Irvine, California
St. Louis, Missouri
Westfield, Massachusetts
Irvine, California
Posted: 02-Jun-26
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Internal Number: 278312
A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In the cover letter, in one page or less, please let us know how this role aligns with your career aspirations and skills. Submit both a cover letter and resume as one file.
Competitive salary available based on qualifications, experience and education of the selected candidate.
Information and Technology Services (ITS) at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is seeking a Budget and Financial Planning Analyst to join the ITS Finance team. ITS supports the university's academic, research, and administrative missions by delivering secure, innovative, and reliable technology services across Ann Arbor, Michigan Medicine, and the Flint and Dearborn campuses.
We are looking for a highly adaptable, customer-focused financial professional who is skilled in building and managing budgets, developing forecasts, and partnering with department leaders to support sound financial decision-making. This role requires strong Excel skills, a collaborative mindset, and the ability to guide non-financial stakeholders through budget planning, actuals review, forecast changes, and financial tradeoff decisions.
This position is well-suited for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving environment and enjoys working directly with customers, building practical budget tools, explaining financial information clearly, and helping leaders manage resources responsibly in a nonprofit or higher education environment.
Key responsibilities include:
- Serve as the primary finance partner for ITS general fund units, including budget development, forecasting, variance review, and financial guidance; provide supplemental support for other funding sources as needed (e.g., designated/recharge/auxiliary, grants).
- Build, maintain, and update Excel-based budgets and forecasts in partnership with department customers.
- Review actual financial activity against budget, identify changes or concerns, and recommend forecast adjustments.
- Help non-financial leaders understand budget status, cost drivers, funding constraints, and available options.
- Partnering with business units to understand customer needs and align financial strategies accordingly.
This position reports directly to the Director of Finance and Human Resources.
- Serve as a trusted finance partner to the Finance Director, ITS leaders, and department customers by providing budget guidance, financial stewardship, and practical recommendations.
- Build, maintain, and manage annual budgets and multi-year forecasts using Excel and university financial systems.
- Work directly with assigned departments to understand business needs, funding sources, planned spending, staffing assumptions, service needs, and financial risks.
- Monitor actual revenue and expense activity against budget and forecast; identify variances, explain drivers, and recommend timely adjustments.
- Update forecasts throughout the year as actuals come in, priorities shift, or new financial information becomes available.
- Guide non-financial stakeholders through budget planning, financial results, spending decisions, and tradeoff discussions using clear, accessible language.
- Demonstrate a high customer-service approach by supporting departmental stakeholders with responsive guidance, clear communication, and appropriate expectation-setting to ensure excellent service and strong financial stewardship.
- Participate in annual budgeting and forecasting processes, including development of budget assumptions, review of planned expenses, risk/opportunity identification, and alignment with available funding.
- Partner with ITS leaders to develop business cases for initiatives, investments, staffing changes, service needs, and operational changes.
- Strengthen financial stewardship through accurate transaction review, reconciliations, internal controls, and audit-ready documentation; resolve discrepancies and ensure timely corrections.
- Interpret and apply university financial policies and guidelines; advise teams on compliant, practical, and efficient financial processes.
- Identify, quantify, and track efficiency opportunities, including process improvements, vendor/license optimization, cost management, and improved use of available resources.
- Collaborate across ITS to improve budget accuracy, forecasting reliability, financial processes, and customer understanding of financial responsibilities.
- Lead or contribute to cross-functional projects, aligning financial recommendations with ITS strategy, customer needs, and organizational priorities.
- Apply big-picture thinking to connect budget decisions with broader ITS strategies, service commitments, and customer needs.
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, or a related field with a strong foundation in accounting and financial principles
- Five (5) or more years of progressive experience in financial analysis, accounting, budgeting, and forecasting (including fund accounting or similar experience)
- Demonstrated experience building and maintaining financial budgets, forecasts, or financial models in Excel.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across diverse teams and build trusted working relationships with department customers.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain financial information clearly to non-financial audiences.
- High level of comfort with technology, including financial systems, spreadsheets, and collaboration platforms
- Demonstrated ability to:
- Work successfully in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with shifting priorities.
- Build practical, accurate, and user-friendly Excel budget models and financial tools.
- Manage budgets in partnership with department leaders and adjust forecasts as actual financial activity changes.
- Provide thoughtful financial guidance that supports operational and long-term decision-making.
- Deliver exceptional customer service and build strong stakeholder relationships.
- Understand business needs and translate them into actionable financial recommendations.
- Communicate complex financial concepts in a clear, approachable, and service-oriented manner.
- Work effectively as part of a team while maintaining accountability for individual contributions.
- Master's degree in Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.
- Experience working in a nonprofit, higher education, government, healthcare, or similarly complex mission-driven environment.
- Experience with ERP systems and financial reporting tools, particularly familiarity with University of Michigan systems and policies.
- Experience supporting budget owners, department leaders, or non-financial managers with budget development, forecast updates, and financial decision-making.
- Advanced Excel skills, including building budget workbooks, maintaining formulas, organizing assumptions, reconciling data, and presenting financial information in a clear and usable format.
- Knowledge of fund accounting principles and familiarity with Federal Uniform Guidance requirements.
Benefits at the University of Michigan
In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:
- Generous time off
- A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
- Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
- Life insurance
- Long-term disability coverage
- Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses
- Dental and Vision Insurance
- Parental and Maternity Leave
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.
