Job Summary
The College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Colorado
Boulder is inviting applications for The Director of Budget
position! This role serves as a pivotal leader within the Budget
Office, primarily responsible for comprehensive financial
management, central-initiative planning, and fiscal oversight. This
position involves leading budget operations, conducting in-depth
financial analysis, and providing strategic support to ensure the
University's financial health and alignment with its goals. The
Director will collaborate with various collaborators across the
university and throughout the college to support data-driven
decision-making and process improvements.
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all
applicable federal, state, and local laws governing
nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a
workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and
dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to
apply, including protected veterans and individuals with
disabilities.
Who We Are
The College of Arts and Sciences at CU Boulder is the intellectual
core of the university, conducting research, scholarship, creative
work and education in more than 60 fields. Our research generates
new knowledge, solving some of the world’s most critical
problems.
The college leads nationally in undergraduate and graduate
education in the natural sciences, social sciences and arts and
humanities, bringing world-class research and scholarship to our
students, both in and out of the classroom.
What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be
Responsibilities will require a deep understanding of University
policies and standard processes in order to build financial
mechanics and processes in alignment with College and Divisional
goals. As a member of the Central College Budget Office, this
position reports up through the Dean of the College and provides
priority support for this role and associated budget office needs.
Consistent with the Budget Office's matrix reporting structure, a
Director of Budget’s portfolio may evolve over time to support
changing College priorities, organizational needs, and operational
requirements. This includes but is not limited to the job duties
below:
Leadership and Collaboration
- Lead and train department business managers with a dotted line
structure based on budget and finance duties. Includes onboarding
and ongoing support for college’s finance practices, Anaplan entry
requirements, cyclical programs and activities (Teaching Plans,
Fiscal Year-End, Summer Session, Merit, etc.)
Provide expertise in University and College finance systems
with ability to guide and lead departments in how to use systems
correctly for college needs and requirements.
As a representative and guide of the college’s budget office,
attend and participate in divisional and college leadership
meetings, budget office meetings, and campus working groups.
Meet regularly with assigned college and divisional leadership
to review finances, hiring plans, and all division budget
matters.
Partner with dean of division on any necessary financial
reporting required by dean of the college.
Collaborate and provide support to other Central College teams
(HR, COMMS, Infrastructure, etc.) regarding Anaplan, financially
adjacent implementations, and any other budget-related items that
were previously handled by the Budget Office as needed.
Analytics
- Be responsible for the creation, updating, training, and
guidance annually on the division’s Billboard report.
- Provide divisional specific analytical support (financial
planning and analysis) to aid leadership in creating balanced
scorecards or key performance metrics; these metrics should align
with the Dean of the college strategic key performance
indicators.
- Serve as primary financial advisor to dean of division,
recommending budgetary decisions, budget-request processes, and
policy development.
- Provide adaptable support for the budget office by learning and
implementing new and complex reporting systems that include the
college’s Vault system, CU-Data, Anaplan, Tableau, Power BI,
SharePoint, etc.
Fiscal Oversight
- Create and maintain optimal organizational tree structure and
corresponding conventions including new SpeedTypes and orgs that
allow efficient and transparent resource reporting.
- Determine creative strategies that allow deans to optimize
resource utilization (all funds).
- Run division or college led programs and initiatives including
oversight of associated transfers and creation of budget systems
for Summer Session, operating algorithm, $XQK, etc.
- Responsible for fiscal oversight, conventions, and management
of all funds including the development and implementation of budget
mechanics to administer programs and initiatives in accordance with
college leadership’s vision, campus policies, and Anaplan
requirements.
- Own the creation and annual implementation of the Teaching Plan
in assigned division including review for entry errors and
oversight of associated budget adjustments.
- Serve as division contact for annual commitments made in
division, from the VCAA, college, and other campus units. Provide
guidance on budget and processing requirements and coordinate
transfer and reconciliation of associated budgets.
Reporting
- Build, update, and maintain Divisional Dashboard and other
custom reports that show college and divisional leadership budget
management SpeedType balances and projections.
- Empower the deans to make financial decisions by communicating
complicated illustrations using Tableau software, Excel, Power BI
etc.
Ad Hoc
- Custom reporting on an ad hoc basis for budget office, college,
and division leadership.
- Provide additional ad hoc training to department business
managers as needed.
- Lead or collaborate on active college project teams such as
cash carryforward, fund 10/11, CCO compliance, etc.
What We Can Offer
The annual salary range for this full-time position is $105,000 -
$120,000.
Benefits
At the
University of Colorado Boulder , we are
committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our
employees. Our comprehensive
benefits package includes medical,
dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition
assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local
transit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder
offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class
outdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one of
Forbes' America's Best
Large Employers , ranking #4 among large employers in Colorado
and #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks and
programs through the
CU Advantage program.
Be Statements
Be creative. Be impactful. Be Boulder.
What We Require
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in finance,
business, or a related field.
- Equivalent combination of education and experience may
substitute.
- 5 years of progressively responsible experience in higher
education and/or public/nonprofit finance.
What You Will Need
- Experience handling change and advancing leadership initiatives
to enhance operations and improve efficiencies.
- Flexible approach, willing to listen to others and consider
options and ideas that may take additional effort but have
significant potential.
- Proactive relationship builder genuinely interested in enabling
the success of others to strengthen CU Boulder’s internal
partnerships.
- Attentive and ethical communicator with excellent verbal and
written communication skills and the ability to explain complex
financial processes and reasons behind decisions customized to the
audience.
- Thorough analytical approach, excited and able to tackle
problems through a logical and systematic approach and committed to
ensuring complete, accurate, and carefully prepared documents.
- Forward thinker with results orientation, relying on data and
institutional knowledge to forecast issues and opportunities and
prepare appropriate options for numerous outcomes.
- Technical expertise and proven depth of knowledge and skill in
the field of public higher education budget modeling, including
advanced skills in the use of relevant applications such as the
Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook.
- Ability to run and wrangle large data sets, bringing them into
formats understandable by a wide array of constituents.
- Experience as an independent and team contributor, with the
ability to identify what must be done and the initiative to address
the task/issue before being asked.
- Self-confident and willing to take an independent position,
speak truth to leadership, and professionally advocate for a
position.
What We Would Like You to Have
- Master’s degree (or equivalent experience) from an accredited
university in business, finance, public/higher education,
administration, or a comparable field.
- At least 6+ years of progressively responsible experience in
higher education and/or public/nonprofit finance.
- Experience in higher education administration with a strong
focus on budget and financial analysis.
- Previous experience applying financial modeling skills in
resource planning at an enterprise level, preferably within or
pertaining to an institution (or institutions) of higher
education.
- Experience in a department or unit with responsibilities
greater than $2.5 million in budget.
- Experience in speaking publicly to executive leadership
including ability to take complex financial illustrations and adapt
them to the audience at hand.
Special Instructions
To apply, please submit the following materials:
- A current resume.
- A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background
and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and
responsibilities of the position.
We may request references at a later time.
Please apply by
September 18, 2026 for consideration.
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For
consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs.
In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in
any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying
information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school
attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting
or removing this information.
Posting Contact Information
Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources
Posting Contact Email: Recruiting@colorado.edu
