Managing Finance Director

• Provides proactive and strategic advice to the Deans and Associate Deans on all business and financial matters.
• Identifies and communicates emerging financial risks, unfavorable trends, control issues, and other matters requiring leadership attention.
• Translates complex financial information into clear recommendations for the Dean and leadership team, including options, implications, risks, and tradeoffs.
• Provides modeling and decision support related to enrollment, academic programs, research portfolios, new initiatives, partnerships, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Budgets, monitors, and assesses the effective and efficient use of operating, research, and reserve funds.
• Takes ownership of significant financial and operational issues, develops solutions, and coordinates with the appropriate university partners, following issues through to resolution.
• Directs and supervises the work of staff in the school’s finance office and oversees all financial-related operations across programs and units.
• Monitors and disseminates information regarding policies, regulations, and reporting requirements to appropriate staff.

• Directs and manages fiscal operations including budget calls, quarterly updates, forecasts, accounting, asset management, procurement, and payroll, including on-going measurement of each school’s achievement of financial goals and objectives.

• Reviews, monitors, and provides financial and business terms review for contracts, partnership proposals, and leases for equipment and space.
• Develops financial modeling to demonstrate profitability and business viability of proposed partnerships. Reviews and approves major purchases.

• Plays a key role in the school’s multi-year planning and in recurrent strategic planning processes, including short- and long-term business and financial modeling for academic programs, research centers, and business units.
• Leads and informs the analysis, and prioritization of new and existing initiatives and resource allocation decisions; engages contingency planning to understand effects on the unit’s budget, resources, structures, and facilities; develops dashboards and reports to support decision-making for the Dean’s leadership team.
• Represents GWSPH in cross-school and interdisciplinary collaborative efforts relating to business and financial modeling.

• Works closely with the designated Human Resource Business Partner to ensure all oversight and coordination of HR function, compensation planning/review, employee relations are managed in a timely, efficient, and accurate manner.

• Supports and guides pre-award budget proposals (including cost share), reviews cost transfers and departmental correction forms (DCFs), and leads analysis/problem solving for post-award financial management (i.e., allocability, allowability)

• Ensures the establishment of proper internal controls and manages adherence to GW financial policies and procedures.
• As a member of the university’s Managing Finance Director team, the Managing Finance Directors meet frequently to share best practices and to learn from one another.

• Previous experience in higher education, specifically in the field of public health, is highly desirable but not essential.
• A solid understanding of internal control concepts and their implementation and management within a complex business environment.
• Project management experience that includes opportunity/risk assessment, development of financial plans, budgeting forecasting and execution, cost estimating and accounting, and fiscal management principles and procedures.
• Skill in examining and reengineering operations and procedures, formulating policy, developing and implementing new strategies and processes, and allocating and managing financial and operational resources.
• A team-building strategic thinker with demonstrated experience and success in leading people and managing change initiatives.
• Excellent communication skills. Demonstrated experience synthesizing complex financial data into summary formats for leadership. Proficiency with word processing, working with databases, and spreadsheet applications.
• Skill in exercising independent professional judgment and respectfully challenging assumptions or proposed decisions when financial, operational, compliance, or risk considerations warrant further discussion.
• Exceptional discretion, judgment, and confidentiality. Trust and transparency with the dean and AVP are essential to success in this role.
• Advanced skills using accounting/financial software applications are expected, with experience with Tableau Reporting Software, BANNER, and Oracle Financials preferred.

How is pay for new employees determined at GW?

The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.