Assistant VP, Financial Planning & Analysis

Job Summary

Reporting to the Vice President for Business and Finance, the Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Budgeting and Financial Planning & Analysis is responsible for leading the overall financial planning and ongoing budget management processes university-wide. This role manages three finance verticals, including Budgeting Headquarters, Auxiliaries Finance, and Administrative & Institutional Support. The AVP leads the annual and long-range budget planning framework, including processes, tools, and insights, to support executive leadership decision making, including the annual budget hearing process in which the strategic plan is presented to the Chancellor and the leadership team for the University System of Georgia. The AVP develops and maintains streamlined, cost efficient, value-added budget management processes to ensure the university can timely and effectively monitor, forecast and prioritize in-year budgets to meet USG and stakeholder commitments, and delivers required budget reporting to stakeholders, including USG/BOR/UWG. Functions of this role include adherence to USG/BOR/University internal controls and financial reporting policies and procedures applicable to budgeting.

Responsibilities

1. Strategic Budget Leadership & Planning: Lead the annual and long-range budget planning framework, including processes, tools, and analytical insights, to support executive leadership decision making. Serve as a trusted partner to campus leaders to prioritize spend in support of the mission of the University. Budget Hearing & Annual Budget Development Lead the annual budget hearing process to collect, analyze, and explain financial and student performance trends and recommended future plans for executive and system-level review. Lead the annual budget development process to ensure submissions to the University System of Georgia are delivered timely, comprehensively, and accurately.
2. In-Year Budget Monitoring & Reporting: Ensure there is an effective budget policy and process framework to efficiently manage budgets across the University, including forecasting in year risks and opportunities versus plan and supporting reallocations as needed. Provide timely and accurate budget reporting and variance analysis for internal and external stakeholders. Budget Systems Strategy, Data Governance & Reporting Serve as the University’s functional lead for Workday Adaptive Planning, ensuring the platform effectively supports annual budget development, quarterly budget/actuals reporting, forecasting, scenario analysis, and executive dashboards. Oversee the design and evolution of budget models, reporting hierarchies, and planning templates to align with institutional needs and USG reporting requirements. Establish governance practices for budgeting and planning data (definitions, standards, and validation), partnering with campus stakeholders to promote consistent reporting and reduce reconciliation effort.
3. Financial Analysis & Business Insights: Continuously assess and elevate business insights on revenue and expenses to provide outstanding decision support to the leadership team and broader campus partners. Ensure budget teams are supported in business systems and tools that are effective in delivering needed insights.
4. People, Performance & Organizational Leadership: Run performance management processes to ensure objectives are set and reviewed, and develop recommendations for business continuity, including succession planning for key roles. Support associates in capability development.

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements

Bachelor's Degree

Required Experience

Bachelor's degree in a relevant business discipline (e.g. Finance, Accounting, Management) from a regionally accredited institution. Experience Five to ten years of experience in a similar role or equivalent experience in FP&A and budgeting.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred Educational Qualifications

Master's Degree

Preferred Experience

Preferred Qualifications MBA, MPA or CPA. Experience in Higher Education and, specifically, the University System of Georgia; Experience supporting Academic Affairs.

Proposed Salary

$145,000-$160,000 Annually. Paid on a Monthly Basis.

ABILITIES

Ability to provide thought leadership on the evolution of financial planning and analysis responsibilities and interactions university-wide, including enhanced revenue planning, productivity tracking, business performance tracking, and auxiliary reporting.

KNOWLEDGE

Demonstrated ability to ensure adherence to USG/BOR/University internal controls and financial reporting policies and procedures applicable to budgeting.

SKILLS

Ability to establish and maintain enterprise-level controls to effectively plan, monitor, and forecast in-year and multi-year budgets. Significant errors or omissions may result in material over- or under-spending, or losses due to poor business decisions, with serious ramifications for the University and stakeholders.

Office Environment - Work normally performed in a typical interior work environment.