Job Details

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Clinical Research Finance Specialist

Position Number: 9760697
Location: Aurora, United States
Position Type: Sponsored Programs, Grants, and Contracts

Clinical Research Finance Specialist

Clinical Research Finance Specialist - 40792 University Staff

Description
University of Colorado Anschutz

Department: Ophthalmology

Job Title: Clinical Research Finance Specialist (Open Rank: Senior - Principal)

Position #00852030 - Requisition #40792

Job Summary:

The Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is seeking a Clinical Research Finance Specialist/ Research Senior-Principal Services Professional to provide financial, operational, and research administration support for the department's clinical trial and sponsored research program. This is an open-rank position and may be filled at the Senior or Principal Professional level, commensurate with the selected candidate's qualifications, experience, and demonstrated competencies.

Under the direction of the Program Manager of Research Finance and Administration, this position plays a critical role in the fiscal management of clinical trials and sponsored research activities within the Department of Ophthalmology. The successful candidate will work closely with investigators, clinical research staff, the Program Director of Clinical Research, external vendors, study sponsors, and university administrative offices to ensure accurate contracting, budgeting, billing, payment processing, financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and related tasks.

Core responsibilities include supporting clinical trial finance and revenue cycle operations, encompassing budget review and negotiation, sponsor invoicing, payment tracking, financial reconciliation, billing coordination, and study closeout activities.

The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented finance and operations professional who is knowledgeable about the entire clinical research life cycle, experienced in managing a large clinical research portfolio, adept at partnering with faculty and research staff, and committed to sound financial stewardship in an academic medical environment.

Key Responsibilities

Senior Professional

Clinical Trial Finance and Revenue Cycle Management

Serve as a departmental resource for clinical trial finance, billing, invoicing, payment tracking, and revenue cycle activities from study start-up through closeout.
Review clinical trial protocols, informed consent forms, clinical trial agreements, sponsor budgets, payment terms, and study calendars to identify financial and operational requirements; develop, negotiate, and finalize clinical trial budgets with sponsors and contract research organizations (CROs) to ensure appropriate study funding and fiscal compliance.
Collaborate with Clinical Research Administration (CRAO), study teams, sponsors, and departmental leadership to support accurate study startup, financial tracking, billing, and closeout.
Interface with OnCore, EPIC, and other clinical trial management systems to track patient visits, medical procedures, recurring administrative fees, and invoice study activity.
Manage clinical trial accounts receivable and payable functions, including sponsor invoicing, payment tracking and reconciliation, follow-up on outstanding receivables, and processing vendor payments in accordance with contract terms, documentation requirements, and departmental procedures.
Perform financial reconciliations and resolve discrepancies related to study revenues, expenses, sponsor payments, invoicing, billing activity, and revenue allocations to ensure accurate financial reporting, account management, and study closeout.
Monitor clinical trial budgets, revenues, and expenses to ensure accounting accuracy, budget compliance, and adherence to institutional, sponsor, federal, state, and departmental requirements.
Develop and maintain a comprehensive calendar that includes award start dates, end dates, renewal dates, progress report deadlines, final report deadlines, invoice schedules, and other key financial milestones.
Prepare and submit journal entries (JEs) to distribute funds, correct financial activity, or transfer expenditures.
Prepare and manage purchase orders, invoices, sponsor payments, subcontract expenses, vendor payments, and other financial transactions to ensure accurate processing, tracking, and documentation.
Maintain supporting documentation for financial transactions, sponsor invoices, reconciliations, award terms, and audit requests.

Compliance, Data Management, and Systems

Maintain complete and accurate study financial records; ensure compliance with sponsor requirements and applicable university, departmental, federal, and state regulations; and provide financial documentation and supporting records for audits, sponsor reviews, and institutional reporting requirements.
Extract data from InfoEd, CU Data, PeopleSoft, OnCore, EPIC and other systems to collect, verify, and store proposal, award, financial, and clinical trial

Principal Professional - all of the above, plus:

Partner with research finance leadership to advance strategic initiatives through scalable process improvement and the implementation of AI, automation, and data-driven solutions that strengthen research administration, operational efficiency, and compliance.
Serve as a departmental subject matter expert on our clinical trial financial policies, interpreting and applying sponsor, institutional, federal, state, foundation, and industry requirements to ensure compliance and provide guidance to faculty and staff.

Work Location:

Hybrid - this role is eligible for a hybrid schedule of 3 days per week on campus and as needed for in-person meetings in Aurora, CO.

Why Join Us:

The Department of Ophthalmology is housed in the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center on the Anschutz Medical Campus. This state-of-the-art facility is one of the largest eye centers in the country and serves not only patients in the Rocky Mountain region but also patients all over the world.

The technological innovations conceived and developed by departmental faculty have changed the practice of eye care throughout the world. Our educational programs train the next generation of leaders in ophthalmology. Our specialists have developed national and international reputations for excellence in routine and complex ophthalmic care. We have invested heavily in tracking our clinical outcomes and we are proud that our clinicians perform at the highest levels in their respective fields.

The mission of the Department of Ophthalmology is to be a nationally recognized department of ophthalmology by providing exemplary patient care founded on educational leadership, innovative research, and high ethical standards.

Why work for the University?

We have AMAZING benefits and offer exceptional amounts of holiday, vacation and sick leave! The University of Colorado offers an excellent benefits package including:

Medical: Multiple plan options
Dental: Multiple plan options
Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision
Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your gross pay
Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year
Vacation Days: 22/year (maximum accrual 352 hours)
Sick Days: 15/year (unlimited maximum accrual)
Holiday Days: 15/year
Tuition Benefit: Employees have access to this benefit on all CU campuses
ECO Pass: Reduced rate RTD Bus and light rail service

There are many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

Senior Professional:

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, public administration, healthcare administration, research administration, or a directly related field from an accredited institution.
Two (2) years of professional experience in finance, accounting, budgeting, business operations, research administration, grants management, contract management, clinical trial finance, or a related field.
- A combination of education and related technical/military/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for a bachelor's degree on a year for year basis.

