Chief Financial Officer & Senior Associate Athletics Director, Intercollegiate Athletics (0213U) 85

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Departmental Overview

The Intercollegiate Athletics Chief Financial Officer (Athletics CFO) has a dual reporting role, reporting to both the Campus/Central Finance as well as the Athletics executives. This is an opportunity for a strong leader to advise executives in both areas as well as the Chancellor's Office. The Vice Chancellor for Finance & Chief Financial Officer (VC Finance) and the Co-Athletic Directors are committed to partnering with each other to manage the Athletics budget, within the broader lens of the campus budget, and to set Athletics on a path to a sustainable financial future.

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics consists of more than 300 staff members and coaches; and sponsors 30 varsity sports programs, with a budget of approximately $200 million annually. These 30 programs include more than 850 student-athletes who participate in the sports programs primarily within the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Cal Athletics is committed to the holistic student-athlete experience - with a focus on success in competition, in the classroom and in the community. The department's legacy of success includes 105 national championships, 246 Olympic medals, high graduation rates and unique and elite resources such as the Cameron Institute for Student-Athlete Development, the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Justice and the Athletic Study Center.

The Division of Finance provides effective financial, analytical, and administrative management to our campus partners. The division includes Financial Planning & Analysis, the Controller's Office, Capital Finance, University Business Partnerships & Services, and the Immediate Office. Together, these teams oversee university financial services and controls, lead an integrated approach to planning and development, and provide accurate and timely information and analyses to inform campus decision-making in service of UC Berkeley's mission of teaching, research, and public service. Finance also serves in an advisory capacity, working closely with the Chancellor and Provost to advance strategic financial priorities and partnering with the schools, colleges, and administrative divisions to provide financial direction.

Position Overview

The Athletics CFO will be chiefly responsible for providing strategic financial leadership to Intercollegiate Athletics and serving as a C-suite liaison to multiple campus partners (Office of Legal Affairs, Chancellor's Office, Provost's Office, Capital Strategies, Academic Senate and Faculty Subcommittees focused on Athletics), as well as the department lead for various Department and Campus initiatives (outside consultants, peer reviews, etc.). This person will serve on the Intercollegiate Athletics Director's Cabinet and oversee all financial departmental functions. They will also serve on the VC Finance's leadership team, which drives the connection between campus and divisional priorities.

This position leads the development of a multi-year financial sustainability plan for Intercollegiate Athletics. As the landscape of higher education is evolving, the future of collegiate NCAA Division I Power 4 athletic programs is changing as well. The next Athletics CFO will need to be a dynamic leader who will be flexible and responsive within rapid changes. They will bring an understanding of the current environment and needs, as well as expertly advise on, anticipate, and plan for the road ahead for higher education and collegiate athletics. The position will be responsible for developing a financial model that will emphasize long term revenue maximization of Football and Basketball, monetize assets, and leverage capital with out of the box thinking, while balancing the need for keen expense control insights. The role will oversee a team in managing the budget, so a priority for the next CFO will be multi-directional leadership: provide vision, long term analysis and thinking, and mentorship to their team; provide creativity, storytelling, comprehensive solutions, and executive advising to the leadership in Athletics and Finance; and provide clarity, understanding, collaboration, and excellent facilitation to key stakeholders.

This role oversees the divisional financial resources on a multi-disciplinary basis, with insight into all funds, including core funds, endowed gift funds, capital budgets, revenue, awards and grants. This position leads the development, interpretation, and implementation of financial concepts for financial planning, resource planning (dollars), and control of the department's budget. They analyze and prepare recommendations for financial plans, including annual resource allocations, future requirements, and operating forecasts. They have a fiduciary responsibility to keep the entire Athletics division on budget, drive their budget strategy, and coordinate between the VCF-CFO and the Athletics Director's Cabinet. This role liaises with the VCF-CFO, the co-athletic directors, campus leadership, the athletic department's chief operating officer, the general manager for football, the coaches, and the donors as appropriate. They must also maintain strategic relationships with University Donor and Alumni Relations, Capital Strategies, and Student Affairs.

The next Athletics CFO will be a dynamic financial storyteller and skilled communicator, able to distill complicated financial matters into easily digestible communications for a variety of audiences. The Athletics budget is of great interest to many stakeholders, and as a public entity we have a responsibility to be transparent, particularly in a time of such change.

