Senior Business Manager (SBM) Responsibilities
In general, Senior Business Managers (SBMs) are senior administrators with direct responsibility for large complex budgets and who have multiple departments within their units. They have dual reporting lines to their Dean or Director and the Main Campus Finance Office (MCFO). SBMs may only be appointed with MCFO approval.
In general, all Senior Business Managers (SBMs) are required to:
- Participate actively in the development and execution of the unit's strategic planning. In particular, project the cost and resource requirements associated with the unit's initiatives.
- Develop a thorough understanding of the University's Financial Management System, including data warehouse functions, databases and spreadsheets.
- Manage the annual budget development process.
- Ensure that unit recruiting, hiring, training, termination and payment practices are carried out in accordance with promulgated University HR policies and procedures.
- Track budget performance of all funds on a monthly basis and maintain quarterly forecasts of year-end outcomes.
- Monitor transactions, review and approve contracts, requisitions and reimbursements and procurement card activity within delegated authority.
- Review budgets of pre-award submissions (proposals) within the unit and manage compliance with post-award sponsor and GU requirements.
- Notify the MCFO of significant financial transactions, deviations from budget and real or projected deficits of any magnitude as soon as they become known. Any expenditure of "reserves", "quasi-endowment" or other non-budgeted funds to cover structural budget shortfalls must be reported at once, along with a plan for future spending designed to assure that shortfalls will be eliminated before such reserves are exhausted.
- Take necessary steps, in consultation with a supervisor, to mitigate or eliminate real or projected budget deficits. At a minimum, provide documented recommendations to mitigate or eliminate real or projected budget deficits.