Job Summary

The Psychology Department at CU Boulder encourages applications for a Finance & Accounting Professional! This position performs various financial duties and provides accounting and HR support for faculty, staff, students, and research lab personnel in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience. This position reviews, analyzes, interprets, and reports on expenditures for research grants, contracts, and other fund accounts. The position also ensures compliance with GASB principles along with federal, state, and University policies through audit and analysis of financial transactions and records; interpretation of different financial reports; expenditure projection reports, and grant documents.

This position is the personnel/payroll liaison for assigned faculty and staff in the department and facilitates the hiring process for student researchers and research faculty appointments.

This position is responsible for reviewing and submitting Standing Purchase Orders with other Universities and/or institutions to the FSC for processing. This position also provides administrative support to students, staff, and faculty regarding travel policies & procedures to determine if travel expenses are appropriate per federal, state, university, and PSC policies.

This position helps to create and recommend improved departmental processes, ensures compliance with fiscal regulations and policies for increased departmental productivity and sustainability.

Who We Are

The Department of Psychology and Neuroscience is composed of Faculty, Staff, Research Assistants, Graduate Students, and Undergraduate Students. Through teaching, learning, research, and community outreach, we seek to promote scholarship at the intersection of psychology and neuroscience. Driving this mission is a deep, shared commitment to improving the human condition for all people.

The Department of Psychology and Neuroscience is responsible for over 3,700 students in two undergraduate majors and five PhD programs. Our 52 faculty teach and conduct research on topics that range from the molecular to the community level. Our work is spread across multiple campus locations (MUEN, IBG, WILD, & CINC), with an annual budget of $20 million, which includes approximately $12 million in grant-funded research and $600,000 in gift funds.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Manage Grant, Contract, and Fund Accounts:

• Monitor activities in research and general funds and independently analyze the needs of the individual project and program accounts to best support assigned Principal Investigators.
• Use professional judgment to identify the most appropriate methods of financial disbursement of funds, ensuring compliance with GASB accounting principles along with federal, state, and University regulations and policies.
• Monitor expenditures and provide post-award management support.
• Work closely with other departments, including the College of Arts & Sciences, Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG), Campus Controllers Office, the Research and Innovation Office, Procurement Service Center, and other campus organizations when researching complex problems.
• Devise, implement, or revise internal accounting procedures based on project, contract, or grant needs.
• Review new and existing award funding and work with the P.I. to resolve discrepancies between proposed and actual funding.
• Assist P.I. and OCG with the grant close-out process, ensuring all expenditures are within the scope and budget of the project.

Graduate Student, Research Faculty, and Other Department Appointments:

• Determine and recommend the best position hire type based on P.I. research needs and University position options. Be responsible for all hiring documents for student and research positions within the department.
• Submit and monitor appointments through the Human Resources Service Center (HRSC) and request funding adjustments as necessary.
• Communicate ongoing payroll due dates for both monthly and biweekly payroll processes.
• Submit monthly and biweekly payroll timesheets, ensuring approval by all supervisors.
• Audit biweekly/monthly payroll registers, funding suspense and end of appointment reports to ensure correct payment to employees and expenses are processed on the correct speedtypes.
• Request funding updates for student and research personnel as projects change or based on financial review of fund balances.
• Research complex HR problems and submit corrections to the HRSC.
• Work with the HRSC to process terminations for students and research faculty when they separate from the University. Request leave audits and ensure correct payouts.
• Oversee payments to students for fellowships, scholarships, awards, and stipends. Monitor student awards to determine if expenses are applicable per award.
• Work with International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) to recommend required documents for international scholars and process visa paperwork for international research faculty.

Manage Departmental Purchasing:

• Advise department personnel on current university procurement policies.
• Determine whether purchase requests are appropriate and within the scope and budget of projects when using sponsored project funds.
• Ensure funds availability for purchases.
• Review vendor invoices and approve for payment.
• Advise purchasers on large dollar items to ensure compliance with University procedures and assist with sole-source justifications.
• Collaborate with subcontract officers and submit updates to additional award funding to the FSC. Submit updated P.O. information if applicable.

Administration Support/Special Projects:

• Advise students, staff, and faculty on University travel policies and procedures.
• Review and determine if travel requests are appropriate in accordance with University rules and regulations.
• Analyze and approve travel authorization requests by determining if travel is within scope/budget when using sponsored project funding.
• Oversee petty cash and gift card processes for department personnel.
• Stay current on the Office of Cash Management policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned by the supervisor.