Job Details

Financial Associate-Theory & Practice in Teacher Education-UTK

Position Number: 6308694
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Position Type: Business and Financial Management

Financial Associate-Theory & Practice in Teacher Education-UTK
Knoxville, TN, United States

Job Identification: 3499
Job Category: Financial
Posting Date: 06/17/2025
Job Schedule: Full Time
Locations: 1126 Volunteer Boulevard, Knoxville, TN, 37996, US

Job Description
The Department of Theory & Practice in Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee seeks a highly organized and detail-oriented individual to assist the Department Head and Business Manager with fiscal compliance, financial analysis, and data management. This position supports the full range of financial and post-award grant administration activities, ensuring compliance with UT policies, federal Uniform Guidance, and state regulations.

This role serves as a key resource for faculty, staff, and students, providing expert guidance in financial procedures, sponsored projects, and departmental budgeting. The position is also responsible for processing travel (including in-state, out-of-state, and international travel), managing procurement card reconciliations, ordering supplies, and maintaining accurate and auditable financial records. The position requires extensive knowledge of university and college policies as well as the ability to interpret and apply complex accounting, purchasing, and travel regulations.

Responsibilities
Financial Management & Analysis

Serve as the department's subject matter expert on financial operations; provide guidance to faculty and staff.
Analyze financial data to determine departmental financial status; conduct cost and benchmarking analyses.
Assist principal investigators (PIs) with post-award grant management including budget planning, revisions, extensions, and final expenditures.
Act as liaison among Sponsored Projects Accounting (SPA), the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP), CEHHS Office of External Funding, and departmental PIs.
Submit sponsored project cost transfers and coordinate account establishment in DASH.
Review invoices, transfer vouchers, and travel reimbursements to ensure receipt of goods/services, accuracy of charges, and correct G/L coding.
Support creation of subcontracts, MOUs, and payments for independent contractors on sponsored accounts (R- and E-accounts).
In collaboration with the Business Manager, monitor faculty start-up funds and other designated accounts.
Coordinate purchases, maintain supply inventories, and research vendors for cost-effective procurement.
Maintain and update departmental policies and procedures documentation.

Compliance & Audit

Provide clear, policy-informed guidance to faculty, staff, students, and PIs on appropriate expenditures and procedures.
Ensure fiscal compliance with university policy and Uniform Guidance, especially for cost transfers, travel, and gift card distribution.
Prepare documentation and respond to internal and external audit inquiries.
Maintain accurate financial records including ledgers, receipts, invoices, and inventory reports.
Verify inventory records and investigate discrepancies through physical counts and data reconciliation.
Monitor surplus equipment and process relevant documentation.

Administrative Support

Process documentation for new equipment, office furnishings, and surplus property.
Support general administrative operations and special projects as assigned.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications

Education: High school diploma or GED
Experience: 2 years of experience in a position that requires accounting skills.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment visa status.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Knowledge and mastery of standard accounting principles (GAAP); Proficiency with common office and database software; Effective organizational, prioritization, research, and problem-solving skills; Strong written and verbal communication skills; Ability to work independently and as a team player; Ability to adapt to changes that might occur in the office environment, and be able to work with deadlines; Ability to expand knowledge in needed areas such as learning new software programs; Proficient with spreadsheets and ability to compile data and generate reports; Ability to take initiative.

Preferred Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's Degree, accounting, business, or related field
Experience: Previous post-award grant management experience
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Knowledge of DASH (Oracle), Banner (student information), and Cayuse (contract management) or equivalent systems; Knowledge of UT fiscal and human resources policies; Knowledge of Uniform Guidance

Work Location

Location: Knoxville, TN

Compensation and Benefits

UT market range: 7
Anticipated hiring range: 47,000 - 51,000
Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted.

Resume
Cover Letter
List of 3 Professional References

About The College/Department/Division

The Department of Theory and Practice in Education includes 75+ full-time faculty (37 tenure track), 20 academic programs housed in 3 distinct units, and 8 research and outreach centers reporting to the department. The department provides undergraduate majors in education and audiology and speech pathology, deaf studies, and special education with multiple minors offered. The graduate programs offered are a Master of Science with five concentrations and several specializations, an EdS, or Specialist in Education, and a PhD with three concentrations and several specializations. The mission of TPTE is to benefit local, regional, national, and global communities by conducting research, preparing teachers, and engaging in outreach.

About Us
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees-the Volunteers-who uphold the university's tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee's flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy's largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices that attract and retain a diverse community and that support a culture where everyone matters and belongs.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as "Best Employer for New Graduates," "One of America's Best Large Employers," and "Best Workplace for Women," and has been designated as "Best Place for Working Parents" by Forbes Magazine.

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!

To apply, visit https://fa-ewlq-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/3499/?mode=location