Villanova University Looking for Director of Finance and Administration, College of Engineering Full Time

Posting Number: 20223046S

Location

Villanova, PA

Work Schedule:
full-time/12-months

Department: 201-Dean-Engineering

Position Summary

As an
integral member of the Dean’s leadership team, the Director of Finance and Administration is responsible for directing budgetary and
administrative matters for the College and is responsible for providing strategic and analytical support to the Colleges’ administrative
team. The Director leads a team of professionals within the Deans Office to ensure a high level of service and professionalism across the
college community.

• Serves as a principal advisor to the Dean 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 plant resources in support of
  the College’s strategic vision.
• Develops, interprets, and implements the Colleges’ operating, restricted, endowment, and capital
  budgets, as well as supports the Colleges’ long-range financial planning model. Supervise the Associate Director, Finance to ensure a high
  degree of support to the departments, faculty/PIs, and overall compliance with University processes/policies.
• Provide oversight to
  College staffing matters, in close collaboration with Human Resources. Supervise the Employment Operations Specialist to ensure a high
  degree of support to the departments, faculty/PIs, and overall compliance with University processes/policies.
• Build and lead an
  effective operation by promoting collaboration and cross-training amongst the department administrative teams and help manage the workflow
  of the coordinators and administrative assistants to create efficiencies and ensure compliance with University instituted
  processes.
• Participate in developing, implementing, documenting, and communicating financial and budgetary policies, procedures and
  guidelines to the college leadership as directed by the University.
• Oversee and supervise the Facilities Manager in directing and
  managing all aspects (including budgets) of spaces and projects associated with College of Engineering faculty and staff.
• Provide
  mentoring and guidance to student groups related to budgeting.

The Director must work in close consultation with various
campus and University offices as related to financial, payroll, human resources, academic and sponsored awards to collaborate and coordinate
the management of new systems and to ensure compliance with new policies and procedures.

The Director will continually
analyze processes, workflow, and distribution of duties for support staff to enhance efficiencies and outcomes and will assess strengths and
development needs of staff. The Director will mentor, coach, and ensure professional development opportunities and engage staff in a
collaborative problem-solving unit to ensure a high level of support to College faculty.

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

Manage the development
of the Colleges’ annual operating, restricted, endowment, and capital budgets, including:

• Preparing consolidated budgets which
  aggregate all College departments and operations;
• Developing and maintaining a budgeting system for the College
  leadership;
• Developing and ensuring adherence to timelines related to the budget process;
• Developing budget assumptions for
  use across College departments and programs;
• Participating in meetings with and preparing presentations and information for the
  Dean, and other related groups;
• Prepare detailed analyses of variances from budget at fiscal year-end and throughout the fiscal
  year. Work with other College and University constituents to determine the causes of significant variances and ways to address them. Develop
  financial and analytical systems for use by the college leadership;
• Obtain, analyze, and utilize information from internal and
  external sources as needed for the development of the budget. Sources may include other offices in the College, Provost Office, Financial
  Affairs, other University departments, and external sources such as vendors, financial advisors, auditors, and other colleges and
  universities.
• Support the Deans and departments in the implementation of sponsored research including communicating the availability
  of resources to Deans, Chairs and PIs and monitoring the use of College resources consistent with College and department objectives. Support
  Deans and department Chairs in the financial, budgetary and administrative approval of sponsored research activities. This includes
  evaluation of physical space needs and controls, personnel requirements, and other supporting resources. Monitor the impact of sponsored
  award activity on College and departmental budgets including approving of advanced spending, labor allocations, personnel actions, cost
  share commitments, deficits, and indirect cost returns.

Manage the development of projected financial results throughout the
fiscal year. Work with College staff and faculty, Provost Office personnel, and leadership to develop up-to-date financial projections in
support of the College’s Strategic Plan, as well as other ad hoc requests. Develop and maintain the College’s long-term planning model,
including long-range operating and capital budgets, balance sheets, and cash flow projections.

Serve as a primary
liaison and key point of contact to Human Resources, Office of Financial Affairs, Provost’s Office, Office of Grants & Contracts, and other
units in the University to administer and ensure compliance to related policies and work with college leadership team to implement responses
to issues of non-compliance. Develop reorganization and staffing proposals and manage the Salary Planner process. Provide oversight for all
College hiring processes and salary/internal equity matters. Supervise team members who provide financial, employment, operational and
administrative support to the College. Ensure a high level of service and support to faculty and staff across the
college.

Develop and recommend changes to College policies and procedures which relate to budget and operations
management.

Maintain and enhance budget analysis and reporting capabilities with regards to current and future ERP, CRM,
financial systems (e.g., Banner, Slate, and Cognos). Provide primary oversight to invoice, expense, purchase, and other financial
approvals.

Perform cost allocations and complex cost analyses (e.g., allocations of overhead costs to academic areas,
profitability studies reflecting fully-allocated costs, etc.), including the development of alternative methods for allocating
costs

Perform additional duties and assist with special projects as assigned.

Minimum
Qualifications

Master’s degree required.

In-depth knowledge of principles and practices related to budget
development and financial analysis, as well as familiarity with generally accepted accounting principles for not-for-profit higher education
organizations.

Minimum of 5-7 years of relevant financial management experience, preferably in a research active non-profit or higher
education environment, with progressive professional advancement.

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, in order 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; and,
• Ability to challenge ways of current
  operations/practices

Required communication skills:

• Superior ability to communicate information verbally and in
  writing; and,
• 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; and,
• Must be a
  self-starter who can follow through a project with minimal direction

Required leadership skills:

• Must be able
  to successfully lead a large organization, including multiple departments and individuals, through complex processes (e.g., budget
  development, development of financial projections) with multiple deadlines;
• Must be able to listen, negotiate, and successfully
  manage conflict associated with working in a team environment and in a large, complex organization; and,
• Must be able to establish
  and develop working relationships within a large, complex organization

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 (e.g. Ellucian Banner experience a plus).

The individual must have a deep commitment to the University’s
Catholic/Augustinian heritage, and the advancement of its mission, and to serving the needs of a diverse
community.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference for MBA or Masters in accounting or
finance.

Salary Posting Information

Commensurate with experience.