"Chief Operations & Financial Officer"

Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) has built a global reputation based on its immersive and innovative management programs. We provide students a transformative leadership experience, pushing the boundaries of knowledge with faculty research, and offering a portfolio of entrepreneurial and non-degree programs that deliver global impact. We invite you to be part of our mission of developing innovative, principled, and insightful leaders who change lives, change organizations, and change the world.

The Office of the Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) seeks an exceptional leader to serve as the Chief Operations & Financial Officer, the school's principal advisor to the Dean on all financial and administrative matters.

This role provides strategic leadership for the school's infrastructure and administrative functions, ensuring that financial, human, and physical resources are aligned with the GSB's mission of developing innovative, principled, and insightful leaders who change the world. Reporting directly to the Dean, the Chief Operations & Financial Officer oversees a team of more than 120 employees and works closely with senior leaders across Stanford University. This is an especially exciting moment to join the GSB as it celebrates its centennial and welcomes newly appointed leadership committed to shaping the next decade and beyond.

In addition to overseeing the school's operational enterprise, the Chief Operations & Financial Officer serves as fiduciary for the Stanford GSB Business School Trust, which oversees a diversified portfolio of early-stage and growth investments, guiding long-term strategies that sustain the school's excellence and global impact.

Your primary responsibilities* include:

Institutional Leadership & Administration

• Serve as the chief steward of the school's operations, providing strategic and operational leadership across finance, human resources, facilities, information technology, faculty support, and compliance. Lead six senior functional heads to ensure alignment, accountability, and excellence across all administrative areas.
• Oversee the school's financial and budgetary health, including long-range financial planning, consolidated budget development, capital planning, and endowment and reserve management. Ensure strong financial controls, transparent reporting, and effective forecasting to sustain the school's mission and strategic priorities.
• Direct the administrative and organizational infrastructure that supports teaching, research, and community life, including HR operations, performance management, and staff development while championing continuous improvement, service excellence, and a culture of collaboration and accountability.
• Lead the planning, development, and maintenance of the school's physical and digital environments, including facilities, safety programs, emergency preparedness, and technology systems. Oversee capital projects, space utilization and continuity of business operations to support a safe, sustainable, and innovative campus.
• Partner with faculty and academic administration to ensure classroom, research, and office support needs are met efficiently and effectively.
• Represent the GSB in university-wide policy, planning, and operational forums, collaborating with senior university leaders to shape institution-wide administrative initiatives and share best practices.

Fiduciary & Investment Stewardship

• Serve as fiduciary for the Stanford GSB Business School Trust, ensuring its investments, programs and distributions advance the school's long-term priorities and financial sustainability.
• Oversee the Trust's investment portfolio, including early-stage and growth company holdings, in partnership with external managers, trustees, and advisors.
• Provide financial oversight for special programs and initiatives supported by Trust investments, ensuring prudent risk management, transparency, and compliance.

*The above statements reflect the general nature and level of work; they are not an exhaustive list of duties.

To be successful in this position, you will bring:

• Bachelor's degree and ten years of relevant experience in administrative, operational and financial management or combination of education and relevant experience.
• Mastery across financial stewardship, operational leadership, and investment oversight, with the financial expertise as the essential foundation for this role.
• Advanced financial expertise in budget planning, accounting, forecasting, and capital management.
• Proven operational leadership experience managing complex, multi-disciplinary administrative functions, with the ability to drive alignment, service excellence, and organizational effectiveness at scale.
• Demonstrated excellence in strategic leadership, organizational management, and financial stewardship.
• High level of diplomacy in influencing and aligning stakeholders across a complex, matrixed organization.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and alignment at all levels.
• Strong analytical rigor, organizational skill, and attention to detail.
• Broad understanding of information technology systems and infrastructure.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build collaborative relationships with faculty and anticipate evolving academic needs.

In addition, preferred requirements include:

• Advanced degree (MBA or equivalent) strongly preferred.
• Experience spanning private, public, or nonprofit sectors, ideally with exposure to higher education or mission-driven organizations.
• Familiarity with endowment or trust management and investment governance.
• Passion for the mission of higher education and the transformational impact of the Stanford GSB.

The expected pay range for this position is $400,000 to $480,000 per year.

Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs.

At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website provides detailed information on Stanford's extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position may be discussed during the hiring process.

How to Apply

We invite you to apply for this position by clicking on the "Apply for Job" button. To be considered, please submit a cover letter and resume along with your online application.