Research Financial Analyst

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**Job Requisition ID**:
2025-00652

**Time Type**:
Full time

**Employee Group**:
Staff

**Job Category**:
Financial Planning and Reporting

**Employment Type**:
Permanent

**Department**:
Office of the Vice-President, Research and International - Research Finance IV

**Hiring Range**:
$65,973.33 - $82,466.66

**Posting Information**:
Internal posting closed on Oct 9th at 11:59 pm.

**Primary Purpose**

The Research Financial Analyst (RFA) is responsible for the financial administration and management of a portfolio of research accounts for a specific group of researchers. These responsibilities include problem-solving with respect to the management and analysis of a portfolio of research accounts, preparation of financial statements, management of the relationship between and requirements of internal and external stakeholders and ensuring adherence to financial requirements/guidelines specified by sponsors and to University policies.

**Key Accountabilities**

**Manage and Foster Relationships with Internal and External Stakeholders**
- Key point of contact between researchers and research administrators for financial advice, guidance and queries pertaining to research accounts
- Provide advice and assistance to researchers and their departmental/faculty administrators on sponsor guidelines or university policy as it pertains to research
- Communicate with external research sponsors regarding interpretation of guidelines or reporting requirements and resolution of specific project needs/concerns/issues
- Liaise with Office of Research pre-awards colleagues regarding clarifications or amendments to research agreements/contracts
- Liaise with other UW academic support units to ensure appropriate management of research funds

**Financial Administration and Management of a Portfolio of Research Accounts**
- Set up of new research accounts
- Review, gain an understanding of and approve new research projects through the research awards management system (InfoEd)
- Liaise with Office of Research pre-awards colleagues regarding new or unusual areas of the research agreement
- Set up budget, overhead and encumbrance journal entries in accordance with specific requirements of the award agreement
- Notify the Principal Investigator (PI) of the key financial reporting requirements and sponsor guidelines of the specific research project
- Financial administration and management of research accounts
- Ensure that reporting schedules are met by proactively tracking project schedules and reporting deadlines for assigned accounts to ensure that reporting deadlines are met
- Prepare invoice requests in accordance with invoicing schedules in the award agreement
- Prepare financial reporting in the format stipulated by each individual research sponsor
- Collate appropriate supporting documentation to accompany reports
- Liaise with representatives of collaborating institutions to ensure that all data/reporting/supporting documentation for a specific project is received on a timely basis
- Liaise with PIs and/or research project managers and administrators to ensure that any in-kind supporting documentation has been collected from external partners
- Review in-kind provided by external partners to support research projects to ensure that the documentation provided is appropriate and calculated in accordance with the specific sponsor’s requirements
- Maintain accurate, well organized financial project files
- Conduct budget variance analysis to identify areas of concern and in conjunction with PI’s take appropriate action
- Analysis of PI’s research accounts to assist them in efficiently managing their portfolios and in appropriately spending their research funds
- Monitor outstanding invoices to ensure that researchers are advised on a timely basis if payment may be an issue so that appropriate action can be taken
- Closing Research Accounts
- Monitor accounts that are coming close to their end date to ensure that all funds will be spent appropriately by the end date or that an extension request submitted
- Ensure that all reporting requirements have been met and all funds have been received
- Provide advice to PIs over options for resolving surplus or deficit account balances to an alternative eligible account
- Prepare journal entries to close out the project account ensuring that appropriate PI authorization and supporting documentation is retained
- Finalize the print and/or electronic research files ensuring that all appropriate documentation is kept according to record ret