Director for the Center for Financial Wellness, Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships - UTK

The Director of the Center for Financial Wellness (CFW) provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the university’s financial wellness initiatives, ensuring alignment with enrollment, retention, student success goals, and the Strategic Enrollment Plan. Reporting to the Assistant Vice Provost (AVP) for Financial Initiatives & Chief Financial Aid Administrator, the Director sets the Center’s vision and direction, leads institution-wide financial wellness programs, and drives initiatives that improve students’ financial capability and persistence.

The role includes full responsibility for the Center’s operations, including staffing, resource management, organizational development, and performance oversight. As the university’s primary financial wellness expert, the Director collaborates with senior leaders, academic departments, and campus partners to embed financial wellness throughout the student experience. The Director also cultivates external partnerships and funding opportunities to ensure the Center’s long-term growth, sustainability, and measurable impact.

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Implementation & Organizational Alignment 

• Establishes and leads the strategic direction of the Center for Financial Wellness, aligning priorities with Enrollment Management goals and the university’s Strategic Enrollment Plan.
• Develops and implements multi-year strategic and operational plans that position financial wellness as a core driver of student success, retention, and institutional effectiveness.
• Exercises independent decision-making authority in setting priorities, allocating resources, and determining the Center’s approach to program development, service delivery, and campus engagement.
• Provides full organizational leadership for the Center, including oversight of staffing structure, supervision of the Associate Director, and development of a scalable operating model to support growth.
• Leads the evaluation and continuous improvement of financial wellness initiatives, ensuring programs are data-informed, outcome-driven, and aligned with institutional performance metrics.
• Establishes policies, frameworks, and standards that guide the delivery of financial wellness education, coaching, and outreach across the university.
• Oversees the Center’s financial resources, including budget planning, allocation, and sustainability strategies, ensuring responsible stewardship and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Serves as the primary advisor to the AVP on financial wellness strategy, providing recommendations that influence divisional and institutional decision-making.

Institutional Integration & Cross-Campus Coordination

• Lead coordination across academic, enrollment, and student success units to embed financial wellness into the student experience.
• Operationalize campus-wide initiatives by aligning stakeholders, timelines, and deliverables.
• Ensure consistency and scalability of financial wellness efforts across colleges, populations, and delivery methods.
• Support the removal of institutional barriers that impact implementation and student engagement.

Partnerships & Program Expansion 

• Research strategies to secure external funding, including grants, corporate partnerships, and philanthropic opportunities, in alignment with defined priorities.
• Develop and manage partnerships that expand program reach, enhance service delivery, and support innovation.
• Identify opportunities to scale successful programs and introduce new initiatives that align with institutional goals.
• Ensure sustainability of programs through resource development and strategic investment.

Performance Management, Assessment & Impact 

• Establish and oversee performance metrics aligned with institutional goals, including student engagement, financial literacy outcomes, and retention impact.
• Ensure the development of dashboards, reporting structures, and assessment frameworks led by the Associate Director.
• Translate data into actionable insights to improve programs, inform leadership, and demonstrate value.
• Ensure accountability for achieving measurable outcomes tied to the Strategic Enrollment Plan and Enrollment Management priorities.

Organizational Leadership & Capacity Building

• Provide leadership and dire