Assistant Director, Budgeting and Program Analysis-University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
The largest public research university in Chicago, UIC is committed to providing the broadest access to the highest levels of intellectual excellence. UIC offers a world-class education for over 27,500 students in 15 colleges – including the nation’s largest medical school. The FY 2013 annual budget exceeds $2 billion with annual research expenditures exceeding $300 million. UIC operates the state’s major public medical center and serves as the principal educator of Illinois’ physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and other health-care professionals. Visit UIC’s website for more information:http://www.uic.edu/uic/about/i
Key Job Responsibilities
• Provide technical and analytical support for the implementation of UIC’s Responsibility Center Management (RCM) budget model. Formulate data and financial forecasts to determine budget allocations consistent with the campus’s RCM policies and practices. This includes the extrapolation, analysis and manipulation of financial data to generate reports and disseminate them across campus departments.
• Develop and implement systems, databases, reports, and other tools as necessary to facilitate financial management and budget oversight. Responsible for the design and implementation of analytic studies, surveys, to assist in long-range financial planning activities.
• Provide a key role in the annual campus budget process with authority to verify and release data to internal and external users. Make recommendations on the commitment of campus funding for various new and expanded uses. Evaluation/recommendations will draw on various qualitative & quantitative methodologies.
• Review budget requests and proformas, assess program tradeoffs and explore alternative funding methods. Examine departmental budget estimates and proposals for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with the University established procedures, regulations, and related objectives. Evaluate budget history and past or future developments that affect outcomes.
• Assist in the development of new financial policies, procedures, systems or work practices (such as tuition revenue distribution, remission and waiver policies) by designing and executing analytical studies to assist in the decision making process. Work closely with other staff members to build comprehensive analytical models.
• Provide guidelines on implementation of new policies to colleges and administrative units, and educate staff in colleges and departments on new budget policies and procedures. Articulate analyses and findings in a variety of formats that is clear, concise and appropriate to the audience.
• Write memoranda of understanding to formalize stipulations for ongoing and on-time special funding commitments.
• Consolidate departmental budgets into operating and capital budget summaries for senior management review and approval.
• Interpret report data for campus managers, guide them in projection of future costs, and ensure allocated funds are spent as intended.
• In conjunction with Office of Business & Financial Services, monitor the financial performance of campus units and generate/deliver periodic reports on their financial performance to unit management and campus administration. Identify financial deficiencies in departmental budgets and recommend resolutions to management, suggesting program cuts or reallocation of excess funds.
• Responsible for assuring that budget data on various UIC websites is updated and reflects accurate and content-rich information.
• Special project assignments as required.
Requirements: Education & Experience, Knowledge Skills & Abilities
Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Business, Accounting, Economics or closely related field with quantitative and analytical focus. Minimum of five years progressively responsible budget or financial analyst experience with similar responsibilities, preferably at a research university. Solid knowledge of budget modeling and forecasting techniques, public finance and budgeting principles. Working knowledge of policy analysis and data analysis. Must demonstrate the ability to create and maintain complex Excel spreadsheets and Access databases using data warehouse queries. Advanced skills in data manipulation and financial forecasting. Proficiency with SAS and data query reporting tools preferred. Must be able to create meaningful charts and graphs for presentation purposes. Demonstrated ability to exercise good judgment and discretion when working independently and interact effectively as a member of a collaborative team. Strong interpersonal, customer service, and written and verbal communication skills including the ability to clearly articulate complex, multifaceted issues. For fullest consideration, please go to http://jobs.uic.edu/job-board/