Senior financial analyst finds meaning in the numbers
The numbers mean something to Amy Collett.
They mean people are getting paid on time. They mean transactions are approved quickly. They mean data is flowing properly.
“I do really enjoy numbers,” said Collett, senior financial analyst and Accounts Payable and Expenses functional lead. “The functional side is neat because you get to understand how things work.”
Collett earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from the Terry College of Business and began working at the University of Georgia seven years ago as an assistant supervisor during the switch to OneSource and One USGConnect. She’s been in her current role for six years.
Joining the Finance Division during that time of transition provided Collett with a wealth of learning opportunities. She enjoyed delving into the new system and figuring out how it worked. Collett developed a knack for problem solving that led to her current position.
“Most of our employees are processing payments — keeping the lights on, if you will. I’m the person they come to when things break. When things go astray, they come to me, and I’m the go-between technical and functional,” Collett said.
Serving as that bridge allows Collett to not only learn the ins and outs of UGA’s financial management system but also see how they connect. Requests start in Procurement, flow to her in Accounts Payable, then go on to folks in Accounting. Through that process, she’s worked with teams across campus, giving her a broader perspective and insights on how it runs from the user’s end.
“We want to make it so that even if this isn’t your day-to-day, it’s still navigable,” she said.
Collett spends part of her day making sure operations are running smoothly so that payments can be processed accordingly. She also runs the university’s daily pay cycle, which has become one of the favorite parts of her day. Additionally, she may be approving payment requests, addressing service tickets, running tests or updating modules and attending calls and meetings.
She also spends time playing in her “sandboxes” — areas of the financial management system where she can work on problems and test out solutions without affecting the actual system. In fact, it’s the problem-solving aspect of her work that Collett enjoys most.
“While sometimes they’re harder than others, I enjoy having a puzzle in front of me,” she said. “I love figuring things out. I love the problem-solving part of this and then getting to fix it and tell people this is going to work for them now.”
Looking toward the future, all University System of Georgia institutions will move to Workday as the next financials and human capital management (HCM) system. Collett will once again have a hand in that transition as the university’s expenses subject matter expert. She’s excited to work with new people and implement a new system.
In every aspect of her job, Collett looks for ways to improve the university’s financial processes.
“I hope people realize how much goes on behind the scenes to try and make their days a little easier. I know it doesn’t always feel like that, but we do actually put in a great deal of effort. We want the system to work for campus, too, and help them in their duties,” she said.
