Budget & Financial Accountant

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Position Title:

Budget & Financial Accountant

Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Accountant II

Job Duties:

The Budget and Financial Accountant is responsible for organizing and facilitating the annual division budget process, quarterly forecasting, reporting of financial data, and financial management. A comprehensive understanding of the department’s accounting structures, educational services, and programming is essential for successful performance in this role.

Key Job Responsibilities:

RESPONSIBILITIES:
A. Biennial and Annual Budget Preparation

• Organize and facilitate the annual divisional units’ budget processes. This includes:
  • Communicating budget guidelines and processes with internal departments, program managers.
  • Preparing and maintaining revenue, expense, and pay plan budget models.
  • Consolidating and summarizing of operational and budget data with measurement against current year budget and prior year actual results.
  • Collecting and reconciling divisional budget data.
  • Analyzing and explaining variances, such as: general purpose revenue (GPR), full time equivalent (FTE), program assumptions, revenues, payroll and non-payroll expenditures.
  • Providing financial planning and analysis support to internal departments, and program managers.
  • Maintaining budget records for the division.
  • Entering, reviewing and reconciling budget data in the Adaptive budget system.

B. Financial Reporting and Forecasting•

• Organize and facilitate the timely and accurate monthly reporting of financial data for revenue and expense monitoring. This includes:
  • Preparing and updating budget versus actual financial models.
  • Consolidating and summarizing monthly financial data.
  • Compiling and reporting budget versus actual revenues.
  • Providing financial analysis support to divisional business units and program managers with an emphasis on interpreting financial results to enable and encourage a better understanding of division’s accounting and budget structures.
• Organize and facilitate the quarterly forecasting of division’s financial data and budgets. This includes:
  • consolidating and summarizing forecast operational and financial data with measurement against current year budget and prior year actual results analyzing and explaining forecasting variances, such as: general purpose revenue (GPR), full time equivalent (FTE), program assumptions, revenues, payroll and non-payroll expenditures

C. Financial Management

• Reconcile collaborative and competency-based program revenues data to student enrollments data
• Collaborate with UW partner campuses to reconcile and initiate the transfer of collaborative and competency-based program revenues
• Work with business units and program managers to understand their financial needs as related to their educational services provided to campus partnerships and programs to ensure goals and objectives are obtained in accordance with state and university financial policies and practices and within budget.
• Assist with organizing information from a variety of sources to establish data banks for use in budgeting, forecasting, analyzing operations, and creating program financial models.
• Remain in compliance with all state and university financial policies and practices.
• Coordinate and execute the implementation of changes in financial practices and policies applicable to improving financial operations.
• Communicate and explain financial concepts and practices to individuals throughout the division. Train new program managers (and other applicable new hires) on financial operations.
• Work with the Director of Finance & Business Services on unique budget, forecast and reporting requirements, process changes, and special projects.
• Represent the division on institutional committees as requested.
• Lead financial related projects as requested by the OPLR’s leadership team.

Department:

The Office of Online & Professional Learning Resources is committed to providing service and support to the Universities of Wisconsin Administration and all 13 UW universities in online and continuing education, teaching, learning, and workforce skills training and resources.

OPLR works in partnership with all 13 UW universities to develop and deliver online semester- and competency-based degrees and a broad array of credit and non-credit certificates, courses, and other credentials to help adult and professional learners achieve their academic and professional development goals and to develop the workforce of Wisconsin.

Compensation:

The Budget and Financial Accountant (official title: Accountant II) is a full-time salaried (exempt) academic staff position.

Well-qualified candidates can expect a starting annual salary within a range of $65,000 - 75,000, commensurate with the candidate’s education, related experience, and qualifications.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• At least one year of experience in a financial or business related environment
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or related field
• Experience using enterprise-wide financial systems (i.e. Workday, Adaptive budget system, and ShopUW+)
• Knowledge and understanding of generally accepted governmental accounting and auditing principles, State, and University financial policies, procedures and practices
  

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Experience in MS Office Suite (MS Word, Excel, and Outlook)
• Demonstrated skills and experience providing excellent service to others

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to research and resolve issues in a timely manner
• Ability to work independently, be self-motivated, and learn and pursue process improvements
• Ability to work in an environment of change with ambiguity at times.
• Organizational and time management skills, including the ability to evaluate, prioritize and handle multiple priorities and meeting deadlines.

Work Location:

The office is located at 780 Regent Street, Madison, WI. Telecommuting or hybrid work options may be available, with a minimum in-office expectation of two days per month. However, depending on business needs, there may be occasions when additional in-office presence is requested. Residency in/relocation to the state of Wisconsin is required. Telecommuting agreements are subject to change at any time. 

How to Apply:

Applicant screening will begin immediately and be ongoing through November 16, 2026. However, applications may be accepted until the position has been filled.

To receive full consideration, interested applicants are required to apply online and provide: 

• Resume (PDF Format) 

• Cover letter addressing your experience and education as it applies to all minimum and preferred qualifications (PDF Format) 

Failing to submit the required application documents may disqualify your application.

Contact Information:

Questions may be addressed to Shelby Buchanan, HR Manger at Shelby.Buchanan@wisconsin.edu.

Accommodation Request

If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability, you can find information about how to make a request by contacting uwshr@wisconsin.edu.

Criminal Background Check and Reference Check Policy

This offer of employment is conditional pending the results of a criminal background check and a reference check process that includes questions regarding employee misconduct, sexual violence, and sexual harassment. If you have prior work history within the past 7 years with the Universities of Wisconsin, your personnel file will also be reviewed for employee misconduct. If the results are unacceptable, the offer will be withdrawn or, if you have started employment, your employment will be terminated.

Employment Authorization

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of employer sponsorship) on, before, or after the effective date of appointment.

Confidentiality

The Universities of Wisconsin will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. §. 19.36(7).

Benefits Information

Universities of Wisconsin employees receive an excellent benefits package. To learn more about the benefits package, review the Faculty, Academic Staff & Limited Appointees or University Staff Please see this link for total compensation information: Universities of Wisconsin Health & Retirement Contributions Estimator to provide you with total compensation information.

Clery Act information

The Universities of Wisconsin provides statistics on campus crime in its Annual Security Report. For more information on university campus statistics see https://www.wisconsin.edu/compliance/clery/.

UW is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other bases protected by applicable federal or State law and UW System policies. We are committed to building a workforce that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.

About Us

The Universities of Wisconsin serve approximately 161,000 students. Awarding nearly 37,000 degrees annually, the Universities of Wisconsin is Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. Nearly 90 percent of in-state Universities of Wisconsin graduates stay in Wisconsin five years after earning a degree – with a median salary of more than $66,000. The Universities of Wisconsin provides a 23:1 return on state investment. The Universities of Wisconsin also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy. The Universities of Wisconsin and its employees are purpose-driven, people-focused, and committed to stewardship.