CLA Fiscal Administration is organized into two major workgroups, the Financial Services team and the Budget team. The Assistant Director for Financial Services is responsible for the overall supervision of CLAâ™s Financial Services Staff and the leadership and administration of the business and financial accounting processes within the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). This position also serves as CLAâ™s financial services cluster director, which is a key liaison between the College and central university administrative units.
The CLA Financial Services team is divided into two subgroups of 8-10 accountants, each led by a Financial Manager (who are the two direct reports to the Assistant Director). The accountant teams include Financial Professionals (staff accountants) and a couple of Principal Account Specialists (voucher specialists). Each accountant has a âœconsultant-client?relationship with an assigned portfolio of some of CLAâ™s approximately 47 academic and administrative units. The job of the accountant staff is to assist departments with financial administration and management, including regular reporting, review and approval of financial transactions (requisitions, reimbursements, purchasing, transfers, adjustments, etc.), as well as working with unit administration on year-end closeout and annual budget entry.
The Assistant Director reports to the CLAâ™s Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) is the largest college at the University of Minnesota. Home to the arts, social science, humanities, and communications disciplines and programs, the College of Liberal Arts comprises 31 academic departments, and over 20 interdisciplinary research centers and administrative/support units. CLA has over 1300 faculty and staff implementing our mission. The College of Liberal Arts is located across 31 buildings of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, primarily on the east and west banks of the Minneapolis campus. CLA enrolls nearly 13,000 undergraduate students, over 40% of the undergraduate enrollment on the Twin Cities campus, about 1,500 graduate students, and has an annual all-funds budget of approximately $300 million.
Responsibilities:
Team Leadership (50%)
Oversee the supervision of the CLA Fiscal Services teams Includes recruiting, screening, hiring, coordinating training Coordinating annual performance reviews of the Financial Services team (as may be delegated to CLA Financial Managers) Supervise CLA Financial Services Financial Managers (team leads). Create a positive work environment and promote professional development. Make recommendations to CFO regarding compensation, organizational structure and staffing levels to best meet the needs of the college and the CLA units served by the teams. Facilitate collaboration between Fiscal Services team and CLA Budget team, as necessary. Financial Management (25%)
Serve as Revenue Responsibility Center (RRC) Finance Cluster Director for College of Liberal Arts. The cluster director is a key liaison between central university administrative offices and the CLA fiscal and business support staff for business processes and procedures. University documentation defines this role more specifically. Provide oversight of on-line access and signature authorizations. Serve as primary delegate for certain levels of approval, including but not limited to: Approve PCard applications Approve Access Request Forms (ARF) Approve Time & Absence for my direct reports. Approve Payroll Verification Report for the Financial Service Teams (bi-weekly) Approve actions that we request be done by the Controller's Office. For example, if a transaction is sitting in the wrong queue, the Controller's office can make the transfer but they require Cluster Director approval. Level two transaction approvals (over $10,000) when the CLA Budget Director is unavailable or for transactions initiated by the Budget Director. Travel expense policy interpretation and reconciliation, including evaluation and approval/denial of ChromeRiver tickets (RRC responsibility from the CLA CFO) Other delegations as determined by the CFO Business Process and Policy Development, Improvement & Communication (25%)
Maintain sound financial management and business processes that support the day-to-day operations. Lead initiatives to improve financial management and reporting, information systems, business processes, and other administrative functions. Help units resolve accounting issues. Ensure consistent level of financial reporting to departments. Coordinate information flow to CLA personnel around accounting and financial management policies and procedures. Audiences include, but not limited to, CLA chairs & school directors, unit leaders, department administrators and preparers, and CLA Financial Services team This includes convening regular (quarterly) forums with department administrators, department preparers, and the CLA financial services team to review, update, introduce, and discuss business policies and best practices and procedures. Required Qualifications: Bachelor's degree with a major in accounting, business administration, or a related field and a minimum of eight years of accounting or financial analysis experience. Proven experience in a supervisory or leadership role. Work experience in a higher education setting, including knowledge of fund accounting and grants management. Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills. Detail-oriented, strong project management skills. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively. Process improvement and change initiatives experience. Experience with spreadsheets, databases, and accounting systems.
Preferred Qualifications: 6-10 years of experience in handling advanced accounting transactions in the areas of purchasing, payroll, fund accounting structures, and sponsored programs (âœgrantsâ). 8-10 years of supervisory experience leading service teams including experience with recruiting, screening, hiring, training and evaluating employees. Master's degree in accounting, business administration or a related field. Experience in navigating successful organizational restructuring initiatives, enhancing efficiency, and fostering team synergy amidst change. Work experience relevant to budgeting, payroll, and fiscal management in a large university setting. Ability to negotiate and mediate delicate situations. Experience in providing training both one-on-one and in groups. Experience with the University of Minnesota financial systems, EFS (Enterprise Financial System), HRMS (People Soft Human Resources), ECRT (Effort Certification), ART (Account Reporting Tool), UM Analytics, and EGMS (grants management software / converting to MNGEMS as of 4-29-2024)
About University of Minnesota Twin Cities
The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.
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