Financial Accountant - School of Medicine

About the role

Brigham Young University (BYU), the flagship higher education institution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, strives to be among the exceptional universities in the world. The university takes an active role in its Mission: "To assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life."

Responsibilities

• Departmental Financial Accounting, Transactions, and Reconciliations
• Review, prepare, and approve routine departmental accounting transactions, including journal entries, budget transfers, and expense corrections.
• Maintain organized financial records and documentation to support internal controls, audit readiness, management review, and continuity of departmental operations.
• Support accounts payable, accounts receivable, purchasing card, travel, supplier invoice, customer invoice, refund, and deposit activity for assigned departments or programs.
• Provide occasional secondary support to assistant dean for finance and administrative team members for deposits, invoices, reimbursements, purchase requests, procurement activity, and other departmental financial transactions.
• Prepare and review reconciliations, investigate discrepancies, resolve transaction issues, and coordinate corrections with faculty, staff, central offices, vendors, and other university partners.
• Provide accounting support for research-related funds including restricted and unrestricted institutional funds used to support research projects.
• Help research teams create operational budgets, track project-level budgets, commitments, expenditures, available balances, and projected funding needs.
• Coordinate with the University Grants and Contracts Office for proper administration of extramural funding activity, including state, federal, sponsored, contract, gift, and other restricted funds.
• Review institutional research expenditures such as supplies, travel, equipment, personnel charges, subaward or service costs, and project-related purchases for allowability, documentation, and alignment with the approved purpose of the funds.
• Assist with institutional award setup, budget uploads, expense monitoring, cost-sharing documentation, closeout preparation, and sponsor or university financial reporting when applicable.
• Design, prepare, and distribute financial and management reports for faculty, research teams, department leaders, and school leadership.
• Analyze budget-to-actual results, spending trends, balances, commitments, projections, and financial performance indicators.
• Develop reports, processes, and tracking tools that improve accuracy, transparency, efficiency, and service to departments and research teams.
• Interpret and apply university accounting policies, sponsor requirements, and internal school procedures to routine and moderately complex financial situations.
• Serve as a resource to faculty, researchers, staff, and students on accounting procedures, allowable expenses, documentation standards, budget management, and transaction workflow.
• Strengthen internal controls by documenting procedures, identifying risks, recommending improvements, and helping maintain consistent financial practices across departments and research teams.
• Participate in finance system improvements, report development, cross-training, and other school or university initiatives related to accounting and research administration.

Qualifications

• Minimum Required: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, public administration, or a related field and three years of progressively responsible financial accounting, budgeting, grants accounting, research administration, or closely related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and directly related experience.
• Preferred: Experience in higher education, academic medicine, research administration, sponsored programs, institutional funds management, Workday Finance, grant accounting, or faculty-facing financial support.
• Experience preparing research project budgets and supporting state, federal, foundation, contract, gift, or other externally funded projects is preferred.

Skills

• Working knowledge of financial accounting, reconciliations, internal controls, budget management, financial reporting, and transaction processing.
• Ability to analyze financial activity, identify errors or risks, interpret budget-to-actual results, and communicate findings clearly.
• Strong spreadsheet, reporting, data analysis including experience using Adaptive Planning, Tableau or equivalent analytic software.
• Ability to learn and apply university policies, funding requirements, and research accounting practices.
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, researchers, administrators, central offices, vendors, students, and staff in a service-oriented environment.
• Strong attention to detail, confidentiality, judgment, problem-solving ability, and commitment to accuracy and compliance.

Benefits

• 401k. BYU automatically contributes 8% at no cost to you. Additionally, if you contribute 5%, BYU adds an additional 4% (Rehires may qualify for different retirement plans).
• Excellent work-life balance: 13 paid holidays + 22 days paid vacation + 12 sick days, accrued annually.
• Employee assistance program, available to the employee and all members of their household.
• Tuition benefits for employees and eligible family members.
• Access to athletic facilities.
• Excellent medical/dental benefits.
• Short/long-term disability benefits.
• Paid parental and maternity leave.
• Wellness Program.
• Free on-campus parking.
• Free UTA passes for employees, spouses, and qualified dependents.
• Discounts at the BYU Store and for many events at BYU.

Pay

The pay grade is 53 and the typical starting pay is $73,000-$95,000. The actual compensation offered will take into consideration internal equity and may vary based on the candidate’s job-related experience, knowledge, skills, and other relevant factors. Candidates with very significant work-related experience may receive an offer higher than the posted typical range.