Director of Financial Process Transformation

Director of Financial Process Transformation

Company: Harvard University

Job Location: Cambridge, 02138

Category: Business and Financial Services

Type: Full-Time

Job Description

The Director of Financial Process Transformation leads enterprise-wide initiatives to simplify, standardize, and modernize financial operations across the University. Reporting to the Office of the Controller, with a dotted-line relationship to Office of Finance and Administration, this role operates across Financial Administration (FAD) and partners with school and central finance leadership to drive transformation priorities.

The Director sets direction, aligns stakeholders, and ensures the successful delivery of high-impact initiatives that span organizational boundaries. The Director brings a structured, outcomes-driven approach to redesigning financial processes - reducing complexity, improving cycle times, strengthening compliance, and minimizing administrative burden.

Success in this role requires the ability to influence and align senior stakeholders in a decentralized environment, along with a track record of leading large-scale change from concept through implementation. The Director ensures that initiatives are not only well-designed, but fully adopted and sustained, with measurable improvements in efficiency, consistency, and user experience.

Job Specific Responsibilities:

• Enterprise Transformation Leadership
  Set the vision and roadmap for financial process transformation across FAD, leading a portfolio of high-impact initiatives aligned to institutional priorities.
• Cross-Functional Leadership and Alignment
  Partner with senior leaders across schools, units, and central functions to establish priorities, navigate tradeoffs, and drive alignment. Serve as a trusted advisor on financial process strategy and change.
• Process Redesign and Standardization
  Oversee the redesign of complex, cross-cutting financial processes to reduce fragmentation, eliminate manual workarounds, and improve consistency while maintaining appropriate controls.
• Policy and Governance Enablement
  Guide the use of policy, governance, and guidance to enable effective process change, determining when formal policy is required versus when process, technology, or behavioral changes will achieve better outcomes.
• Systems and Technology Partnership
  Collaborate with finance systems and IT leadership to align process transformation with system capabilities and roadmaps, ensuring solutions enable automation, scalability, and long-term sustainability.
• Performance Measurement and Continuous Improvement
  Establish success metrics and monitoring approaches, including cycle time, exception rates, and administrative effort, and use data and stakeholder feedback to refine priorities and improve outcomes.
• Change Leadership and Adoption
  Drive adoption of new processes and ways of working across a diverse stakeholder landscape, ensuring changes are effectively communicated, embedded, and sustained over time.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 10 years' relevant work experience
• Supervisory experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

• MBA or master's degree in relevant field a plus
• Experience supporting process improvement or organizational change initiatives
• Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities in evolving, ambiguous environments
• Agile, flexible, and iterative working mindset
• Demonstrated ability to act as a trusted advisor and influence senior stakeholders without direct authority
• Strong analytical and communication skills, including the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences
• Knowledge of advanced financial administration principles
• Strong team-based, service-oriented approach Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint) and other collaboration tools

Additional Information

Working Conditions: Onsite work is performed in an office setting

Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week

1-2 Days onsite per week on average plus additional days for ad-hoc required meetings.

Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education

Other Information:
Please provide a cover letter and resume as one document with your application.
This position has a 90-day orientation and review period.

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Work Format Details

This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that some of the duties and responsibilities can be effectively performed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its discretion and based upon operational needs. When not working at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University's Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 060. Please visit Harvard's Salary Ranges to view the corresponding salary range and related information.

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page.

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university's non-discrimination policy. Harvard's equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.