"Associate Vice President for Finance"

Associate Vice President for Finance

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts

Category: Administrative Vice Presidents

Type: Full-Time

THE SEARCH

Williams College (Williams), a private liberal arts college and the second-oldest institution of higher education in Massachusetts, seeks an Associate Vice President for Finance (AVPF) to provide leadership and oversight of Williams’ financial and business operations. The AVPF reports to the Vice President for Finance and Operations, Treasurer, serves as a key member of the financial leadership team, partners closely with leaders and departments across the college, and liaises with the Audit and Budget and Finance Committees of the Board of Trustees. The AVPF will play a critical role in advancing several key strategic priorities and ensuring the college is strongly positioned to navigate coming changes in the higher education landscape.

Through a collaborative approach, clear communication, and strategic leadership, the AVPF will partner with stakeholders throughout the campus community to support Williams’ mission. The AVPF will lead the 20-person Finance Office, overseeing the core functions of budgeting and financial planning, accounting (including tax) and financial reporting, payroll, financial systems, cash management and treasury, procurement, and risk management and insurance. The AVPF will serve as an important partner on decision support for budgeting, financial planning, and capital allocation and debt strategy, while also maintaining a strong and efficient financial control environment supported by effective policies, robust financial systems, and excellent customer service.

The AVPF will oversee an operating budget of approximately $300 million and provide support for endowment spending, managed by Williams’ investment office, which stood at $3.7 billion at the end of FY2024. They will also lead long range planning and capital and debt planning, providing data and analysis needed to support critical decision-making. Leveraging strong change management skills and in close partnership with leaders and departments across Williams, the AVPF will serve as a key partner in the optimization of the college’s recently implemented Workday Finance and HR systems. The AVPF will possess a deep background in capital planning and cash and debt management to support capital projects that will enrich Williams’ cocurricular experience, campus infrastructure, and sustainability. As the leader of the Enterprise Risk Management committee, the AVPF will build a culture around risk identification and mitigation, while bringing a fresh perspective to Williams’ procurement and insurance functions.

As the manager of a large and varied portfolio, the AVPF will support and develop staff, modeling a culture of service and empowering staff to move initiatives forward. The AVPF will be a vital and visible member of the Williams community, possessing the interpersonal skills to connect and collaborate with a wide range of constituents. They will bring a deep appreciation of Williams’ academic mission and an understanding of how finance and business functions support and sustain teaching, learning, research, financial aid, and the student experience.

Pay for this position starts at $240,000, commensurate with experience. The role is based on Williams’ campus in Williamstown, MA.

Williams College has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in conducting this important search and to help identify outstanding candidates. All inquiries, applications and nominations for this opportunity should be directed to the search firm as indicated below

Dan Rodas, Partner

Amble Ryan, Managing Associate

Seema Khan, Senior Search Coordinator

Isaacson, Miller

https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/williams-college/associate-vice-president-finance