Director of Fiscal Operations

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Director of Fiscal Operations

Job Profile Title

Director D, Business and Finance

Job Description Summary

The Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services (FRES) provides the expertise, business process, policies and standards required to plan, design, construct, operate, maintain and renew the physical assets of the University, excluding the health system. In addition, the Division, comprised of approximately five Departments, is responsible for the strategic planning, management and operation of non-academic University property, and collaborating with the neighborhood to create a safe and economically vibrant destination. With close to 12M square feet of space, FRES maintains 186 buildings on a campus of 276 acres, completes over 60,000 maintenance requests per year, and starts approximately 250 projects a year. FRES is comprised of the following Departments: Administration, Office of the University Architect, Design and Construction, Real Estate, Operations, and Maintenance.

The University of Pennsylvania is implementing a campus transformation entitled Penn Connects (http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu). This comprehensive, award winning effort is expanding the campus over the next 20 years, including the construction of new academic research and recreational facilities. In addition, the University has secured $300M in Century Bond funding and continues to upgrade existing facilities over the coming years. https://www.facilities.upenn.edu/

Job Description

Reporting to the Executive Director of Finance and Administration, the Director of Fiscal Operations acts as the Controller for FRES and provides leadership for accounting and administration for 186 buildings and a $200M operations and maintenance budget; procurement administration of about 30 contracts valued at $12M; and weekly and monthly payroll functions for approximately 1100 employees, including union and non-union staff. This position is responsible for 2 direct reports and 9 staff and is critical to the success of all FRES back-office accounting and procurement functions. As such, the professional is required to have strong leadership skills to effectively manage people, processes, and customer service interactions with many University organizations, both internal and external to FRES, as well as changes to information technology systems required to complete work. In addition to managing the day-to-day functions of such a group, the Director of Fiscal Operations ensures appropriate accounting treatment of all transactions that occur in the organization, proper procedures that adhere to audit requirement