| Posting Number: |
20244222S |
| Position Title: |
Director, Finance & Administration (Student Life) |
| Position Type: |
Staff |
| Location: |
Villanova, PA |
| Recruitment Type: |
Internal/External Applicants |
| Work Schedule: |
full-time/12-months |
| Avg Hours Week |
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| Department: |
320-VP for Student Life |
| Position Summary: |
The Director of Finance and Administration provides financial and organizational leadership, strategic guidance, and advisory services to all departments in the Division of Student Life with a commitment to collaboration, continuous improvement, and the professional development of staff. As an integral member of the Vice President’s leadership team the Director of Finance and Administration is responsible for directing and supervising all budgetary and administrative related tasks for the Division of Student Life and is responsible for providing strategic and analytical support across the Division’s fourteen departments. The responsibilities include:
- Serves as a principal advisor to the Vice President and other members of the leadership team, conducting analysis, creating proposals, and developing systems to secure and enhance the use of financial, staffing, and physical plan resources in support of the strategic vision.
- Develops, interprets, and implements the Division’s operating, restricted, endowment, and capital budgets, including departmental and student organization budgets, as well as supports Student Life’s long-range financial planning model. Serves as the central point of contact for contract management for the Division working directly with General Counsel on review, approval, and execution of contracts.
- Partners with Human Resources on the Division’s staffing requirements, professional development and personnel concerns.
- Participates in developing, implementing, documenting, and communicating financial and budgetary policies, procedures and guidelines to the Division leadership as directed by the University.
- Oversees facilities planning and related projects associated with departments within the Division of Student Life in collaboration with Facilities Management
The Director works in close collaboration with various campus and University offices related to financial, contract and risk management, payroll, human resources, information technology, and facilities matters to collaborate and coordinate the management of new systems and to ensure compliance with policies and procedures.
Villanova is a Catholic university sponsored by the Augustinian Order. Diversity and inclusion have been and will continue to be an integral component of Villanova University’s mission. The University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and seeks candidates who understand, respect and can contribute to the University’s mission and values. |
| Duties and Responsibilities: |
Manages the development of the Division’s annual operating, restricted, endowment, and capital budgets, including:
- Serves as a primary liaison and key point of contact to the Budget Office, Office of Financial Affairs, and Provost Office Finance and Administration to collaborate on the management and development of Student Life’s budget.
- Serves as a primary lead in the development and coordination of Student Life’s budget proposals during the University’s budget development process.
- Prepares consolidated budgets and projections which aggregate all Division departments, student organizations, and operations.
- Maintains a budgeting and reporting system for the leadership of the Division.
- Ensures adherence to timelines related to the budget process.
- Develops and communicates budget assumptions and resources for use across Student Life.
- Maintains and continuously improves upon financial and analytical systems for use by the Division leadership.
- Oversees Student Life’s long-term planning model, including long-range operating and capital budgets.
- Participates in meetings with and prepares presentation materials and information for the Vice President and Student Life leadership.
- Manages the development of projected financial results on at least a quarterly basis throughout the fiscal year.
- Prepares detailed analysis of variances from budget at fiscal year-end and throughout the fiscal year.
- Maintains a system of clear and concise budget to actual reporting for Division and departmental leadership on at least a quarterly basis and ad hoc, as required, providing key support for decision-making throughout the year.
- Other ad hoc analysis is required.
- Manages and supports the budget oversight processes and administrative and business operations for Student Life departments providing ongoing support, analysis, and critical insight for continuous improvement of financial and administrative operations.
- Maintains a centralized contract management system liaising directly with General Counsel, Compliance, Risk Management, and IT Security to execute contracts.
- Serves as primary point of contact during the RFP process for new vendors and provide advice and counsel to Student Life leadership during the vendor selection process.
- Maintain relationships with Student Life primary vendors.
- Partners with Human Resources, serving as the key point of contact on behalf of the Division to ensure compliance with related policies, processes and procedures.
- Develops staffing proposals and manages the Salary Planner process.
- Provides a critical link between Student Life departments and Human Resources Campus Partner and Centers of Excellence communicating priorities and timelines to achieve staffing, professional development and performance management needs across the Division. In collaboration with central Talent Acquisition and Compensation teams, supports Student Life hiring managers with hiring processes and compensation related matters.
- Assists Vice President with communication and oversight of the annual performance management process.
- Provides support and collaboration within the Division and with Human Resources as appropriate for division-wide professional development initiatives in direct support of Student Life’s strategic plan.
- Assists with the planning and execution of facilities projects with the appropriate Student Life department.
- Serves as the lead advocate for the facility and space needs of the Division in University meetings.
- In collaboration with Residence Life and Facilities Management, develops and maintains a program and regular cycle of maintenance and renovation for the University’s residence hall facilities.
- Works closely with Residence Life and the Bursar’s office on room revenue billing process ensuring completeness and accuracy of the biannual billing file.
- Serves as a primary liaison to UNIT (University Information Technology), developing and guiding IT strategy across the Division in support of Student Life’s strategic plan and a need to elevate IT systems in support of our students.
- Delegates across functions within the Division to maintain a sustainable finance and administration framework throughout all student life departments. Advances training and development initiatives to support stewardship, consistency, and service across the Division.
- Performs complex analyses in support of strategic initiatives, optimizes resource allocation and ensures internal controls for proper expense classification.
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| Minimum Qualifications: |
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- Minimum of 5 to 7 years of relevant financial management experience, preferably in non-profit or higher education environment, with progressive professional advancement.
- Must have strong leadership and management capabilities; knowledge of financial management processes and systems; possess a thorough understanding of all budgeting matters, operating, facilities, and staffing policies and systems; and be able to manage complex budget and strategic planning.
Required problem-solving skills:
- Ability to understand and solve complex problems which require extensive follow-up with both internal and external constituencies.
- Ability to analyze and understand problems from multiple perspectives, to understand the impact on multiple areas and determine the optimal solution.
- Ability to balance different opinions and perspectives and find solutions in a positive, consensus-building manner.
- Ability to perform complex analysis using advanced spreadsheets and other data analysis tools.
- Ability to explore new possibilities, opportunities, and new ways of accomplishing tasks.
Required communication skills:
- Superior ability to communicate information verbally and in writing.
- Ability to effectively communicate complex technical information clearly to diverse audiences, with varying levels of financial understanding.
Required organizational skills:
- Must be able to multitask in a fast-paced environment.
- Must be able to appropriately prioritize and complete multiple concurrent activities.
- Must be a self-starter who can follow through a project with minimal direction.
Required leadership skills:
- Must appreciate the values and mission of Catholic higher education in an Augustinian context and the holistic development of student learning inside and outside of the classroom.
- Must be able to successfully accomplish tasks and lead an organization through complex processes (e.g. budget development, development of financial projections) with multiple deadlines.
- Must be able to listen, negotiate, and successfully manage competing interests working in a team environment in a large, complex organization.
- Must be able to establish and develop working relationships within a complex organization including staff and college students.
- In-depth knowledge of and experience with Microsoft Office products, particularly Excel and Word. Significant experience working with enterprise-wide financial systems and budget development systems.
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| Preferred Qualifications: |
MBA or related master’s degree preferred. |
| Physical Requirements and/or Unusual Work Hours: |
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| Special Message to Applicants: |
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| Posting Date: |
11/18/2024 |
| Closing Date (11:59pm ET): |
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| Salary Posting Information: |
Commensurate with experience |
| Salary Band: |
19 |
| Job Classification: |
exempt |