Under minimal supervision and with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment, directs and oversees the Business Center day to day operations. The Business Center is responsible for processing all business transactions and providing various financial, analytical and business process transactional services to faculty and staff within area of assigned responsibility. Plans, assigns, and supervises the work of others.
Statement of Duties and Responsibilities:
Manages the day-to-day operations of the Business Center. Oversees the completion, accuracy and timeliness of a variety of complex, business transactions to include a combination of accounting (posting/reconciling), budget development and monitoring, personnel and payroll transactions, purchasing and inventory, records management and other related area.
Supervises Business Center Specialists and student assistants and provides training regarding various business transactions such as: grants accounting, purchasing and procurement, travel, and reconciliation of accounts. Establishes clear expectations from Business Center staff and prepares annual staff performance evaluations to identify strengths and improvement opportunities.
Establishes system of controls for business process management systems and develops procedures to improve existing systems; establishes business process management methods for capturing, defining, analyzing, and streamlining business processes for better delivery of administrative services, data flows, approvals, feedback loops, internal controls, and process execution.
Ensures documentation and accuracy of business processes, controls that are effective, efficient and protect data integrity. Coordinates with appropriate functional leads to implement processes which improve data integration and processes improvements across all functional areas.
Prepares monthly financial reports for Department Chairs and Principal Investigators on various funding sources: federal, state, local, and private to ensure compliance with university policies.
Interprets and applies procedures and regulations to the administration of government and private research grants, contracts, and gifts.
Participates in the implementation of goals, policies, priorities, and procedures related to business process management regarding resource allocation, human resources modeling, and coordination of people and resources; communicates and coordinates policies, practices, and procedures with department chairs/managers, vendors, reporting agencies, clients, and other customers.
Prepares and reviews a variety of statements and reports for trends, analyses, and other studies.
Identifies and resolves issues, concerns, discrepancies, problems and inconsistencies, determining appropriate corrective procedures.
Collects research financial data based on specific criteria, established facts, and draws valid conclusions at the end of the fiscal year.
Manage grant post-award activities that include: budget transfers, cost transfers, disencumbrance of funds, and cost sharing tracking of expenditures.
Maintains a high degree of confidentiality and ensures safety of all confidential and sensitive information this position is privy to.
Acts as liaison between departments and internal or external customers; interacts with clients by telephone, electronically or face to face to identify and support their transactional needs/requirements; proactively engages customers through reporting and personal responses; obtains, researches and evaluates all relevant information to handle inquiries and complaints; responds promptly to customer inquiries/requests; handles and resolves customer complaints; elevates unresolved issues to the appropriate resources; manages client expectations and provides consistent client updates; keeps records of client interactions, transactions, and actions taken; communicates and coordinates with internal departments as needed to resolve client issues.
May participate in various committees, professional trainings, industry conferences, and conventions.
Works extensively with all MS Office Suite products, Human Resource and Finance ERP systems, specifically Peoplesoft, and other institutional software systems, such as Banner, Hyperion, etc.
Complies with all federal, state, and local laws and University of Texas System, Regental and UTEP policies.
Other duties may be assigned.
Supervisory Responsibilities Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's objectives, policies and applicable laws.
