"Finance Special Projects Manager"

Who We Are

Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide.

To learn more about UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.

The DFA Budget & Finance Team within PDE is the administrative support unit for financial matters for all DFA departments. The team provides support in development, implementation, and oversight of the divisional budget, conducts forecasting, variance analysis, manages project accounting for Facilities Management projects, monitors campus utilities costs, and oversees recharge activities for the division.

Your Role on the Team

The Division of Finance and Administration (DFA) is seeking an experienced and highly skilled financial professional to lead complex financial analysis, modeling, and multi-year budget planning that directly supports division- and campus-wide decision-making. This position develops and manages detailed financial projections, oversees strategic planning for resources and budgets, and provides expert recommendations to optimize DFA's financial performance.

As DFA transitions to a mission-based, multi-year budgeting model, the incumbent will lead the development of multi-year financial forecasts, coordinate funding strategies across core and non-core units, and partner with leaders across DFA, including Facilities Management, Capital Planning, and Design & Construction Services, to ensure transparency and alignment with divisional goals. The position also conducts advanced scenario modeling related to staffing, resource allocation, and long-term planning to support strategic initiatives.

Serving as a subject matter expert, the incumbent delivers high-level analyses and develops presentations for senior leadership, acts as a primary liaison for complex financial modeling requests, and contributes to continuous improvement in financial systems, processes, provides training for other finance staff in the division, and long-range planning within DFA.

What It Takes to be Successful

Total Rewards

In addition to the salary range listed below, we offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

The expected pay range for this recruitment is $108,100.00- $160,000.00 (Annually).

Required

• Expert knowledge of finance policies, practices, and systems. Proficiency in financial modeling, data analysis, accounting principles, ability to interpret data, solve complex problems, and think logically is vital for evaluation financial information. Demonstrated ability to perform highly complex and advanced analysis techniques, understands past performance and determines present and future performance and / or resource allocations. Required
• Ability to identify, collect, analyze, and report on complex data. Required
• Expert ability to effectively communicate complex information to management both verbally and in writing in a clear and concise manner. Ability to develop detailed analysis, and convert that detail into appropriate summaries for executive level audiences. Strong verbal and written communication skills are necessary for creating reports, presentations, and effectively collaborating with customer departments and management, and divisional leadership. Required
• Expert ability using multiple spreadsheet and database software tools to synthesize and integrate information for highly complex, strategic financial analysis, fiscal management, and financial reports. Required
• Expert interpersonal and consultative skills requiring organizational savvy; expert service orientation and critical thinking skills; attention to detail. Expert ability using organizational skills to multi-task in a high volume environment. Required
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities. Required
• Ability to function as a member of a team. Required
• Expert knowledge and understanding of internal control practices and their impact on protecting University resources. Required
• Ability to identify and clarify problems, identify their causes, gather and evaluate information, recognize and challenge assumptions and biases, apply logic and reason, consider alternative perspective, and develop and evaluate potential solutions Required
• Ability to practice active listening, ask probing questions, in order to understand complex issues and inform decision-making. Required

Experience

• 3-5 years Demonstrated proficiency in financial modeling, data analysis, and accounting principles Required
• 3-5 years Demonstrated ability to interpret data and solve complex problems Required
• 3-5 years Critical thinking skills - analyzing information to form a conclusion and make recommendations to leadership based on analysis of data, patterns, history, and projections Required

Education

• A bachelor's degree in finance, business, or accounting is preferred; Required
• Advanced degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training Preferred