Research Finance Specialist (Remote Opportunity)

About the role

The Division of Nephrology is a rapidly growing division in the Department of Medicine at Stanford. Through its tripartite mission spanning research, education, and patient care, the Division’s work supports the understanding and treatment of kidney disease in the Bay Area and around the world. We are committed to a collaborative and supportive work atmosphere that values and provides opportunities for professional development and participation at the Department, School, and University levels.

In partnership with the School of Medicine’s Research Management Group for pre-award activity and the Office of Sponsored Research for post-award management, the Nephrology Finance Team partners with faculty, clinical fellows, postdoc, and research staff to oversee a portfolio of peer-reviewed grants, cooperative agreements, subawards, industry-sponsored clinical trials, institutional training grants, and individual fellowships. Currently, a portion of the Division’s 40+ faculty have extramural research support across 30 unique sponsors or subcontracting parties and 50+ awards with an annual spend nearing $7M.

This position is open to hybrid or remote work with 1-2 campus visits per year to participate in planning and team-building events.

Responsibilities

• Analyze accounting transactions and information to summarize current financial position at the unit or organization-wide level.
• Construct and assemble data for decision-making; develop conclusions and present high-level summaries of recommendations.
• Capture, track, and report revenue and expenses; determine appropriate procedures for accounting record preparation, research of transactions, and reporting.
• Oversee, reconcile, and resolve problems relative to complicated accounts.
• Collect data and perform research on details of transactions.
• Generate, review, analyze, and communicate financial data that reflects actual financial performance against approved budgets. Prepare and present quantitative and qualitative analyses focusing on variances from budget and prior data.
• Maintain and review accounting process controls; recommend and implement any approved modifications; perform preliminary analysis and recommend solutions.
• Develop and maintain desktop procedures and process documentation for area of responsibility.
• Run and analyze financial reports, often from multiple systems; prepare management information reports.
• Contribute to unit and organization strategy; assist in the development of change management plans and materials as needed. Participate as a member of a project team; support new initiatives.
• Make decisions determining approach to managing and completing processes.
• Participate in critical analysis of existing systems and processes and identify opportunities for process improvement. Define requirements, develop and implement complex test cases, perform system testing, and analyze results.
• Serve as a resource to local units and other departments to resolve accounting-related issues.
• May act as a lead, train, coach, and review the work of other staff, as needed.
• Regularly engage assigned faculty and research staff to monitor and project active awards and plan for future proposals.
• Work in a fast-paced environment and navigate changing priorities with a high degree of discretion and sensitivity under minimum supervision.

Qualifications

Desired Qualifications:

• Excel proficiency.
• Experience managing sponsored research at Stanford or another academic institution.
• Proficiency with Stanford data systems (i.e., OBI, SeRA, Oracle, etc).
• Ability to review a proposal or manage a project with understanding of the overall scope and goal of each sponsored project.

Required Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree plus four years of applicable experience, or combination of education and relevant work experience.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Intermediate proficiency in business applications, such as Microsoft Office; intermediate Excel skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with accounting systems and the internet; computer literacy.
• Understanding of and ability to apply accounting skills and concepts.
• Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
• Demonstrated communication skills, including the ability to clearly and effectively communicate information to internal audiences and client groups.
• Demonstrated project management skills and ability to contribute as part of a project team.

Benefits

Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of the salary the university reasonably expects to pay for a position upon hire. The Cardinal at Work website provides detailed information on Stanford’s extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees, including:

• Career development programs, tuition reimbursement, or the ability to audit a course.
• Access to TEDTalks, film screenings, and talks by renowned authors or global leaders.
• Comprehensive retirement plans, generous time-off, and family care resources.
• World-class exercise facilities, health and fitness classes, and excellent health care benefits.
• Access to historic sculptures, trails, and museums.
• Free commuter programs, ridesharing incentives, discounts, and more.

Pay

The expected pay range for this position is $110,307 to $128,195 per annum (within the 10 Bay Area counties) or $66,184 to $116,014 per annum (all other Zones). The compensation will be based on the location of the successful candidate.