Research Analyst

Reporting to the Manager, Research Grants, the Research Analyst provides dedicated, centralized financial administrative support to faculty members with management of their research projects in the Faculty of Arts and Science ("Faculty"). The Research Analyst acts as the first point of contact and provides post-award administrative support and guidance for research projects to help ensure compliance with the University's financial policies and procedures and granting agency requirements.
This position coordinates day-to-day financial and accounting activities related to research projects. This position prepares and processes all financial transactions in support of research activities including account reconciliations and analyses, journal entries, and ad-hoc reports. This position coordinates research project over-spending procedure. This position also provides guidance to researchers and authorized delegates on research project financial administration.

What you will do
•Reviews expense documentation, processes, and procedures to ensure eligibility and compliance with external grantor policies and spending guidelines.
•Provides guidance to researchers and authorized delegates on research project financial administration.
•Oversees the research project over-spending procedure and deals with securing temporary overdrafts and adjusting project budgets.
•Gathers and analyzes data for all current and old project deficits; communicates any new deficits to researchers, and takes necessary action based on the circumstances.
•Prepares the monthly deficit analysis report.
•Oversees overdraft procedure to ensure research project deficits are dealt with in a timely manner.
•Prepares and processes all financial transactions in support of research activities including account reconciliations and analyses, journal entries, and ad-hoc reports.
•Ensures that expenditures are suitable, supported by receipts, and authorized by the applicable signing authority.
•Ensures that revenue is maximized by issuing prompt billing to granting agencies, following up on overdue payments, and ensuring that projects do not go into overdraft.
•Provides guidance and expert advice on research finances by assisting PIs and their delegates through answering questions, resolving problems, and interpreting grantor rules and policies.
•Prepares draft audit in correspondence with special project audits including how the department will mitigate the risk of any project financial errors.
•Identifies and recommends areas of opportunity for process efficiencies, enhanced reporting, and strengthened internal controls related to research accounting.
•Provides support for the review of research expenditures submitted through the Employee Reimbursement System, to ensure compliance and eligibility, as required.
•Other duties as required in support of the department and/or unit.

Required Education
• Three-year Community College Diploma or Three-Year Bachelor Degree, or equivalent. In addition, requires trade certification, qualification, or on-going learning to remain ahead of changes in technology or emerging fields.
o in accounting preferred.
Required Experience
• More than 3 years and up to and including 5 years of experience.
o Experience in client and/or customer experience functions considered an asset.
o Experience in data, trend analysis and reporting considered an asset.
o Experience in financial planning and analysis practices considered an asset (e.g., forecasting, modelling, etc.).
o Experience in financial services practices considered an asset (e.g., maintaining accounting records, etc.).
o Experience in general financial control practices considered an asset (e.g., accounts payable, cost accounting, financial reporting, etc.).
o Experience working at a post-secondary education institution considered an asset.
Consideration may be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Job Knowledge and Requirements
•Practical and applied knowledge of specialized methods and processes that are typically acquired through a combination of technical or academic qualification and/or work experience.
•Provide consultation and advice on non-straightforward and/or complex issues.
•Interaction with others typically requires interpersonal skills and the ability to understand and influence.
•Adapt messages to meet the needs of the intended audience.
•Build relationships, trust and credibility.
•Manage own work and may train and review the work of casual employees, work study students and/or volunteers, to see commitments through to completion.
•Contribute to setting work priorities and direction, supporting the team in achieving goals and objectives.
•Participate in project team meetings and develop individual project plans.
•Lead procedural or technological change within a unit.
•Identify new problems and seek information and input to fully understand the cause of problems.
•Identify opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of work processes.
•Draw logical conclusions and provides opinions and recommendations.
•Research equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion resources and best practices relevant to the job and unit operations in order to inform evidence-based planning.
•Commitment to principles of equity, diversity, accessibility, inclusion, Indigenization and human rights for equity deserving groups.

Required Education
• Three-year Community College Diploma or Three-Year Bachelor Degree, or equivalent. In addition, requires trade certification, qualification, or on-going learning to remain ahead of changes in technology or emerging fields.
o in accounting preferred.
Required Experience
• More than 3 years and up to and including 5 years of experience.
o Experience in client and/or customer experience functions considered an asset.
o Experience in data, trend analysis and reporting considered an asset.
o Experience in financial planning and analysis practices considered an asset (e.g., forecasting, modelling, etc.).
o Experience in financial services practices considered an asset (e.g., maintaining accounting records, etc.).
o Experience in general financial control practices considered an asset (e.g., accounts payable, cost accounting, financial reporting, etc.).
o Experience working at a post-secondary education institution considered an asset.
Consideration may be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Job Knowledge and Requirements
•Practical and applied knowledge of specialized methods and processes that are typically acquired through a combination of technical or academic qualification and/or work experience.
•Provide consultation and advice on non-straightforward and/or complex issues.
•Interaction with others typically requires interpersonal skills and the ability to understand and influence.
•Adapt messages to meet the needs of the intended audience.
•Build relationships, trust and credibility.
•Manage own work and may train and review the work of casual employees, work study students and/or volunteers, to see commitments through to completion.
•Contribute to setting work priorities and direction, supporting the team in achieving goals and objectives.
•Participate in project team meetings and develop individual project plans.
•Lead procedural or technological change within a unit.
•Identify new problems and seek information and input to fully understand the cause of problems.
•Identify opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of work processes.
•Draw logical conclusions and provides opinions and recommendations.
•Research equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion resources and best practices relevant to the job and unit operations in order to inform evidence-based planning.
•Commitment to principles of equity, diversity, accessibility, inclusion, Indigenization and human rights for equity deserving groups.

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