Chief Financial Officer

The Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences (Batten) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) seeks a seasoned, mission-driven, and collaborative Chief Financial Officer (CFO) who is both a strategic leader and a people-centered partner. Reporting to the Dean of William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences and Director, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the CFO will guide the organization’s financial stewardship in support of its research, education, and advisory service mission.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is an executive-level position reporting directly to the Dean & Director and is a member of the executive leadership team. The CFO serves as the chief advisor to the Dean & Director regarding all financial matters of the Batten School & VIMS by providing leadership and rendering financial decisions through authority delegated by the Dean & Director.

Among other responsibilities, the CFO will formulate and execute strategic financial and operational plans in concert with organizational leadership; establish a financial culture grounded in service to the missions of Batten & VIMS and its community members; modernize, expand, and grow the financial function of the organization to meet the needs of an organization steeped in innovation and growth; employ a service leadership mindset in leading and developing a team of dedicated financial professionals; develop, disseminate, and enforce sound and effective financial policies and procedures; develop and submit organizational operating and capital outlay budget requests to the governor and general assembly for consideration; cultivate and maintain strong professional relationships as the liaison to William & Mary central finance and administrative offices; and actively engage in William & Mary Board of Visitors meetings and VIMS Foundation Board meetings.

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned and confident financial professional with experience in the field of higher education. They will be a mission-driven leader who is inspired by the organization’s purpose, motivated to align financial strategy in direct support of research, education, and advisory service outcomes.

The successful candidate will possess a bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, or other relevant field, with specialized expertise and significant experience directly related to the position, along with substantive years of progressively responsible strategic leadership experience overseeing financial and administrative functions within a university setting. A master’s degree and knowledge of state and federal regulations governing higher-education institutions are preferred.