Sr. Director of Finance & Operations

Under the direction of the Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, we are seeking a Senior Director of Finance & Operations who will provide leadership to and oversight of the school's financial management functions and provides leadership and support for the school's research center and institute administrative managers and institutional research staff. The Senior Director also ensures that the school’s financial management staff is trained and in compliance with federal and university financial policies. In addition, the Senior Director will provide strategic support to the school's research center and institute administrative managers.

The Whiting School of Engineering has a $450 million annual operating budget in addition to a $10-15 million annual capital budget. The Whiting School is made up of nine academic departments, twenty-two research centers and institutes, and three academic centers. The Engineering Business Office manages the development, monitoring and analysis of the school's operating and capital budgets and five-year plan, as well as supports the effective management of research grants. The Engineering Business Office works in a collaborative manner with the faculty and staff throughout the school's many departments and centers/institutes to ensure sound financial management consistent with industry best practices.

The Senior Director of Finance and Operations directs and manages all activities related to financial projections, forecasting and management of sponsored and non-sponsored accounts; conducts revenue and expenditure analysis for the school, as well as departments and centers and makes appropriate recommendations; represents the school to internal and external customers; and works closely with the Vice Dean for Faculty and Vice Deans of Undergraduate Education and Graduate Education and Lifelong Learning and Research and Translation. In addition, the Senior Director will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of financial, shared service center, institutional research and other support staff in the Engineering Business Office, including coaching, skill development, performance management and disciplinary actions; serve as financial liaison for all academic departments, research centers and institutes; keep abreast of research regulations through internal and external training sessions and educate staff and faculty as appropriate; represent the school at university and external conferences, workshops and meetings; monitor capital and service accounts; and conduct quarterly meetings with financial staff to review and evaluate projections.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Manage Whiting School Financial Operations

• Act as the chief financial compliance officer for the Whiting School of Engineering.
• Establish best practices for financial management tasks and implement them across the school.
• Ensure rules, regulations and policies are known and followed for sponsored projects.
• Oversee the management of the financial and other data areas of sponsored projects for the school.
• Establish and provide consistent training modules and processes across the school to reduce audit risks and increase compliance.
• Partner with other leadership within the WSE Business Office and the WSE departments, centers, and institutes to ensure consistency, and efficiency of services and processes across the school.
• Act as a liaison between the school and the central administration offices.
• Lead school-wide business process improvement efforts.
• Act as the WSE representative on university-wide committees.

Manage Engineering Business Office Staff

• Provide support, leadership, guidance and managerial supervision to Engineering Business Office staff, including the Director of Departmental Shared Services, Director of Research Administrative Operations, Senior Institutional Research Analyst, Senior Financial Analyst, and other finance staff.
• Onboard new Engineering Business office staff and departmental administrative managers
• Identify training needs for Engineering Business staff.

Support Center and Institute Administrative and Financial Operations

• Provide support, leadership and guidance to center and institute administrative managers.
• In partnership with Engineering Business Office staff, provide performance feedback to center and institute administrative managers.
• Identify training needs of center and institute administrative managers.
• Support center and institute administrative managers in the development of annual departmental operating and capital budgets and business process improvement efforts.
• Provide feedback for research administration staff to their administrative managers for their annual evaluations.