Sr Research Finance Admin

Responsibilities

• Serves as the principal Finance Director for the Division of Supportive Care in Cancer, the largest research entity within the Department of Surgery, and one of the largest research entities at URMC.
• Provides senior-level strategic financial leadership and comprehensive oversight of the Division’s financial operations, resource management, and long-range financial strategy in support of highly complex and nationally recognized research and operational programs.
• Establishes and executes the Division’s comprehensive financial strategy, including advanced forecasting, financial modeling, scenario planning, and ongoing evaluation of the Division’s financial position to ensure both near-term operational stability and long-term programmatic sustainability.
• Supports the University’s largest external NIH research award, the URCC NCORP Research Base, among several other major NIH, foundation, and industry awards.
• Forecasts future strategic resource needs to support the timely execution of current and anticipated projects, and provides strategic oversight of sponsored awards and Division operating accounts across both pre- and post-award functions.
• Aligns financial strategy with institutional priorities and supports the growth of large, complex sponsored research initiatives.
• Ensures the financial infrastructure, staffing models, and operational resources are aligned to support divisional expansion and evolving research priorities.
• Learns and advises on financial risks, opportunities, and resource allocation, and advises faculty and leadership on financial planning, resource allocation, and long-term sustainability of divisional research and operational programs.
• Develops financial models and business plans for new research initiatives, cores, and collaborative programs.
• Partners with senior University leadership and the Dean’s Office to support institutional agreements and financial planning for large-scale grant operations.
• Leads financial review and planning associated with faculty recruitment packages and divisional growth initiatives.
• Provides guidance to faculty and staff regarding compliance with federally sponsored funding regulations.
• Makes recommendations to faculty and staff regarding compliance with University policies and procedures of Finance, Accounting, and procurement.
• Interprets and implements University and sponsor policies, providing guidance to faculty, residents, and staff to ensure compliance.
• Analyzes and oversees fiscal compliance with Sponsored agencies terms and conditions of awarded funds, from federal, non-profit and other sponsoring agencies, and recommends changes as necessary for the fiscal awards and negotiated terms.
• Coordinates with the Office of Research and Costing Standards (ORACS) to review expenditures, finalize financial statements, and ensure proper reconciliation and closeout of sponsored accounts.
• Serves as liaison to University central administration offices including Accounts Payable, Purchasing, SMD Finance, UR Labs, Internal Audit, and other departments to ensure timely and accurate financial transactions.
• Oversees and approves procurement/purchasing functions for all accounts including reconciliation, problem resolution, and analysis of revenue and expense trends.
• Communicates with leadership to provide guidance on programmatic updates that impact sponsored research activity/projects to ensure all terms and conditions are followed.
• Represents the Division on internal and external committees addressing sponsor regulations, University policies, audit requirements, and proposal guidelines.
• Manages divisional participation in space and research personnel surveys supporting institutional F&A rate negotiations.
• Supervises and coaches the Research Accountant, including delegation of responsibilities, review of reconciled ledgers, oversight of spending and compliance activities, and Workday-related processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting or business administration and 5 years of relevant experience required or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• MBA and/or CPA equivalent course work, or specialized experience in an appropriate field related to the assignment is preferred.
• Expert with working knowledge of University and Sponsored processes.
• Specialized experience in a field related to the assignment preferred.