Clerk IV (Administrative & Fiscal Support Specialist - Hybrid Opportunity)

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Summary

The University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute (UMDI) Administrative and Fiscal Support Specialist - Clerk IV performs a broad range of administrative, financial, and personnel tasks in support of UMDI's business units and Central Administrative Services Unit (CASU).

Essential Functions

• Generates vendor and consultant contract documents, including the process to onboard and advise new vendors, finalizing Statements of Work, creating requisitions and reviewing amendments, vendor invoice submission, and tracking vendor contract documents within the procurement policies and systems.
• Supports Finance & Administration Managers (FAMs) and Business Unit Directors with sponsor communications, contract/amendment processes, reporting, internal tracking, and invoicing.
• Ensures that University Bank Card policies and procedures are followed by correctly reallocating, reconciling, and retaining records.
• Prepares travel authorizations and requests for reimbursement, makes travel arrangements, and conducts quality control to ensure that employee travel plans and reimbursement requests align with University, sponsor, state, and federal guidelines.
• Collaborates with FAMs to track budgets and plan, prepare and submit expense distribution and personnel allocations.
• Supports personnel actions including but not limited to new hire recruitment and onboarding processes, training staff, and effort certification.
• Reviews business units' Holding accounts to ensure expenditures are moved to appropriate speed types. Prepares and submits journal entries when necessary.
• Assists with compiling financial reporting requirements by gathering and providing program and finance information for internal reports.
• Contributes to cross-collaboration and communication, to include the utilization of collaborative technology, to ensure that consistent and efficient services are provided to business units and CASU, and process improvement opportunities are identified and implemented.
• Assists with program event planning and logistics.
• Promotes a positive customer service culture through effective and professional communication within UMDI and with external partners.

Other Functions

• Participates in business unit, CASU, UMDI-level, and University-sponsored meetings, trainings, and initiatives.
• Participates in training and professional development in order to maintain knowledge of relevant laws, codes, policies, standards, and guidelines, as well as various resource-sharing technologies.
• Works to promote diversity, equality, and inclusivity within the Donahue Institute.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Three (3) years of relevant fiscal and administrative support professional experience. An Associate's degree may be substituted for the required experience.
• Demonstrated ability, experience, knowledge and/or skills in the following:
  
  
  
  • learning and understanding financial concepts and information.
  • organization, tracking, and verbal/written communication skills.
  • time management and prioritization skills to ensure the meeting of deadlines, and the ability to monitor deadlines to be met by others, providing reminders and requesting updates as appropriate.
  • utilizing discretion in handling confidential information and material.
  • working independently and as part of a team.
  • knowledge of MS Office products.
  
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• Academic discipline: Business Administration or Accounting.
• Experience and/or knowledge of fiscal management including project monitoring, automated accounting systems, PeopleSoft, grants and contracts, policies, procedures and regulations of federal and state funding.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions

• Multiple hours in a stationary position while using office equipment and computers.
• Office environment is a busy, collegial area resulting in multiple interruptions and requests for assistance.
• Some transporting of supplies and materials up to 20 pounds.
• Must have the ability to occasionally travel to the Hadley office on an as-needed basis.
• The physical/mental demands and work environment factors described above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Additional Details

• This is a part-time, benefited position.
• This position is funded by grants and contracts and is contingent upon funding.
• Re-balancing of workload will take place no less than bi-annually, and more frequently as necessary. Re-balancing may result in a change to business units supported, direct supervisor, and direct reports.

Work Schedule

• Part-time, daytime work schedule consisting of 22 hours each work week. Work performed may require a change in availability at specific times to accommodate for variations in work demands.
• This position has the opportunity for a hybrid work schedule, which is defined by the University as an arrangement where an employee's work is regularly performed at a location other than the campus workspace for a portion of the week. As this position falls within the University Staff Association, it is subject to the terms and conditions of the University Staff Association collective bargaining agreement, therefore.

Salary Information

Grade 13

Special Instructions to Applicants

Along with the application, please submit a resume. References will be checked at the finalist stage. Please be prepared to provide contact information for three (3) professional references.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.