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This position has closed. University of Wisconsin-Madison removed this listing from their careers page on Oct 6, 2026. The interview prep below is still useful, and there are similar open roles at the bottom of this page.

Financial Coordinator

University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI · Full time

Posted Sep 16, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 4, 2026

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about your experience with post-award grant management. What did you monitor and report?

What they are checking: Hands-on experience with the post-award work this role focuses on.

How do you keep up with complex rules for travel, procurement and grants?

What they are checking: Whether they have a habit for keeping up with detailed rules, since travel, procurement and grant policies change and mistakes are costly.

Tell me about a time you found an error in your own work. What did you do?

What they are checking: Whether they admit and fix their own errors quickly, since accuracy is essential when the work involves university and grant money.

What would you do

A researcher asks you to approve a travel expense that doesn't meet policy. What do you do?

What they are checking: Holding to policy while explaining it kindly and offering options.

How do you handle many requests from project staff at once?

What they are checking: Whether they stay helpful while sorting many requests, since the posting emphasizes customer service and prioritization equally.

About the work

How do you build a budget projection for a grant that's halfway through its period?

What they are checking: Forecasting spending so projects do not overspend or leave money unused.

A charge was posted to the wrong grant. How do you fix it?

What they are checking: Whether they know how to correct a charge using proper adjustments, since grants have strict rules about what costs are allowable.

How do you make sure a purchasing card purchase follows university policy?

What they are checking: Whether they check purchasing card use against policy carefully, since misuse of university money creates audit and compliance problems.

How do you prepare financial information for a sponsor report?

What they are checking: Whether their reports are accurate and meet sponsor rules, since errors can jeopardize funding and the university's relationship with sponsors.

How would you coordinate travel for a non-employee speaker?

What they are checking: Whether they know non-employee travel requires extra steps, since reimbursing outside speakers follows different university rules.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at University of Wisconsin-Madison from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process. Job Category: Academic Staff Employment Type: Regular Job Profile: Accountant I Job Summary: The Financial Coordinator will be a key part of the UW Population Health Institute (UWPHI) fiscal operations team, with a primary focus supporting post-award fiscal needs across a diverse set of sponsored contracts and grants. This includes: • Monitoring expenses and providing budget updates and projections • Financial reporting and providing detailed information to sponsors • Purchasing support, including holding a UW purchasing card (p-card), coordinating UW employee and non-employee travel, and assisting with reimbursement requests • Reconciling transactions (p-card, post accounting adjustments, etc.) The Financial Coordinator is responsible for understanding and adhering to complex guidelines, policies, and procedures for travel reimbursement, procurement, grant management, and other accounting functions. • This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location. Successful candidates for the position will possess the following skills and attributes: • Customer service orientation with the ability to provide responsive, accurate support to internal and external partners, often liaising between the two • Strong written and verbal communication skills • Effective organizational skills and attention to detail • Ability to multitask and independently determine priorities Key Job Responsibilities: • Assists with accounting and reviewing reconciliations, journal entries, schedules, and reports • Prepares and analyzes financial data, reports and records, identifies discrepancies, investigates, recommends, and implements basic solutions as needed • Assists in preparing budgets and financial projections • Answers questions and provides accounting related information to internal and external stakeholders according to established policies and procedures • Prepares and/or approves financial transactions and payments • Organizes, prepares, and updates basic financial statements, monthly and year-end journal entries, accounts, ledgers, and reports for various financial needs within an automated financial system to ensure accurate recording and reporting of financial transactions Department: School of Medicine and Public Health, Population Health Institute The UW Population Health Institute (UWPHI) works to improve the health of all people in Wisconsin and beyond by conducting research and providing technical assistance to policymakers, practitioners, and communities. UWPHI works toward a world where we value each other, honor our connectedness, and build communities where everyone can thrive. Compensation: The minimum salary for the position is $ 62,000 annually, but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage. ☒ SMPH Faculty /Academic Staff Benefits Flyer 2026 Required Qualifications: • Two years of prior administrative, operational, or fiscal experience, preferably in an academic setting • Experience with Outlook, Word, Excel, and Google Suite (eg. Google Sheets and Google Docs) Preferred Qualifications: • Previous post-award financial management experience within an academic institution, preferably within the UW System • Experience creating and maintaining complex budgets and spreadsheets • Experience with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) • Experience using UW System specific financial software such as Workday (e.g., financial reporting, initiating costing allocations, submitting expense reports) and ShopUW+ • Experience with UW Madison travel and purchasing policies and procedures Education: Associates degree preferred ; focus in business or finance is preferred How to Apply: For the best experience completing your application, we recommend using Chrome or Firefox as your web browser. To apply for this position, select either “I am a current employee” or “I am not a current employee” under Apply Now. You will then be prompted to upload your application materials. Important: The application has only one attachment field. Upload the following documents in that field, either as a single combined file or as multiple files in the same upload area. • Cover letter required • Resume required Your cover letter should address how your training and experience aligns with the required and preferred qualifications listed above. Application reviewers will rely on these written materials to determine which applicants move forward in the process. References will be requested from final candidates. All applicants will be notified once the search concludes and a candidate is selected University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas. The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility. If you are selected for this position you must provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work. Contact Information: Brittany Brown , brittany.brown@wisc.edu , 608-265-2978 Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information. Institutional Statement on Diversity: Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website . To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you. Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7). The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department .