This position also involves developing, promoting, and supporting the operational and strategic aspects of intercollegiate student-athlete programs, including financial planning, budget administration, revenue accounting and analytics, and accounting. This role directs business operations, financial forecasting, and other administrative functions. The role participates with other senior managers to establish strategic plans and objectives.

Application Review Date

Application review will begin on April 21, 2026. The position will be open until filled.

Responsibilities

Financial Leadership:

• Leads development and oversight of the Athletics financial sustainability plan and strategic financial multi-year outlook, including the creation of executive or detailed level reports specific to the global Athletics budget, sport specific budgets, fundraising tracking, forecasting, etc.
• Maintains the integrity of the organization's budget, forecast, reporting and tracking systems through supervision and oversight of budget and fiscal staff and protocols; functions as chief budget liaison for resource allocations. Is responsible for in-year budget management of all funds.
• Analyzes funding issues, resource allocations, and funding models. Oversees gifts made to support Intercollegiate Athletics (IA) specific endeavors, spending, capital projects, and endowment analysis.

Strategic & Executive Advising & Partnership:

• Identifies strategic goals and makes recommendations on financial milestones. Creates and manages the financial plan for the Athletics division, gaining buy-in from the Chancellor and Provost.
• Serves as a senior-level thought partner to the VCF-CFO, CO-Athletics Directors, and the Football GM.
• Engages with senior management or executive levels on matters concerning several functional areas, units, and customers.
• Interacts and communicates with coaches, administrative personnel, and Athletics staff.
• Works with VCF, Co-ADs and others on new, strategic, revenue generating, cost cutting or financial controls initiatives.

Communication:

• Drives the financial narrative for Athletics and is able to present a clear financial picture and purpose to audiences at varying levels of financial expertise and intercollegiate athletics knowledge.
• Helps respond to internal and external inquiries regarding the athletics budget.

Functional Management:

• Manages the Business and Finance unit within Athletics, which includes managers and personnel that work with the Athletics teams, including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Financial Data Analytics, Procurement, Budgeting, Reporting, Forecasting, and Planning and Analysis.
• Develops, modifies, and executes appropriate internal controls to protect university resources.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated financial leadership skills with the ability to think creatively, tell clear and compelling stories using financial data, advise and work with diverse executive-level stakeholders, plan short and long term, and implement initiatives with broad impact in complex environments.
• A thorough understanding of financial modeling and the ability to create and maintain complex financial models.
• Working knowledge of accounting principles, including profit and loss statements and balance sheets.
• Public finance knowledge; excellent skills in financial analysis, budgeting and reporting techniques, fund accounting, human resource planning, payroll analysis, accounting and bookkeeping.
• Strong ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing. Demonstrated ability to articulate complex concepts to groups at multiple levels.
• Demonstrated interpersonal and collaboration skills and ability to work effectively across the organization at all levels; ability to interact with diverse populations. Must have the ability to represent multiple stakeholder groups successfully, create consensus, and manage diverse needs with a high level of autonomy.
• Proven track record of managing staff and leading units to achieve measurable goals.
• Client services oriented; good listening, critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize with a high level of autonomy.
• Ability to evaluate processes to establish and maintain appropriate accountability structures and strong internal control elements.
• Advanced skills with relevant office and accounting software.
• Required undergraduate degree in a related field and/or equivalent experience & training.
• Must develop and maintain current knowledge of applicable rules and standards of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), as well as other associations and agencies to which the Berkeley campus of the University of California adheres, and, at all times, avoid any violations of these rules and standards.

Preferred Qualifications

• Public finance experience, preferably in professional sports, media & entertainment, higher education, NCAA athletics, arts & culture, and/or other sectors with diverse and complex funding sources and budgets, including revenue.
• Experience with non-traditional funding sources; VC, P3, revenue share models, etc.
• Advanced degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience or training.
• Expertise in accounting and financial management at a similar level of complexity and responsibility in a complex, decentralized organization.
• Advanced knowledge of the intercollegiate athletics function within a higher education setting, the changing landscape of college athletics and the demands it has on expenses and revenues.
• Experience in or knowledge of sports media and/or revenue.

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $215,000 - $265,000.

The full range associated with the job classifcation is $138,200 - $271,200.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

This search is being supported by Berkeley Executive Search (BES).