Principal Professional:

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, public administration, healthcare administration, research administration, or a directly related field from an accredited institution.
Three (3) years of professional experience in finance, accounting, budgeting, business operations, research administration, grants management, contract management, clinical trial finance, or a related field.
- A combination of education and related technical/military/paraprofessional experience may be substituted for a bachelor's degree on a year for year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

Senior Professional:

Three (3) years of clinical research or related experience
Experience with business operations and finance/accounting administration in an academic healthcare institution.
Experience in Pre-Award and Post-Award grants and contracts administration in a clinical research or healthcare setting.
Experience managing clinical trial budgets, sponsor invoicing, payment tracking, revenue reconciliation, and study closeout.
Experience reviewing clinical trial documents such as protocols, informed consent forms, clinical trial agreements, sponsor budgets, and payment terms.
Experience working with clinical studies, protocols, subject-related procedures, visit tracking, and activity-based billing.
Experience preparing financial reports, budget projections, reconciliations, and spending forecasts for faculty or leadership.
Experience supporting award setup, rebudgeting, progress reports, Research Performance Progress Reports, no-cost extensions, financial reports, award modifications, and closeout processes.
Experience interpreting and applying policies from a variety of funding structures, including federal, state, foundation, industry-sponsored, institutional, and clinical trial funding.
Experience serving as a financial or administrative resource to faculty, research staff, clinical research teams, or departmental leadership.
Experience with University software applications such as EPIC, OnCore, CU Data/m-Fin, A2E, InfoEd, PeopleSoft Finance, PeopleSoft HCM, CU Marketplace, Concur Travel and Expense, Smartsheet, Power BI, MyBI, ePERS, or similar systems.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
Experience developing financial forecasts, budget reports, reconciliations, and financial dashboards.
Experience supporting procurement, vendor payments, travel expense reporting, journal entries, payroll expense transfers, personnel funding entries, and funding changes.

Principal Professional:

Three (4) years of clinical research or related experience
Experience with business operations and finance/accounting administration in an academic healthcare institution.
Experience in Pre-Award and Post-Award grants and contracts administration in a clinical research or healthcare setting.
Experience managing clinical trial budgets, sponsor invoicing, payment tracking, revenue reconciliation, and study closeout.
Experience reviewing clinical trial documents such as protocols, informed consent forms, clinical trial agreements, sponsor budgets, and payment terms.
Experience working with clinical studies, protocols, subject-related procedures, visit tracking, and activity-based billing.
Experience preparing financial reports, budget projections, reconciliations, and spending forecasts for faculty or leadership.
Experience supporting award setup, rebudgeting, progress reports, Research Performance Progress Reports, no-cost extensions, financial reports, award modifications, and closeout processes.
Experience interpreting and applying policies from a variety of funding structures, including federal, state, foundation, industry-sponsored, institutional, and clinical trial funding.
Experience serving as a financial or administrative resource to faculty, research staff, clinical research teams, or departmental leadership.
Experience with University software applications such as EPIC, OnCore, CU Data/m-Fin, A2E, InfoEd, PeopleSoft Finance, PeopleSoft HCM, CU Marketplace, Concur Travel and Expense, Smartsheet, Power BI, MyBI, ePERS, or similar systems.
Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
Experience developing financial forecasts, budget reports, reconciliations, and financial dashboards.
Experience supporting procurement, vendor payments, travel expense reporting, journal entries, payroll expense transfers, personnel funding entries, and funding changes.

Conditions of Employment:

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship. We are unable to provide work visa sponsorship or employment authorization for this position now or in the future.

How to Apply:

For full consideration, please submit the following document(s):

A letter of interest describing relevant job experiences as they relate to listed job qualifications and interest in the position
Curriculum vitae / Resume
Three to five professional references, including name, address, phone number (mobile number if appropriate), and email address

Questions should be directed to: Ashley Woodhouse ashley.woodhouse@cuanschutz.edu

Screening of Applications Begins:

Immediately and continues until September 30, 2026.

Anticipated Pay Range:

The starting salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established as:

Senior Professional: $59,012 - $79,076

Principal Professional: $67,864 - $90,937

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. This position may be eligible for overtime compensation, depending on the level.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

Total Compensation Calculator

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

ADA Statement:

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at hr.adacoordinator@cuanschutz.edu?.

Background Check Statement:

The University of Colorado Anschutz is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background investigations for all prospective employees.

Vaccination Statement:

CU Anschutz strongly encourages vaccination against the COVID-19 virus and other vaccine preventable diseases. If you work, visit, or volunteer in healthcare facilities or clinics operated by our affiliated hospital or clinical partners or by CU Anschutz, you will be required to comply with the vaccination and medical surveillance policies of the facilities or clinics where you work, visit, or volunteer, respectively. In addition, if you work in certain research areas or perform certain safety sensitive job duties, you must enroll in the occupational health medical surveillance program.

Application Materials Required: Cover Letter, Resume/CV, List of References

Job Category: Research Services

Primary Location: Hybrid Department: U0001 -- Anschutz Med Campus or Denver - 20254 - SOM-OP GENERAL OPERATIONS

Schedule: Full-time

Posting Date: Aug 12, 2026

Unposting Date: Ongoing Posting Contact Name: Ashley Woodhouse Posting Contact Email: ashley.woodhouse@cuanschutz.edu Position Number: 00852030

To apply, visit https://cu.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=40792&lang=en