REPORTS TO: Vice President for Finance and Administration

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

Reporting to the Vice President for Finance & Administration, the Associate Vice President of Finance (AVP) leads the Finance team and is responsible for the design, direction and reporting of financial forecasting, annual budgeting, and multi-year strategic planning models for the University. The AVP works with colleagues across campus to develop or refine tools for scenario analysis, revenue streams, personnel models, and operating and capital expenses. This position leads a team of 7 FTEs, with the Controller, Assistant Director of Budget & Planning and Procurement Specialist being direct reports.

DUTIES:

Provide leadership to the Finance team at Lawrence University, ensuring all deliverables are completed in an accurate and timely manner.
Oversee the Controller and assure the integrity of the University’s accounting and financial reporting. Work collaboratively with the accounting team and campus partners to ensure the University’s business processes are transparent, rigorous, efficient, and user-friendly.
Lead development and review of models for projections of key university revenues and expenses: tuition, endowment flow and investment returns, staffing levels and salary expenses, and other functions.
Support data-informed decision making through collaborative, high quality financial analysis. Work closely with senior leadership and the Assistant Director of Budget & Planning to enhance the existing internal financial management reporting environment.
Act as liaison to cabinet members for planning purposes and work with the Assistant Director of Budget & Planning in the creation of the University’s annual budget.
Work closely with the Vice President of Finance and Administration and the Assistant Director of Budget & Planning to develop long-term financial sustainability modeling scenarios.
Collaborate with the Assistant Vice President of Facilities Operations to develop annual and multi-year capital renewal plans that optimize use of philanthropy, debt, and unrestricted revenues. Coordinate construction contracting with Facilities, Accounting, and Legal, to ensure contracts reflect sound risk management and good business process.
Oversee the Procurement Specialist and guide the growth of centralized procurement for the Division of Finance and Administration. Develop institutional policies and work collaboratively to streamline purchasing processes and communication with campus constituents.
Coordinate with Development and other campus partners to ensure accurate recording and good stewardship of special gifts.
Support the Vice President for Finance and Administration with regular reporting to the various committees of the Board of Trustees on financial matters.
Leverage various business intelligence tools, Microsoft Office and other software applications to develop executive level presentations.
Perform other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Ability to lead a team as a working manager in a matrixed environment.
Ability to build strong peer-to-peer relationships to provide indirect and direct support to the President’s cabinet.
Strategic planning capabilities which include the ability to translate goals and objectives into valid financial scenarios.
Knowledge of higher education finance, including student revenues, tuition discounting, restricted and unrestricted philanthropy, endowment management, and expense management.
Skills of influence and negotiation to achieve balanced financial goals and objectives.
Exceptional analytical problem-solving skills with passion for data integrity, process definition, and continuous learning.
Expert knowledge of Excel for complex financial modeling as well as effectively summarizing and visualizing data. Familiarity with Power BI preferred.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills: concise, articulate, and confident. Able to communicate technical financial information to non-finance audiences.
Ability to work independently.
Drives results and is solution oriented.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of all aspects of job responsibilities.
Exceptional organizational, prioritization and follow-up skills.
Ability to interface effectively at all levels of the organization.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, or related field. CPA / MBA or other advanced financial qualification preferred.
Minimum of 7 to 10 years’ experience in Finance, with at least 3-5 years in higher education financial roles.
Experience working with ERP systems as well as exposure to business intelligence software.

EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Must have successful completion of criminal record check, driving record check (where applicable) and reference checks.

Lawrence is committed to enhancing the diversity of its faculty and staff and the viewpoints and approaches that a diverse community represents. We strongly encourage candidates who can contribute to diversity at Lawrence to apply. See the Lawrence Careers website for more information about Lawrence and its surrounding community. All candidates are encouraged to address in their letters of application the ways in which they could contribute to Lawrence’s institutional mission and commitment to diversity.

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Associate Vice President, Finance