Cost management and containment . Create transparent
cost-center reporting, identify cost drivers, and develop
actionable savings and productivity initiatives involving
workforce, procurement, vendors, processes, technology, facilities,
and shared services.
Program economics and investment discipline. Develop
contribution-margin, unit-cost, capacity, and portfolio analyses
and evaluate strategic initiatives using market, revenue, cost,
risk, break-even, payback, and return-on- investment measures.
Forecasting and scenario planning. Build driver-based
forecasts and sensitivity analyses for enrollment, net tuition
revenue, compensation, benefits, auxiliaries, research, and major
operating expenses, and make recommendations on emerging financial
risks & opportunities.
Budget and hybrid RCM support. Provide the Chief Budget
Officer with analytical models, forecasts, performance metrics, and
recommendations that strengthen institutional budgeting,
accountability, and the College’s hybrid RCM framework.
Performance management. Deliver executive dashboards,
variance analyses, and operating reviews that explain what changed,
why it changed, and what actions are required.
AI-enabled finance and analytics. Lead responsible use
of predictive analytics, generative AI, automation, anomaly
detection, and business intelligence with strong standards for data
quality, validation, explainability, privacy, security, and human
review.
Initial Priorities:
- Establish standardized revenue-center and cost-center
dashboards and operating reviews.
- Build an integrated enrollment, financial-aid, and net tuition
revenue forecasting model.
- Develop a College-wide cost-containment and productivity
pipeline with accountable owners and measurable results.
- Implement a practical roadmap and governance framework for
AI-enabled FP&A and reporting.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, business
administration, data analytics, or a related field.
- At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in
FP&A, strategic finance, corporate finance, management
consulting, higher education finance, or a related discipline.
- Demonstrated success in revenue analysis, cost analysis,
financial modeling, forecasting, scenario planning, performance
reporting, and business-case development.
- Experience partnering with senior executives and operating
leaders in a complex, fast-moving, matrixed organization.
- Advanced proficiency with ERP, planning and forecasting,
business-intelligence, data-visualization, and financial-modeling
tools, including experience applying AI or advanced analytics to
decision support.
- Exceptional communication, judgment, integrity, collaboration,
and change-leadership skills.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including financial
modeling, forecasting, scenario analysis, and data
reconciliation.
- Experience with enterprise financial and ERP systems; Jenzabar
One or a comparable higher-education system preferred.
- Proficiency with business-intelligence and data-visualization
tools, such as Microsoft Power BI or Tableau.
- Ability to integrate and analyze financial, enrollment,
payroll, human-resources, and operational data.
- Familiarity with SQL, database querying, and budgeting or
enterprise-performance-management platforms preferred.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in business administration, finance,
accounting, analytics, or a related field; CPA, CFA, CMA, or
another relevant credential.
- Financial leadership experience in higher education or another
complex, mission-driven, multi-unit organization.
- Experience with responsibility-centered management, academic
program economics, unit costing, or activity-based costing.
- Experience implementing or enhancing enterprise planning,
data-warehouse, business-intelligence, or AI-enabled finance
capabilities.
Leadership Profile
The successful candidate will be
strategically minded, analytically rigorous, entrepreneurial, and
able to constructively challenge assumptions. The AVP will
translate complex information into practical decisions, build trust
across the College, and balance growth, affordability, academic
quality, student success, and long-term financial
sustainability.
Application Materials Should Include:
- Resume
- Cover letter stating motivation and interest in the position,
citing experience relevant to the qualifications and including
experience with, and commitment to, our Catholic Augustinian
mission and our values.
This position is subject to the successful completion of a criminal
background check.
Working Conditions
This is an on-campus position as
employees are essential in order to provide a fully on-campus,
residential college experience for our students and the
community.
Statement on Our Mission
|Merrimack College is a
Catholic Augustinian institution of higher education committed to
building an accepting and respectful community. Our mission is to
enlighten minds, engage hearts and empower lives and is inspired by
our Catholic faith and the Augustinian tradition of seeking truth
through inquiry and dialogue.
Merrimack College seeks candidates who understand, respect, and can
contribute to Merrimack’s Catholic and Augustinian mission. All
candidates should describe in their application how they will
foster a culture that supports our mission.
About Merrimack College
The only Catholic, Augustinian
institution of higher education in New England, Merrimack College
is a private, independent, coeducational institution with more than
4,000 undergraduate and 1,900 graduate students from 46 states and
45 countries. The College features more than 160 career-focused
academic programs in science, engineering, business, nursing,
health sciences, education, social sciences and humanities across
undergraduate, professional and graduate programs, all taught by
exceptional faculty who are passionate about their subject and
student success. The College has six schools: arts and sciences,
engineering and computational sciences, nursing and health
sciences, education and social policy, the Girard school of
business, and the Graduate School of counseling and social work.
The College’s suburban 220-acre campus is just north of Boston in
North Andover, Massachusetts. Merrimack is a Master’s Colleges and
Universities/Larger Programs (M1) institution in the Carnegie
Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Merrimack is
one of the fastest-growing educational institutions in the country
and has steadily climbed up in the U.S. News & World Report’s
ranking of Best Colleges, ranking 37th in the Regional Universities
North category in 2025. Merrimack is a NCAA Division I athletic
institution.
Merrimack College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Salary Range: $180,000
- $195,000
