Post-Award Accountant

Overview

Job Summary:
The University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH) is one of the oldest and highest-ranked family medicine departments in the nation. We are deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of the people of Wisconsin and the nation – a goal fundamentally linked to the mission of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. To support our growing research enterprise, we are seeking a highly motivated Post-Award Accountant to join our team. In this role, you will collaborate closely with Principal Investigators (PIs) and their research teams, providing essential financial management, budgeting, and compliance support for an expanding portfolio of externally funded research projects. Reporting to the Post-Award Financial Manager, the incumbent will play a pivotal role in ensuring the fiscal integrity of these projects, from award setup through project closeout. Our department offers a supportive and collaborative work environment, valuing teamwork, innovation, and a commitment to excellence. This position presents an exciting opportunity for a finance professional interested in contributing to impactful research in a dynamic, mission-driven setting.

This position is full or part-time, 80%-100%.
This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.
Candidates who demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities will be given first consideration:

• Demonstrated post-award financial management experience in higher education, with strong preference for experience at a large, research-intensive (R1) university and/or within the Universities of Wisconsin.
• Proven ability to independently manage a portfolio of sponsored awards (budget monitoring, reconciliation, forecasting, issue resolution, and award closeout) with limited supervision.
• Demonstrated knowledge of sponsored project compliance and stewardship, including interpretation and application of sponsor terms and conditions, federal regulations (e.g., Uniform Guidance), and institutional policy (allowability, documentation standards, internal controls).
• Experience using Workday and related reporting tools in a higher education environment, including using reports/data to support compliance monitoring and decision-making.
• Strong customer-service orientation and communication skills to partner effectively with PIs and research staff, including explaining requirements to non-financial stakeholders.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Provides expertise and advice related to payroll cost allocation, effort allocation, and allowable charges
• Assists principal investigators with financial management of sponsored program budgets and directs day-to-day fiscal transactions
• Prepares and processes financial reporting and/or invoicing information
• Provides expertise and advice related to procurement and allowable charges
• Reviews financial expenditures for accuracy on sponsored grants and contracts

Department:
School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Administration – Finance

Compensation:
The starting salary for the position is $70,000, but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage and SMPH Faculty /Academic Staff Benefits Flyer 2026.

Required Qualifications:

• At least 3 years of post-award financial management, governmental accounting, or audit experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex financial data with strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Excel (e.g., formulas, filters/sorting, pivot tables or similar tools used for financial analysis).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial/compliance concepts to non-financial stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to organize work, meet deadlines, and manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Current or recent post-award accounting / sponsored projects financial management experience in higher education, strongly preferred within the Universities of Wisconsin.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing a portfolio of sponsored awards in a large, complex research environment (e.g., multiple investigators, multiple funding sources, concurrent deadlines).
• Working knowledge of federal award requirements and sponsor terms and conditions (e.g., Uniform Guidance; NIH/NSF terms), including applying allowability, allocability, and documentation standards.
• Experience supporting health sciences or a medical school research environment (e.g., NIH-funded projects, clinical research activity, complex payroll/effort scenarios).
• Demonstrated experience with Workday (or equivalent enterprise reporting tools) for sponsored project monitoring, reconciliation, and/or compliance review.
• Experience with sponsored project closeout activities (e.g., final financial review/reporting coordination, resolving deficits, cost transfers, documentation cleanup, audit readiness).
• Experience advising faculty and research staff, demonstrating ability to translate complex requirements into clear guidance, reduce risk, and support good stewardship.
• Experience managing awards that include subawards (monitoring, invoicing review, closeout coordination).
• Experience supporting a portfolio that includes multi-year and/or high-dollar awards.

Education:
Associate’s Degree Required, Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field preferred.

How to Apply:
For the best experience completing your application, we recommend using Chrome or Firefox as your web browser.

To apply for this position, select either “I am a current employee” or “I am not a current employee” under Apply Now. You will then be prompted to upload your application materials.

Important: The application has only one attachment field. Upload all required documents in that field, either as a single combined file or as multiple files in the same upload area.

Upload required documents:

• Cover letter required
• Resume required

Your cover letter should address how your training and experience align with the required and preferred qualifications listed above. Application reviewers will rely on these written materials to determine which applicants move forward in the process. References will be requested from final candidates. All applicants will be notified once the search concludes and a candidate is selected.

University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas. The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility. If you are selected for this position you must provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work.

The department will not be able to support a request for a J-1 waiver. If you choose to pursue a waiver and apply for our position, neither the UW nor UWMF will reimburse you for your legal or waiver fees.