independently, formulate projects, and operate with minimal supervision.
- Experience supporting sponsored research administration in a university or complex research environment (pre- and post-award).
- Familiarity with U-M systems and tools such as E-Research, M-Pathways, and Business Objects reporting.
- Experience improving financial reporting workflows and documentation.
Michigan Medicine conducts background screening and pre-employment drug testing on job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent job offer and may use a third-party administrator to conduct background screenings. Background screenings are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Pre-employment drug testing applies to all selected candidates, including new or additional faculty and staff appointments, as well as transfers from other U-M campuses.
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled at any time after the minimum posting period has ended.
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.
