Associate Director of Financial Planning, Budget and Strategy

Job Description:

POSITION SUMMARY

This position oversees the institution's financial planning and analysis (FP&A) functions, serving as both a
strategic partner to executive leadership and a hands-on financial practitioner. This role stewards the
university's operating and capital budgets, guides resource allocation to support mission-aligned
priorities, and delivers forward-looking analyses that inform decision-making across academic and
administrative units. This is a hands-on role that designs and drives CIIS's financial planning framework;
leads annual and multi-year budgeting; develops operating and capital forecasts; builds and refines Key
Performance Indicators(KPIs); and delivers succinct, actionable analyses that enable data-driven decisions
aligned to CIIS priorities. This Associate Director also fosters financial literacy, accountability, and technology
adoption throughout the organization. There will be direct supervisory responsibility over other
personnel.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting

• Lead the annual budget cycle and monthly/quarterly reforecasting; ensure alignment of unit plans with institutional goals.
• Gather, validate, and consolidate budgetary and resource requirements; prepare trended requirements and multi-year operating forecasts (sources/uses, contribution margin, headcount, and salary modeling).
• Create, maintain, and publish KPIs, metrics, and benchmarks across entities, programs, and departments; develop dashboards for executive and Board reporting.
• Produce clear budget vs. actual variance analyses (monthly/quarterly/annual) with drivers, insights, and recommendations.

Strategic Analysis & Decision Support

• Perform complex modeling and scenario analysis (tuition/revenue, enrollment sensitivity, program P&Ls, pricing, grants/gifts/endowments, user fees, and capital projects).
• Exceptional analytical skills with demonstrated ability to interpret complex data, identify trends, and present insights through clear, well-designed charts, dashboards, and visual reports.
• Write business plans and financial cases for strategic initiatives; quantify ROI and risk; recommend allocation approaches.
• Provide concise executive briefings and "one-page" decision memos; facilitate tough, data grounded discussions.

Partnering, Training & Governance

• Serve as primary financial partner to budget managers: proactive outreach, office hours, and responsive support.
• Design and deliver training on forecasting, reports, and enterprise systems to strengthen financial literacy.
• Draft and socialize budget/financial policies, practices, and controls; advise on implications of proposed policies.

Reporting & Board Support

• Prepare accurate management reports for leadership and as needed for the Board of Trustees and committees.
• Create analytical studies and background materials on campus-wide resource topics and permanent budget management.

Data, Systems & Process Improvement

• Improve financial data flows and reporting processes; champion automation and integration between enterprise systems for centralized, reliable data.
• Define critical data elements, institute quality checks/audits, and maintain historical and consolidated datasets.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain compliance with policies and procedures.
• Maintain compliance with all state and federal laws and regulatory requirements.
• Engage in and with the CIIS Community events, programs, and other activities as available and appropriate (if remote, participate in virtual hosted activities).
• Perform other duties as required.

Requirements:

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND/ OR EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, economics, business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 7-10+ years of progressively responsible experience in financial planning & analysis, budgeting, and/or strategic finance (higher education or mission-driven nonprofit experience a plus).
• Demonstrated experience leading organization-wide budget cycles and developing multi-year forecasts and KPIs.
• Alternate pathway:
  Candidates with 10+ years (or 15+ years without a bachelor's) of directly related experience in strategic planning/financial analysis/accounting will be considered.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree (MBA, MPA, MSF) and/or professional certification (e.g., CPA, CMA) preferred.
• Expertise with Higher Education Enterprise Systems, such as Ellucian Colleague and Syntellis Axiom (or comparable ERP/EPM suites).
• Advanced Excel skills and strong proficiency in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
• Proven ability to communicate complex, technical information to non-finance audiences; excellent writing and presentation skills.
• Ability to respectfully challenge the status quo, influence senior leaders, facilitate candid debate, and drive consensus.
• Strong organizational skills; ability to prioritize and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment; high attention to detail.
• Experience designing financial training and job aids for budget managers.

PHYSICAL ABILITIES

This position requires…