Responsibilities
- Leads the development, implementation, and monitoring of operating budget targets for major academic and auxiliary units, including many units surpassing $100M, while ensuring alignment with University-wide budgetary priorities
- Leads the University’s non-recurring operating budget process, resulting in the development and monitoring of budgets totaling more than $100M
- Manages a team of financial administrators, providing leadership, guidance, and professional development opportunities that ensure the provision of critical analytical and budgetary support to decision-makers in academic, support, and executive units
- Convenes senior administrators across units to ensure a shared understanding of budget variances and implements revenue enhancement or cost containment strategies
- Develops, interprets, and implements highly complex financial/accounting concepts and advanced techniques for financial planning and forecasting
- Develops, implements, and enforces robust standard operating procedures for annual and monthly budget processes to ensure consistency and accuracy across the University
- Promotes a continuous improvement culture to identify and improve process efficiency and effectiveness
- Performs business case analyses and provides quantitative modeling support for various financial management projects in the Budget Office and in the Office of the Provost
- Prepares presentations to convey financial and administrative matters to University leadership, including the President, Provost, Board of Trustees, and members of the University community
- Creates financial models for consumption by University leadership, including the President and Provost, that employ scenario analysis for future University planning and budgeting decisions
- Develops and implements metrics and methodologies toolkits for evaluating financial performance for both the University and specific administrative and academic units
- Collaborates with senior management and stakeholders across the University to gather, analyze, summarize, and prepare strategic recommendations regarding financial plans, operating forecasts, and other complex financial matters
- Works closely with information technology staff to coordinate and lead improvements on enterprise-wide budgeting and financial reporting systems and tools, ensuring they meet the evolving needs of the University
- Coordinates analytical support for complex budget projects
- Analyzes budget estimates and proposals for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with established procedures, regulations, and organizational objectives
- Reports on variances between the approved budget and actual performance, and recommends revised procedures
- Serves as the primary point of contact and subject matter expert for the Internal Award and Discretionary Fund processes in Oracle, which collectively amounts to more than $500M in total funds managed
- Manages the budget professional staff
- Develops performance goals, allocates resources and assesses policies for direct subordinates
- May develop or assist in the development of a long-term financial plan integrated with the budget process
- Develops strategies to proactively address issues or problems with financial results and insure balanced operations
- Manages development and administration of the annual budget and financial performance, from a systems as well as procedural/process standpoint
- Manages communications with internal offices and departments, external constituencies, and within the University
- Performs other related work as needed
Requirements
- Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field
- Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline
Nice to Have
- Master’s degree in related fields
- Five years of relevant experience managing budget development and execution
- Higher education experience
- Familiarity with financial software and tools, particularly Oracle modules
- Work with IT staff to enhance budgeting and reporting systems
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills, financial computing, and database software applications, with an emphasis on their integration with financial platforms
Benefits
- health
- retirement
- paid time off
Work Arrangement
Hybrid
Additional Information
- This role may be hybrid with the expectation of 2-3 days per week on campus
- The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law
- All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history
- The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information
