Financial Analyst: Office of Budget and Finance - UTK

The Division of Finance & Administration/Office of Budget & Finance at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) invites applications for the Financial Analyst. Reporting to the Director, Budget Operations, Planning, and Reporting, the Financial Analyst is responsible for performing and providing insightful analysis to drive management actions, strategic initiatives, and the university’s planning process. The position designs, develops, manages, updates, and improves upon financial reporting at the university and unit level. Engages and interacts with various levels of leadership and stakeholders, becoming a trusted advisor. Directs and oversees components of the university’s budget, consolidating information through models, allocating university resources, and supporting budget operations.

RCM Budgeting:

• Operates and manages the University's RCM Revenue Based Budgeting model and annual budget process.
• Develops and maintains related policies, documentation, governance, and change management; updates procedures impacted by the RCM model.
• Creates, maintains, and communicates budget/finance guidelines, procedures, tools, templates, and standard forms used by business units.
• Prepares and delivers presentations, and training, explaining budget concepts, assumptions, and outcomes to campus.
• Ability to translate complex financial concepts into clear, concise guidance to campus units. 

Budget Operations and Financial Planning:

• Develops, monitors, and maintains operating budgets, forecasts, and multi-year financial plans.
• Translates budget and financial planning into financial statement results.
• Identifies key business drivers and explains how they impact accounts and overall financial performance.
• Solicits, complies and analyzes inputs in support of the University RCM budget.
• Collects, prepares, analyzes, reviews and approves budget adjustments, fund transfers and resource allocations.
• Maintains budgets in the university’s enterprise resource planning system.

Financial Reporting & Forecasting:

• Designs, builds, tests, implements, documents, and maintains reporting packages that inform and provide insight into the university’s budget.
• Designs, develops, prototypes, implements and maintains University-wide forecasting process to enhance decision making.
• Identifies questions, curates the sources of data, and builds the necessary tools and processes to institutionalize deliverables.
• Executes reporting and forecasting activities in accordance with established schedules.
• Synthesizes and communicates information in a timely manner.

Modeling & Analytics:

• Conceptualizes and conceives analysis/model designs which will efficiently and effectively answer questions.
• Develops, maintains, and documents models and templates.
• Tests and validates models and interprets model results.
• Identifies trends and drivers, investigate root causes, and highlight risks and opportunities.
• Performs variance analysis and recommends corrective actions aligned with university policies.
• Provides decision support to leadership through scenario modeling, projections, and alternative analyses.

Required 

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Analytics, Accounting or other related field. 

• Experience: 5 years of relevant, progressively responsible work experience of which 3 years experience involving financial analysis, budgeting, or modeling. 

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Advanced experience with Microsoft Excel, Power BI, Power Query and other data transformational tools and techniques; experience with large enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems (e.g., Oracle, Workday). 

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Preferred 

•Education: Master's degree in Business, Finance, Analytics, Accounting or other related field of study. 

•Experience: Experience with Responsibility Center Management (RCM) budget model environment; experience with cloud-based budget, financial planning and analysis software (e.g., Oracle, Workday). 

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Power BI, Power Query and other data transformational tools and techniques. 

• Higher education, governmental or non-profit accounting or budgeting experience. 

Work Location 

• Knoxville, TN - in-person, on-site 

Compensation and Benefits 

• UT market range: MR13 

• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here 

• Find more information on UT Benefits here. 

Benefits include:

• Generous paid leave, accruing up to 24 days of vacation and 12 days of sick leave annually, plus 14 paid holidays and administrative closing days.
• Education benefits for employees and their dependents at UT System campuses  Retirement and deferred compensation plans, including 401(k), 403(b), etc.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Employee discounts to attractions, services, and goods.

Application Instructions 

Interested applicants should submit an application with the following attachments: 

• Resume 

• Cover Letter 

• List of 3 Professional References 

• Any additional pertinent materials 

About The College/Department/Division:

 The Office of Budget and Finance provides support to university administrators in developing and implementing short and long-range financial plans for the Knoxville campus. The primary responsibilities include the preparation of the annual budget and the monitoring and tracking of the financial status of the Knoxville campus.