Associate Vice President & University Controller, Financial Operations Boston, MA

Associate Vice President & University Controller, Financial Operations Posted Date

11/19/2025

Grade 00

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, training and internal pay comparison. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Full-Time/Regular

Reporting to the Vice President, Financial Operations, Boston University’s (BU) Associate Vice President & University Controller (Controller) is responsible for maintaining the accounting records of the University, providing accurate and timely financial reporting, ensuring the protection of university assets by establishing and maintaining adequate internal controls, and implementing cutting edge new technology and staying abreast of industry trends.

The Controller is responsible for providing overall leadership and direction of the accounting staff and operations of the University. This includes maintenance of the system of accounting records; production of related financial reports; and adherence to internal controls to mitigate risk, enhance accuracy of the University's financial position, and ensure compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and industry best practices as well as generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) standards, and state/federal requirements.

The Controller oversees over 65 staff members across several departments including Student Financial Services, Financial Accounting & Reporting, Tax Services, Payroll Services, Research Financial Operations, and Property Management.

Lastly, the Controller is responsible for internal and external financial reporting and regularly supports reporting to the Board of Trustees and relevant Board committees. This includes but is not limited to annual audited financial statements, managing external auditors, IPEDS reporting, and compilation of the University’s fringe and indirect cost proposals.

Major duties of this position include:

• Responsible for staff development, including assisting managers as they formulate the development plans for their teams. Direct reports include:
  • Associate Controller, Payroll Services
  • Assistant Vice President of Student Financial Services (SFS) who oversees Student Customer Service, Cashier Services, and Student Loans & Collections.
  • Assistant Vice President of Financial Accounting & Reporting and Tax Services
  • Associate Controller of Research Financial Operations, including Grant and Miscellaneous Receivables, and Property Management
• Design, establish, and maintain an organizational structure and staffing to effectively accomplish organizational goals and objectives; recruit, employ, train, supervise, and evaluate personnel staff.
• Review month-end close reporting to university leadership and prepare monthly board committee presentations based on University’s financial performance. Prepare routine and ad hoc financial analysis and reports for senior leadership.
• Oversee the preparation of university’s consolidated financial statements including footnotes and preceding Management Discussion & Analysis (MD&A) in accordance with GAAP. Serve as a liaison with the University's external auditors and is responsible for leading all external financial audits (Financial Statement, Uniform Guidance, NCAA, UFR, and others as needed). Serve as staff to Board of Trustee’s Audit Committee.
• Responsible for establishing an internal control environment related to financial information and the accounting for the University's assets.
• Act as committee member for various subsidiaries, related parties, task forces, and working groups collaborating with internal and external partners.

Required Skills:

• CPA qualified and master’s degree (MBA, MSA or its equivalent).
• 12+ years of experience in financial accounting management, preferably public accounting within an institution of higher education, of which the last five (5) years have been in a supervisory or…