"Executive Vice President for Operations and Chief Financial Officer"

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

Executive Vice President for Operations and Chief Financial Officer

Founded in 1881, UConn is a Land Grant and Sea Grant institution and member of the Space Grant Consortium. The University is the state’s flagship institution of higher education and includes seven campuses across the state: Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, Storrs, and Waterbury, the Law School in Hartford, and UConn Health in Farmington. UConn has approximately 10,000 faculty and staff and 32,000 students, including more than 24,000 undergraduates and nearly 8,000 graduate and professional students. Record numbers of undergraduate applications and support for student success have enabled the University to become extraordinarily selective.

The University serves as a beacon of academic, research, and entrepreneurial excellence as well as a center for innovation, serving students, local industry, and economic development goals of the state. UConn is a Carnegie Foundation R1 (highest research activity) institution and among the top public universities in the nation. UConn embraces excellence through research, teaching, service, and outreach and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni. UConn promotes the health and well-being of citizens by enhancing the social, economic, cultural, and natural environments of the state and beyond.

UConn’s four-year average retention of first year students is 93%, remaining among the highest in the nation. With students graduating in an average of 4.1 years, UConn is tied at number 1 with four institutions for the quickest time-to-degree among public universities. UConn offers undergraduate majors, graduate degrees, and professional degree programs across 14 schools and colleges: College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources, School of Business, School of Dental Medicine, College of Engineering, School of Fine Arts, the Graduate School, School of Law, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Medicine, Neag School of Education, School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture, and School of Social Work.

UConn has an annual operating budget of $1.7B and recently launched an ambitious $1.5B fundraising campaign. In fiscal year 2024, UConn received $368M in research awards, a 29% increase over the previous five years. The University has more than 80 research centers and institutes, more than 100 state-of-the-art research facilities, and contributes $8.5B in economic impact to Connecticut.

In 2024, the University adopted its strategic plan, Envisioning 2034, with three major goals: promoting holistic student success, expanding research impact, and powering a thriving Connecticut. To learn more, visit https://strategicplan.uconn.edu/.

Reporting to the President, the Executive Vice President for Operations and Chief Financial Officer (EVPO/CFO) will be a dynamic and visionary leader responsible for the overall operational and financial health of the institution. This individual is a member of the President’s cabinet and the University Senate, and will work closely with senior leaders, faculty, and staff to ensure the University’s operations and finances are efficient, sustainable, and aligned with the University’s strategic goals and priorities.

The EVPO/CFO oversees Finance & Budget (including Financial Operations and Controller, Budget and Planning, Procurement and Business Services, Accounting, Accounts Payable, Bursar, Financial Systems, Payroll, and Treasury); Facilities Operations and University Planning (including Logistics, Trade Services, Custodial Services, Space planning and Campus Building Operations, Sustainability and Energy Management); Public Safety (including police, fire, emergency management, and environmental health and safety); Information Technology Services; Branding and Trademarking; and University Events and Conference Services. The goal of the Office of the EVPO/CFO is to create and maintain essential University services, infrastructure, and a physical environment that robustly supports the academic and research missions of the University of Connecticut. This is accomplished through quality customer service, effective collaboration with faculty and staff, and strong stewardship of the University’s financial, capital, and human resources.

The EVPO/CFO is responsible for overseeing long-range financial planning and management of the operating and capital budgets for all units of the University. Working closely with the President, Provost, and the other Vice Presidents, this individual oversees capital and operating budget development, monitoring, reporting, and revenue generating initiatives; coordinates operating and capital budgets in conformity with policies set forth by the Board of Trustees; develops financial policy and plans; serves as the point of contact for external agencies and partners on financial matters; acts as the President’s representative on financial matters to University units and constituencies; and generally promotes the financial health and stability of the University in support of its academic mission and strategic priorities.

The ideal EVPO/CFO will be a strategic decision-maker with a significant level of business acumen and judgment. They must be able to make practical, realistic and data-driven decisions and know how to establish strategic administrative priorities and align the organization with them. They will also be a collaborative leader who is able to work effectively with a range of constituencies, both internal and external to an organization. This person will recognize the role of the EVPO/CFO as supporting and enabling the success of the University’s academic goals and its educational and research missions and will understands how to engage staff and hold them accountable for excellence.

The successful candidate will be a skilled communicator who understands how to communicate effectively in a very large and diverse organization. This will include exceptional oral and written communication skills, including expertise presenting and negotiating. The next EVPO/CFO must also be results-oriented, understanding and interpreting complex problems, finding solutions, and effectively implementing them. This will require a sophisticated understanding of how to employ metrics to inform decisions, improve business processes, and drive performance and quality.

The full position specification for the EVPO/CFO search can be found at https://bit.ly/UConnEVPCFO.

The University of Connecticut invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of Executive Vice President for Operations and Chief Financial Officer. Interested candidates should confidentially submit a resume and letter of interest (Adobe PDF files preferred) to: Joi Hayes-Scott, Bill Clemens, and Jim Lawson, Consultants to the Search Committee, Russell Reynolds Associates, UConn.EVPCFO@russellreynolds.com. Though all materials received will be reviewed, please submit materials by August 22, 2025 for priority consideration.