"Assistant Director of Finance"

Assistant Director of Finance

Req ID: 139454
Location: Irvine, California
Division: Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sci
Department: Pharmacy & Pharm Sci Admin
Position Type: Full Time
Salary Range Minimum: USD $88,000.00/Yr.
Salary Range Maximum: USD $161,600.00/Yr.

Who We Are

Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide.

To learn more about UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.

The UC Irvine School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is the first public pharmacy school in the Los Angeles-Orange County region. Its faculty and programs span a continuum from discovery, development, and delivery of new drugs, devices, and diagnostics all the way to optimizing medication therapy in patients and patient populations. The school offers a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences, MS in Pharmacology, PhD in Pharmacological Sciences, and a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD). https://pharmsci.uci.edu

As part of the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, the school actively collaborates with schools in medicine, nursing, and population and public health, and the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute to educate, train, and mentor the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists and clinical pharmacists. The school's mission is to be a driving force for advancing health and wellness of individuals and society.

Your Role on the Team

This position is responsible for supervising the day-to-day operations of the school's finance team, including financial services (such as purchasing and reimbursements), financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting.

The role oversees and actively participates in complex financial projects and prepares reports for school leadership and external agencies to support timely, data-informed decisions and sound financial outcomes.

The position works closely with faculty, staff, and department managers, providing guidance in accordance with university policies and procedures. This role does supervise Contracts and Grants (C&G) analysts, and it requires working knowledge of sponsored project finances and ongoing collaboration with C&G staff to ensure grant activity is accurately reflected in schoolwide financial reports, forecasts, and compliance reporting.

The Assistant Director develops or recommends policies and processes to maintain strong internal controls and improve efficiency. The role selects, trains, and evaluates finance personnel to support a high-performing and service-oriented team. The incumbent receives assignments in the form of objectives and is expected to determine methods to achieve them.

The ideal candidate brings strong experience in finance, budgeting, and financial planning, along with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

What It Takes to be Successful

Required:

• Extensive knowledge of budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, and university finance policies, procedures, and systems.
• Strong understanding of financial planning, resource allocation, forecasting, and budget control in an academic or public institution.
• Ability to prepare, interpret, and present financial reports and analysis to leadership, faculty, and external stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to convey complex financial information clearly.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and financial database/reporting tools; ability to build models, dashboards, and data analyses.
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, executives, and campus partners.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise, lead, and develop staff; manage changing priorities and delegate effectively.
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities with attention to accuracy and deadlines.
• Client service-oriented with strong judgment, active listening, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to analyze information, reason logically, and make sound decisions or policy recommendations.
• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in finance, accounting, budgeting, or financial analysis.

Preferred:

• Knowledge of internal controls and their application in safeguarding financial resources.
• Experience with higher education or academic unit budgeting, finance operations, or sponsored research financial practices.

Special Conditions:

• Prior supervisory experience required.

Total Rewards

In addition to the salary range listed below, we offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.