Financial Analyst

**Financial Analyst**:
**Primary Purpose**:In support of the university’s core research mission and as part of financial stewardship, the Research Finance Compliance Analyst is responsible to provide leadership, oversight and management of a financial compliance strategy to ensure external funder terms and conditions and USask internal policies and procedures are met. Supports researchers, research administrators, and the Office of the Vice-President Research regarding the awareness and understanding of the impact of funding agency guidelines on research administration.

**Nature of Work**:Reporting to the manager, the Research Finance Compliance Analyst ensures leads the financial compliance programs associated with research, particularly as it relates to Tri-Agency funding. The position collaborates within finance, with the teams in the Office of the Vice-President Research, and with researchers and their support teams across campus. The position will focus on financial compliance, awareness, and process improvement to facilitate the university’s compliance with research funder requirements.

The position oversees and implements financial administration and monitoring processes for research funds to ensure revenues and expenditures are properly authorized, reviewed, documented and reported in compliance with funder requirements, USask policy and procedures, and generally accepted accounting principles to ensure the integrity and reliability of research financial data.

The position provides advice, guidance, and support to the alignment and integration of the business processes that impact research projects. Building and maintaining strong relationships with transactional units will be key to integrating research compliance into the university’s transactional services.

This position provides advice, support and specialized knowledge to the research community on financial compliance and eligibility issues for research awards held at USask. Audit requests relating to research projects are managed by Research Finance Compliance Analyst. Requests from external funders to complete questionnaires on USask’s internal controls over financial reporting related to research are managed by this position.

Working conditions are collaborative. The work may be demanding given the high volume with competing and numerous deadlines with continual interruptions and therefore, requires effective time management.

**Accountabilities**
- Development and implementation of a Tri-Agency financial compliance strategy.
- Establish a transaction sampling and review procedure informed by internal audit and compliance standards.
- Establish review criteria of transactions for compliance and eligibility
- Orient, train, and support the research finance team in review procedures and follow-up.
- Develop an action plans for instances of non-compliance through advice and support on the specific matter as well as exploration of related policies, processes, and procedures.
- In collaboration with OVPR teams, build awareness and understanding in the research community of the accountabilities and compliance requirements associated with holding and administering Tri-Agency funding.
- Facilitate the review, renewal, and development of policies, processes, and procedures to ensure seamless compliance with Tri-Agency requirements. Collaborate closely with relevant processing units within the university to enhance effectiveness of those policies, procedures, and processes.
- Evaluate and support the assessment of the potential impact of new regulatory requirements on operational processes.
- Develop detailed compliance strategy plans, including timelines, resources, and milestones. Monitor progress, identify risks, and implement mitigation strategies.
- Deliver quality assurance procedures to ensure reliability and integrity of research financial data Financial Operations is accountable for. Develop and implement processes and control procedures to support the reliability and integrity of research financial data, through quality assurance procedures which ensures research project grants are set up in accordance with contractual obligations.
- Responsible for the delivery of quality assurance procedures to ensure finance reports Financial Operations is accountable for, are completed in compliance with contractual obligations and expenditure limitations such as the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration.
- In collaboration with the OVPR teams, develop and implement awareness building through advice, support and knowledge transfer to the research community on financial compliance and eligibility issues for research awards held at USask.
- Assists colleges and units with audits requested by funders.
- Provide compliance and process expertise to the on-going operational processes and work of the Financial Operations team.
- Collaborate with other campus business and transaction units to consider and incorporate research compliance requi