U

UCSF

Public health sciences university in San Francisco

Research Financial Analyst

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
$106k - $120k
Mid
Bachelor's
San Francisco, CA, USA
In Person
AccountingFinancial Accounting

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in a related area and at least three years of experience, or equivalent experience or training.
  • Ability to manage a significant volume of transactions.
  • Ability to perform complex financial analysis and customized reporting.
  • Ability to exercise independent judgment and maintain strong organization, communication, and customer-service skills across broad and diverse subject areas.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of generally accepted accounting, fiscal, and reporting principles.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of effective grant-funding processes, procedures, and techniques.
  • Strong writing skills to draft persuasive text in varied styles for different audiences while following funding sponsors’ guidelines.
Responsibilities
  • Organize, plan, establish, and monitor fiscal budget control for contracts and grants administration, gifts, endowments, and privately funded faculty research programs.
  • Analyze past performance and determine current and future performance or resource allocation; independently gather information, analyze, forecast, and monitor all assigned funding sources; initiate or supervise accounting transactions to maintain account integrity, including endowments, academic allotments, donor gifts, federal and private grants, clinical trials, department allocations, and Dean’s Office support.
  • Ensure appropriate internal controls are addressed, maintained, and strengthened to protect University resources.
  • Prepare complex proposal budgets and supporting documents required by proposal guidelines, and coordinate proposal submissions.
  • Review award notices, contracts, and budgets with principal investigators and project staff to ensure spending stays within budget and complies with agency and campus policies.
  • Provide Research Management Services with financial information and start dates to prepare subcontracts for execution from UCSF awards to outside institutions or principal investigators, and prepare research agreements as needed.
  • Provide proposal budget input, including cost sharing, commitments, and salary information.
  • Administer and manage post-award research funds in accordance with organizational policy and agency requirements; monitor budgets to ensure compliance and prevent overspending.
  • Communicate with relevant parties throughout the post-award process and coordinate completion of agency-required interim progress reports with investigators and Research Management Services.
  • Coordinate project closeout with Research Management Services and the Controller’s Office, including equipment management, invention statements, subcontract closeouts, final progress reports, small-business reports, and grant relinquishments.
  • Meet monthly with assigned faculty to provide financial reports, following standardized procedures established by the Grants Manager or Finance Director.
  • Review notices of award with principal investigators and Research Management Services, and consult on award budgets.
  • Prepare interim and final budget reports, no-cost extensions, rebudgeting actions, carry-forward requests, and other post-award correspondence requiring institutional or agency review or approval.
  • Complete funding changes for faculty and staff.
  • Provide guidance and counsel to principal investigators and department administrators on complex research-administration matters, including compliance regulations; advise on fund balances and oversee spending for compliance with approved budgets and guidelines.
  • Act as liaison and coordinate processes among the department, Office of Sponsored Research, Controller’s Office, Gift Development Office, sponsors, and other stakeholders.
  • Support audits and reviews by providing documentation and explanations, and assist with developing and implementing departmental policies and procedures.
  • Perform other duties assigned by the Grants Manager and Finance Director, including complex financial or resource research.
  • Coordinate and implement budget allocations; maintain a chart of accounts or other data-management tools and related business processes; prepare journal entries; and maintain and reconcile ledger accounts.
  • Gather general-ledger data for Unrelated Business Income Tax summaries, answer departmental questions or coordinate responses, analyze and reconcile assigned general-ledger portfolios, and independently resolve accounting and recharge errors.
  • Review and approve financial transactions, including Bear Buy approvals, MyExpense reviews and approvals, general-ledger verifications, and award verifications.
  • Analyze, prepare, and initiate fund transfers, including cost transfers, payroll transfers, budget adjustments, and budget transfers.
  • Analyze, review, and approve subcontractor, consultant, and vendor invoices for accuracy against approved agreement budgets, and independently resolve errors.
  • Generate final financial reports required by sponsoring agencies and coordinate final financial statements and invoice preparation with the Controller’s Office.
  • Create monthly budget-status reports showing actuals and projections; gather and analyze information, prepare and summarize financial-plan recommendations, provide status reports to principal investigators, and meet monthly with individual faculty.
  • Analyze and forecast faculty and staff salary payroll and budgets; prepare annual salary plans and review them with the Grants Manager before submission to the Finance Director or Department Chair for compensation files.
  • Interface regularly with Research Management Services on contracts and grants submitted and processed for assigned faculty, and review pending proposals, subawards, and contracts with the Grants Manager.
Desired Qualifications
  • Thorough understanding of research-administration guidelines for federal and non-federal sponsors supporting research and educational activities, preferably in a university environment.
  • Thorough knowledge of compliance requirements related to human or animal subjects in research, financial conflicts of interest, biosafety, and related areas.
  • Current knowledge of compliance regulations across research-administration areas.
  • Previous work experience in an academic environment.

About the company

UC San Francisco is a public research university in San Francisco focused solely on health sciences, combining professional education with biomedical research and patient care. Its schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy train clinicians and scientists, while teams investigate cancer, immunology, genomics and neuroscience. UCSF Medical Center and Benioff Children's Hospitals connect clinical care with faculty research and training, and university clinics serve patients across Northern California. Founded in 1864, UCSF is the University of California campus dedicated to graduate and professional education and biomedical research, based in San Francisco.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

N/A

Founded

1864

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