Accountant III - Horticultural Sciences

Strategic Financial Planning:

• Develops and implements comprehensive financial strategies aligned with departmental goals.
• Analyze expenditure data and assist the Chair in developing complex budgets to optimize funding usage.
• Assists departmental administration in fulfilling core values by analyzing current processes and making recommendations for improvement.
• Maintain, monitor, and circulate monthly reports for departmental administration.
• Coordinate with department personnel and Sponsored Project Administration team on payroll distributions, spending analyses, and budgetary changes.
• Analyze FAR data to identify trends, potential issues, and areas for improvement in resource allocation and faculty workload.
• Works closely with other areas of support such as human resources, sponsored project administration, and related personnel to aid with the accurate management of the unit’s budget and cash flow.

Budgetary Oversight:

• Undertake monthly reconciliation for payroll and operating expenses in line with university-recommended fiscal responsibility practices.
• Works with IFA to analyze data from expenditures and assists unit leader with budget optimization based on the availability of funding/resources.
• Have a good understanding of managing various funding sources such as Appropriations, Cash, M&S. Equipment Use, Distance Learning, Foundation, Grants, Germplasm royalties, and other Horticultural Science funding sources.
• Ensures compliance with federal, state, university, and sponsoring agency regulations, policies, and procedures.

Commitments and Effort Coordination:

• Actively manage the recording and reconciling of financial commitments and the disbursement of departmental commitments.
• Process journal entries and expense transfers for non-sponsored funds.
• Tracks salary savings accrued by faculty and develop timely reporting mechanisms to advise administration and faculty on the status of accounts.
• Functions as the primary effort coordinator, overseeing and auditing effort statements, commitments, salary caps, and processing deadlines for assigned accounts.

Accounting Support and Departmental Liaison:

• Provides fiscal/accounting support and training to personnel regarding a broad range of transactions.
• Ensures clear communication channels between core offices (IFAS and UF) and end users.
• Proactively identifies and communicates problems and opportunities; seeks input and participates in implementing solutions.
• Liaise with the IFAS financial processing division regarding the timely processing of PCard transactions, accounts payable, requisitions/purchase orders, expense reports, travel authorizations, and primary liaison for journal entries.

Additional Responsibilities

• Participates in special projects as needed.
• Generating reports and assists with providing information for the annual space certification and performs other duties as assigned or as needed to support departments.
• Assists in meeting critical deadlines as necessary.

Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area and four years of relevant experience.

EXPERIENCE and KNOWLEDGE:

• Experience with PeopleSoft and UF policies and procedures
• Knowledge of myUFL as it relates to payroll, fiscal functions, account reconciliations and budgetary reporting
• Knowledgeable on effort and space reporting
• Knowledge of university and state regulations regarding fiscal, budget and payroll matters

SKILLS

• Proficient in Microsoft Office including Excel
• Critical thinking skills (strongly preferred)
• Excellent judgement and decision-making ability
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills (strongly preferred)
• Ability to work independently (strongly preferred)
• Ability to organize, and manage, in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be able to work well in a team environment
• Develops and uses checklists to ensure that information goes out error-free.
• Accurately gauges the impact and cost of errors, omissions, and oversights.
• Implements controls with oversight from appropriate leadership to correct issues and prevent errors.