The Principal Business Manager leads financial management, budgeting processes, human resources administration, business operations, and data reporting for the unit. The position ensures the accuracy, consistency, and integrity of all financial activities, coordinates sponsored research budgeting and post award financial management, and provides guidance to faculty, staff, and leadership regarding fiscal and operational decisions. The role maintains internal controls, advises leadership on strategic initiatives, supports compliance, oversee staff performance, manages space planning, and coordinates the acquisition and analysis of critical data for reporting, audits, accreditation, and academic program review.

Required Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resource management, business, or a related field.

Experience:

• Five years of accounting, HR management, or business management experience.
• Five years of supervisory experience.
• Four years of project management experience or experience administering federally funded projects including budgeting, financial reporting, and forecasting.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Sophisticated leadership abilities.
• Strategic thinking and strong communication skills.
• Ability to navigate complex organizational structures.
• Deep knowledge of financial principles, GAAP, and federal regulations in higher education.
• Integrity and confidentiality.
• Expertise in complex budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management.
• Skill in problem solving, analysis, and decision making.
• Ability to build and motivate high performing teams.
• Ability to collaborate across units.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree in business or related field.

• Other licenses/certifications related to accounting, business or HR.

Experience:

• Experience at an R1 research institution with demonstrated success in a research-intensive environment.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Working knowledge of Oracle systems, student database software, and research proposal submission systems.

Work Location

• Location: Knoxville, TN
• Onsite

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: MR13
• Anticipated hiring range: $105,000 – $115,000
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments.

• Resume
• Cover Letter

The Principal Business Manager oversees all financial operations for the unit by preparing annual budgets, participating in college level budgeting processes, and providing strategic recommendations to the department head or director. The position manages all unit accounts including state appropriated funds, start-up accounts, seed accounts, endowed and non-endowed gift accounts, income accounts, and research accounts. The role validates a broad range of fiscal activities such as additional pay, labor distribution, effort certification, procurement sourcing, vendor invoicing, and travel. The Principal Business Manager oversees annual requirements including space surveys, asset inventories, and GASB reporting, and is responsible for gathering, validating, and reconciling financial data to maintain accuracy and consistency. The position supervises and coordinates all accounting, bookkeeping, and human resources activities for the unit, manages accounts receivable and cash handling processes, prepares annual reports on receivables, and serves as the unit expert on financial policies and procedures. The role prepares correspondence related to financial matters, solves complex business problems through data collection and analysis, prepares data queries and ad hoc reports, and responds to inquiries from college and campus units.

The Principal Business Manager also supports faculty with proposal budgeting and justification preparation to ensure compliance with UT and federal requirements, assists with online proposal submission, and manages post award activities including financial reporting, expenditure review, re budgeting, tracking of project progress, and reconciliation of sponsored research accounts. The position prepares cost analyses and statistical reports related to research programs and collaborates with the Office of Research as needed.

The Principal Business Manager works closely with leadership to support strategic planning by integrating financial strategies with departmental and college goals, maintaining strong internal controls, and ensuring adherence to ethical and compliant operations. The role collaborates with faculty, staff, and student organizations to improve processes, increase efficiency, enhance customer service, and reduce financial and compliance risks. Responsibilities also include participating in committees and working groups related to software implementation such as DASH Research and Student Life Cycle systems, performing special projects and analyses, supporting policy development, managing departmental space planning, recommending space allocations for new hires, and exercising high level decision making related to process improvement.

In addition, the Principal Business Manager plays a key role in acquiring, validating, and managing data needed for accreditation reviews, academic program reviews, benchmarking, performance assessment, and routine audits. The position prepares monthly expenditure and projection reports, monthly research productivity reports, statistical summaries, and cost analyses for internal and external reporting. Responsibilities also include collecting and analyzing data for annual budget preparation, annual reporting, audit assessments, and space inventory surveys while troubleshooting data issues and collaborating with team members to generate meaningful insights.

The Principal Business Manager oversees the human resource management of the unit by serving as the HR subject matter expert, developing and analyzing faculty, staff, and student data for planning, overseeing recruitment and retention processes, coaching and mentoring staff, and fostering a positive unit culture. The role develops HR training materials, conducts performance evaluations for office staff, assists with faculty evaluations, and supports the university’s strategic HR plans and policies.