Financial Analyst

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Join our team of student-focused individuals working together in order to encourage intellectual and spiritual growth, leadership and service.

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University of the Cumberlands is seeking a detail-oriented Financial Analyst to support financial reporting, budgeting, and accounting operations for the Finance Office. This role is central to accurate financial reporting, budget monitoring, and restricted fund oversight, and works closely with departments across campus to ensure sound fiscal management.

Candidates with strong accounting and analytical skills who are comfortable using Excel, Power BI, and modern reporting tools (including AI-assisted analytics) to improve efficiency and accuracy are especially encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Reporting & Analysis

Prepare quarterly and annual financial reports, including supporting schedules and reconciliations

Perform variance analysis and ensure accuracy and completeness of financial data

Maintain financial models, reports, and dashboards to support institutional decision-making

Ensure regulatory and institutional reporting requirements are met

Budget Support

Serve as the first point of contact for routine budget inquiries from academic and administrative departments

Prepare, maintain, and monitor annual operating budgets and quarterly reports for Operating and Restricted Accounts

Help departments understand budget-to-actual variances and spending guidelines

Accounting & Compliance

Perform account reconciliations, transaction reviews, and journal entry review as part of month-end/year-end close

Support audits and compliance reviews, ensuring proper documentation and adherence to accounting standards

Restricted Funds & Reporting

Track and monitor departmental restricted funds

Prepare departmental restricted fund reports

Contribute to improving restricted account tracking and reporting processes

Data & Process Improvement

Use Excel, Power BI, or similar tools to enhance reporting and data visualization

Help document and standardize recurring financial processes to strengthen internal controls

Explore opportunities to apply data analytics or AI tools (e.g., automation, anomaly detection) to improve reporting efficiency and accuracy

Qualifications

Required:

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or related field

1–2 years of experience in financial analysis, accounting, or a related finance role (higher education or nonprofit experience a plus)

Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (formulas, pivot tables, basic modeling)

Solid understanding of accounting fundamentals (GAAP, reconciliations, month/year-end close)

Strong attention to detail and organizational skills

Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-financial audiences

Preferred:

Experience with data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, etc.)

Exposure to data analytics or automation tools (Python, SQL, or similar)

Skills & Competencies

Strong foundation in financial analysis and accounting fundamentals

Analytical thinking with a data-driven mindset

Strong written and verbal communication skills

High level of integrity and ability to handle confidential information

Openness to learning new tools and technologies as they're introduced to the role

Work Environment

This position operates in a professional office environment within a private higher education institution. Responsibilities may require extended hours during peak periods such as budget development, audits, and fiscal year-end. The role involves collaboration across departments and engagement with financial, accounting, and data systems that support institutional operations and compliance.

Cumberlands is different by design. Our employees exemplify our motto in the pursuit of a

“life-more-abundant.”