Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation

Working in partnership with academic and administrative units across campus, the Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation develops and recommends financial strategies that inform resource allocation, revenue generation, operational efficiency, and long-term financial sustainability. This role translates complex financial and operational data into actionable insights for executive leadership and plays a key role in analyzing institutional financial performance, auxiliary operations, academic unit financial structures, and emerging financial risks.

The position operates in a highly complex environment where financial problems are often undefined, cross-functional, and require careful navigation of competing institutional priorities. The Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation is responsible for building credible scenarios, stress-testing assumptions, evaluating tradeoffs, identifying financial risks, and developing data-informed recommendations that directly support senior leadership decision-making.

This role does not manage transactional finance, accounting operations, or budget execution functions. Instead, it provides enterprise-level financial insight, modeling, and advisory support to advance institutional priorities and financial sustainability.

The position operates with a high degree of autonomy and regularly engages with senior leadership across academic and administrative units to influence financial decision-making and institutional planning.

Minimum Qualifications (or equivalent combination of education and experience)

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a closely related field; master's degree preferred.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible experience in higher education finance, institutional budgeting, financial planning and analysis, strategic finance, or related financial leadership roles.
• Ability to understand and assess the efficacy of operations within individual academic or administrative units to identify, communicate, and model potential cost-savings opportunities.
• Demonstrated experience developing, maintaining, and applying advanced financial models to support institutional or enterprise-level planning and decision-making.
• Significant experience interpreting complex financial, operational, and organizational data and translating analysis into strategic recommendations for senior leadership.
• Deep understanding of higher education financial structures, including resource allocation models, responsibility-centered management or incentive-based budget models, and major revenue and expenditure drivers.
• Experience working with large, complex financial datasets and budget systems to support forecasting, scenario analysis, and financial decision-making.
• Proven ability to engage effectively with senior executives and influence financial decision-making in a complex, decentralized organization.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous and evolving financial environments.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex financial concepts clearly and credibly to non-financial executive audiences.

Anticipated Pay Range

$160,000-195,000

Special Conditions

A probationary period may be required, This position is eligible for a hybrid schedule with an option to split time between campus and elsewhere, in accordance with the university telecommuting policy, Background Check required for this position

FLSA: Exempt

Union Position: No

Job Location: Burlington, Vermont, United States

Department: VP Finance & Administration/11000

Standard Hours at 1.0 FTE: 37.5

Term (months per year): 12

For full job description and to apply, visit https://www.uvmjobs.com/postings/86898