JOB OPPORTUNITY: FINANCIAL SPECIALIST III

Location: Houston (Clear Lake), TX 
Type of Role: Part-time, 3 days, with potential for full-time work Hourly Pay Range: $14.53 - $22.11 (U1450, Pay Grade: 8) 
Department: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Disaster Assessment and Recovery Unit, CHARM Team  
Position Details: Open until filled. Interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis. 
Experience: Two years and up of professional experience in graphic design and related projects preferred.

 

WHAT WE DO 
The CHARM team at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Disaster Assessment and Recovery (DAR) Unit provides education, outreach, and planning support for communities around the state of Texas, focusing on approaches that foster collaboration and holistic solutions to reduce risks from floods and other hazards. Leveraging data-driven methodologies and innovative tools, such as CHARM and CommunityViz, our award-winning GIS-based scenario planning software, we facilitate collaborative sessions with community staff and elected officials working together to build a resilient and sustainable future. 

Operating within the largest university-based extension program nationwide, the CHARM team is uniquely positioned to deliver highly impactful community planning tools and services. We cultivate strong partnerships with sister state agencies and federal entities, and aim to share our knowledge, expertise, and tools to communities in need of sustainable planning practices. 

YOUR ROLE 
The Financial Specialist III provides essential financial support to project leadership by ensuring accuracy in financial records, reliable cost forecasting, and regulatory compliance. This position reconciles expenditures, tracks project costs, and prepares financial reports that guide leadership decisions and sponsor communications. The role requires strong attention to detail, a solid understanding of financial tracking systems, and the ability to collaborate effectively with project managers, vendors, and finance offices to maintain transparent, audit-ready financial records. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong analytical and organizational skills, proven accuracy in financial reconciliation, familiarity with university financial policies, and experience managing or supporting grant-funded projects. 

Benefits:  

Optional two days work from home. Employees are eligible for a generous health insurance plan, including dental and vision. PTO starts at 12 personal days a year, 11 paid holidays, and ten sick leave days. Employees join the Texas Teachers Retirement System (TRS) with employer contributions. Additional retirement savings are available. Office culture is casual but earnest about doing good work and helping communities improve their safety and well-being through planning. As university employees, staff will have no-cost access to LinkedIn learning training and professional credits. 

 
Responsibilities: 

Transaction Entry & Reconciliation 

  • Retrieve, record, verify, and reconcile financial transactions to assist the project management team.  

  • Research and resolve discrepancies for expenses, encumbrances, program income, and invoices. 

  • Maintain accurate, auditable records of project financial activity. 

  • Reconcile vendor and subaward invoices against contracts and budgets; maintain support documentation.  

  • Flag invoice discrepancies or compliance issues for leadership review. 

Budget & Cost Tracking 

  • Track expenditures against project budgets at the scope task and contract levels. 

  • Monitor burn rates and prepare monthly summaries. 

  • Provide updated cost and budget data to support project leadership decision-making. 

Reporting & Compliance Support 

  • Update financial tables, charts, and cost summaries for leadership and project sponsors;  

  • Manage library of cost tracking records and past reports for consistency and reference.  

  • Track and implement financial action items and follow-up tasks. 

  • Assist project leadership in assembling financial sections of project management plans and project budget gates. 

  • Ensure adherence of costs to university and federal regulations (e.g., 2 CFR 200) to transactions and reporting. 

  • Maintain compliance documentation and audit-ready records. 

  • Track financial budget gates for sponsor reporting and compliance deliverables

 

Education and Experience:

Required 

  • High School diploma or equivalent combination of education and experience 

  • Six years of related experience 

 Preferred

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

Required

  • Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, and databases 

Preferred

  • Skill in reconciling transactions, invoices, and budgets; ability to identify and resolve discrepancies.  

  • Familiarity with federal grant regulations and institutional financial policies.  

  • Prepare and maintain spreadsheets to track expenditures, burn rates, and cost summaries for use by leadership and sponsors.  

  • Ability to communicate effectively with finance offices, vendors, and project staff; skilled in formatting financial data for sponsored project reports.  

  • Ability to manage multiple deadlines, track financial action items, and maintain consistency across recurring reports. 

 

Other Requirements: 

Administrative physical demands:  

  • May require extended bending, reaching, stooping, kneeling, squatting, and sitting.  

  • May require lifting workshop and outreach equipment, up to 30 pounds. 

  • May require extended communication with visitors and employees in person, telephonically or electronically.  

  • May require infrequent travel in State vehicles with overnight stays.  

  • May require operating computers with high-definition screens for extended periods of time. 

TO APPLY: 

Please send a resume or CV to diamond.peronel@ag.tamu.edu.

Texas A&M AgriLife is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer.