Job Details

Business Operations Analyst

The Oden Institute is an organized research unit that fosters interdisciplinary programs in computational sciences and engineering, computational medicine, computational geosciences, mathematical modeling, applied mathematics, data science, software engineering, and computational visualization.

The University of Texas at Austin is a nationally ranked research institution and one of the largest employers in central Texas. UT is located in the heart of Austin, a vibrant city that frequently appears on lists of best cities to live and work. Committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce, the university offers competitive salaries and benefits, an extensive support network, and above all, an enriching and highly collaborative community that is deeply passionate about our vision for higher education and public service.

UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• 100% employer-paid basic medical coverage
• Retirement contributions
• Paid vacation and sick time
• Paid holidays

Please visit our Human Resources (HR) website to learn more about the total benefits offered.

Purpose

The Business Operations Analyst supports the Oden Institute's administrative and financial operations by managing business contracts, purchasing, and accounting records for select main office accounts. In addition, the Analyst assists with payments and reimbursements across the Institute. This role ensures compliance with university, state, and federal policies while maintaining accurate financial tracking, supporting award and special project accounts, and providing reliable operational guidance to faculty, staff, and students. Through these functions, the position enables efficient and compliant business processes across the Institute.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Oden Institute Contract Administrator. Ensure the Business Contracts Office (BCO) has all necessary documentation to issue contracts on behalf of the Institute. Gather and maintain all relevant documentation, communicate with purchaser and vendor to ensure the contract is correct, liaise with the Vice President for Research and BCO offices as questions arise, and ensure payments against contracts are made in a timely manner.
• Initiate Purchase Orders (POs) to encumber funds via Point Plus and/or UT Market for a variety of purposes across all Oden accounts. Process Exclusive Acquisition Justifications (EAJs) as needed for POs or contracts. Assist IT staff with purchasing equipment and software.
• Process purchase requests, payments, and reimbursements for Oden Institute faculty, staff, and students, in accordance with UT policies and procedures. Coordinate with Accounting Technician to ensure payments and reimbursements are processed in a timely manner.
• Using a combination of SmartSheets and MS Office products, maintain accounting records for the CSEM Graduate program, Babuska Forum, Outreach, the Institute main office, and the IT group. Assist in the development of policies regarding accounting operations in the Institute and ensure compliance with federal, state, and University policies. Provide data and answer procedural questions from Oden technical staff, administrative staff and faculty. Assist with on-boarding new staff.
• Assist with the management of Oden Institute award and special project accounts including the Moncrief Grand Challenge Award, JCCO Awards, Rising Stars, and others as assigned. Communicate with recipients and sponsors on financial aspects of the award process. Compile data, create, and distribute monthly expense reports for all participants and Institute management using SmartSheets. Monitor and reconcile expenditures on accounts.
• Participate in workshops, seminars, and other activities to enhance professional development and to remain current with university, local, state and federal guidelines and regulations. Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business Administration, and at least two years of progressively responsible experience in finance or accounting with experience in purchasing, planning, forecasting, and financial analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and set priorities and objectives.
• Experience in budgeting and forecasting, accounting and reporting, and internal control and compliance. Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook, Adobe Professional, Docu-Sign, along with the ability to navigate various online portals and systems. Experience interpreting policy and implementing procedures.
• Demonstrated experience problem solving and researching financial inquiries.
• Excellent written and oral communication.
• Professional demeanor, and excellent customer service skills.
• Highly detail-oriented.
• Ability to be discreet with confidential matters and to use sound judgment to facilitate independent decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Define departmental coding and reporting.
• Experience with PointPlus and familiarity with University Purchasing policies and processes.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work both independently and as a team member without day-to-day supervision.
• Ability to work under pressure, while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated experience in gathering, analyzing, presenting financial data and making recommendations.
• Experience using Smartsheet.

Salary Range

$60,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a computer workstation
• Use of manual dexterity

Work Shift

40 hours between 7 am and 6 pm, flexible

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility: Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility: The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks: A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer: The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency: The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification: If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove