Finance and Administration Manager, Blandy Experimental Farm

University of Virginia College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences seeks applications for a Finance and Administration Manager at Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce VA. 

Blandy Experimental Farm is a 700-acre University of Virginia ecological field station located in the northern Shenandoah Valley, about 10 miles east of Winchester and 60 miles west of Washington, D.C. Its mission is to increase understanding of the natural environment through research and education. The State Arboretum of Virginia, located within Blandy Experimental Farm, is a public garden displaying more than 5500 trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants in a diversity of habitats including woodlands, meadows, wetlands, and open fields. For information about Blandy Experimental Farm, visit https://blandy.virginia.edu/

The Finance and Administration Manager supports operations of Blandy Experimental Farm in the following areas:

Budget & Finance

• Develop and prepare budgets and financial reports for all fund sources. Department annual expenditures average $2.5M
• Undertake general financial reporting to ensure budgetary control and responsible fiscal oversight. Maintain the budget throughout the year and share accurate and timely fund balance data with stakeholders.
• Provide fiscal oversight of department funds and manage internal controls.
• Serve as financial liaison to Foundation of the State Arboretum and Virginia Native Plant Society, providing budget projections, billing, consultation.
• Collect and process departmental revenue.
• Compile data for Bandy grant applications and FOSA annual report

Human Resources

• Partner with HR Business Partners and Recruiters to provide process support on recruitment efforts, compensation analysis, and employee management.
• Direct managers and employees to the appropriate resources or documentation for understanding HR processes and policies, or for support with employment related concerns.
• Monitor bi-weekly time and absence process
• Assist the unit during the annual performance management cycle.
• In conjunction with the Director, build and maintain a strong inclusive and welcoming & supportive culture for all faculty, staff, students and researchers. Advocate for a customer service mindset when interacting with all constituents.

Research Program Support

• Oversee hiring & renewal process for paid visiting faculty.
• Work with faculty advisors, GSAS, and Environmental Sciences staff to coordinate Blandy support for graduate students in Environmental Sciences.
• Process fellowship awards to UVA and non-UVA graduate and undergraduate students.
• Set and monitor summer research budgets for both UVA and non-UVA researchers

Procurement

• Serve as departmental buyer by sourcing, negotiating, and purchasing equipment, services, and supplies for faculty, staff, students, and researchers while ensuring compliance with University procurement policies.
• Arrange for essential utilities and services, including electricity, LP gas for heating, internet and phone services, as well as trash and recycling. This includes negotiating contracts, ensuring timely payments, and maintaining accurate records.

Administration

• Collaborate with the Director, Blandy leadership, and the Field Station Manager to ensure seamless day-to-day operations for faculty, staff, students, and visiting researchers.
• Formulate internal procedures and guidelines for the business of the unit.
• Evaluate effectiveness of business systems and processes and recommend improvements to enhance efficiency.
• Represent Blandy in a business capacity by actively participating in a variety of forums at the College and University level.
• Work with UVA Real Estate and Leasing Services, and other stakeholders to coordinate execution of Blandy income lease.

In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned.

Minimum Requirements:

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Experience: Four years of increasingly responsible management and administrative responsibility is required. Two years of supervisory experience is required. Relevant exempt level experience may substitute for a degree.

Licensure: None

Preferred Qualifications:

A successful candidate will be highly collaborative and service orientated, able to multi-task, problem solve, and handle multiple competing priorities.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Experience working in a finance role in a higher education setting
• Experience developing and managing budgets and the ability to produce, interpret, and share financial reporting from existing financial systems
• The ability to manage multiple responsibilities in a demanding and complex environment while remaining flexible and collegial
• The ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Experience with Workday (Finance, HR, and Adaptive), Office 365 (Outlook, Excel, Word). Proficiency in Excel is critical.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• A valid driver’s license

Physical Demands:

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of computers. The job occasionally requires walking some distance outdoors at Blandy to attend meetings, access different buildings, etc.

More information:

This position is at Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce, VA. A hybrid work arrangement may be considered outside of the summer research season (May – August), subject to departmental needs and individual performance.

The anticipated salary range is $65,000 – $78,500 commensurate with experience.

This is an exempt level, benefited position. For information on the benefits of being a UVA employee, visit https://hr.virginia.edu/benefits.

This position will remain open until filled. Review of applications will begin December 16, 2024. This position will not sponsor applicants for work visas. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

Application Instructions:

External applicants must apply online here https://jobs.virginia.edu/us/en. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile, search Find Jobs and then R0067199. Complete an application online and include the following documents:

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.

References will be completed via UVA’s standardized process Skill Survey. A total of five references will be requested via SkillSurvey during the final phase of the interview process.

For questions about this position, contact Judy Masi, [email protected].

For questions about the application process, please contact Rich Haverstrom, [email protected]

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person’s perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and family medical or genetic information.

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