Associate Director for Finance and Operations - Walsh School of Foreign Service

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Requirements

The Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), founded in 1919, is a premier school of international affairs. SFS provides a rigorous education grounded in both theory and practice while instilling the Jesuit value of service. Father Edmund A. Walsh, S.J.’s vision was a school that would prepare students for all major forms of foreign representation — official and unofficial, governmental and private sector, whether commercial, financial, consular or diplomatic.

Duties

The Associate Director for Finance and Operations is responsible for managing the School of Foreign Service budget and working with partners in the Office of the CFO to manage the financial operations. This position is a key position on the School of Foreign Service Finance Team, reporting directly to the Senior Finance Director. S/he has several dotted line reports from the OCFO that help with financial operations (accounting, grants, and procurement). The Associate Director for Finance & Operations will lead and ensure the timely and efficient execution of all financial aspects of their school's daily operations. They will work directly with procurement and expense analysts (or accountants), serving as a liaison between the Office of the CFO and their school. Additional duties, include, but are not limited to:

Engagement and Customer Service

• Act the main point of contact on financial operations processes and issues for the centers/program directors and administrators of SFS centers/programs for which they are responsible for.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on financial policies and procedures while emphasizing and maintaining a high level of customer service.
• Serve as one of the primary resources for the school/unit regarding school, campus, and university policy interpretation and enforcement, particularly focusing on situations that require escalation.
• Participate in routine meetings and forums managed by Main Campus Finance, reviewing and ensuring compliance and understanding of University and Main Campus policies and procedures across assigned school or areas.
• Support onboarding, training, and development of financial management professionals, overseeing the acclimation and structural understanding of campus and school business models as well as general university and campus policies/procedures.
• Liaise with Main Campus Director, Financial Accounting & Compliance and OCFO for any policy, compliance, process improvement, or other finance matters as needed.
  
  

Budget Development and Financial Analysis

• Manage all matters of budget, financial analysis, and financial planning for a portfolio of centers and programs within SFS.
• Work with center and program leadership on an annual basis to determine budget needs and requests for the upcoming fiscal year, and in consultation with the SFS finance leadership, develop comprehensive annual operating budgets designed to meet the needs of centers and programs.
• Aid in the creation of subsequent budget amendments throughout the fiscal year, assisting finance leadership in maintaining the SFS Position Budget and costing allocations.
• Create financial models and budgeting tools that consider the nuances of the unique program/center in this position’s portfolio, in order to increase accuracy and efficiency in the budgeting process.
• Monitor center and program budgets throughout the year, providing guidance on spending decisions in order to ensure consistency with budget, compliance with policy, and overall alignment with school and center/program strategy.
• Use in-depth involvement with, and understanding of, department budgets to effectively escalate potential issues or flag important trends for further review by SFS finance leadership.
  
  

Financial Operations Management and Monitoring

• Manage the financial operations management of school/unit for all funds and expenditures, including faculty professional development, start-up funds, and internal research funds for a portfolio of departments and programs.
• Handle periodic data analytics to monitor financial activities across all funds for budget variances and to ensure actual expenditures match resource availability.
• Oversee the monthly Budget-to-Actuals reconciliations process; provide guidance and support to the HCM Analysts, specifically on staff related payroll reconciliations, Accountants, and School faculty contract team members who perform the detailed reconciliation work.
• Oversee meetings with programs and centers on a periodic basis to review budget vs actuals, upcoming plans, procurement needs, etc. for a portfolio of centers and programs, year-end projections, and long-term planning.
• Identify, research, and ensure appropriate action is taken for any areas of special concern, in collaboration with program directors and administrators.
• Coordinate with OCFO and the other Associate Director to track special fund balances for a portfolio of centers and programs.
  
  

HCM Business Planning and Operations

• Support HCM operations as an assigned Finance Partner for staff transactions.
• Review HCM transactions in GMS to ensure they were pre-approved, budgeted, keyed correctly from a financial perspective.
• Support federal work-study spend analysis establishment, monitoring, and tracking.
  
  

Other Duties

• Answer technical and policy related questions.
• Manage staff workload and resource allocation.
• Ensure consistency in interpreting and communicating policies and procedures.
• Request GMS financial roles as needed; review roles on a periodic basis.
• Perform Ad hoc reporting and special projects as assigned.
  
  

Work Interactions

The Associate Director for Finance & Operations will report directly to the Senior Finance Director for their school. This position will oversee the procurement and expense analysts’ day-to-day activities for the financial management service center, coordinating work and giving guidance on policies and procedures. The Associate Director for Finance & Operations will coordinate with planning counterparts, ensuring the analysts understand and support the functional activities for execution. The Associate Director for Finance & Operations will regularly collaborate with other Associate Directors for Finance & Operations from schools and administrative areas and be part of the Main Campus Financial Operations Working Group that will be coordinated and led by the Campus Director for Financial Accounting and Compliance from the Provost Finance Office.

Requirements And Qualifications

• Master’s, Business or accounting preferred - A Bachelor’s degree plus substantial experience in closely related fields may substitute for a Master’s degree
• 8+ years' progressive work experience financial analysis and budgeting in a sophisticated office environment
• Relevant financial acumen (budgeting, transactional support, revenue-generating activities, chart of accounts, reporting, journals, requisitions, purchase orders, procurement, and travel). Must be a subject matter expert in at least several of these functions
• Ability to build and utilize financial reports
• Advanced business analytics skills
• Ability to support the establishment and management of budgets of at between $10M and $50M
• Prior experience working with complex teams with strong communications and customer service skills
• Ability to engage regularly with internal and external stakeholders, including unit leads and administrators across the institution in an efficient and professional manner
• Strong organizational and time management skills; proficiency managing and prioritizing multiple tasks
• Ability to work with a variety of financial systems, with prior experience preferred in Workday, Adaptive, and Cognos
• Ability to interpret the strategic goals and plan for assigned units
• Enrollment, financial planning, revenue, and expenditure analysis experience
• Prior experience with complex financial and longitudinal planning and financial forecasting
• Adaptability and flexibility with attention to detail
• Ability to triage and solve complex challenges and requests
• Excellent customer service, including interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, with a mastery of excel and experience with managing and analyzing large volumes of data
• Ability to work well under pressure, in a high paced environment, and have a sense of humor
• Strong time management skills, with the ability to prioritize work and multi-tasking to meet deadlines
• Ability to think outside the box and to solve problems creatively
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional accounting qualification desirable
• Experience in higher education financial administration
  
  

Work Mode Designation

This position has been designated as Hybrid. Please note that work mode designations are regularly reviewed in order to meet the evolving needs of the University. Such review may necessitate a change to a position’s mode of work designation. Complete details about Georgetown University’s mode of work designations for staff and AAP positions can be found on the Department of Human Resources website: https://hr.georgetown.edu/mode-of-work-designation.

Pay Range

The projected salary or hourly pay range for this position which represents the full range of anticipated compensation is:

$66,783.00 - $126,720.23

Compensation is determined by a number of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s individual qualifications, experience, education, skills, and certifications, as well as the University’s business needs and external factors.

Current Georgetown Employees

If you currently work at Georgetown University, please exit this website and login to GMS (gms.georgetown.edu) using your Net ID and password. Then select the Career worklet on your GMS Home dashboard to view Jobs at Georgetown.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at Georgetown University you must submit a resume for each position of interest for which you believe you are qualified. Documents are not kept on file for future positions.

Need Assistance

If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please click here for more information, or contact the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (IDEAA) at 202-687-4798 or [email protected].

Need some assistance with the application process? Please call 202-687-2500. For more information about the suite of benefits, professional development and community involvement opportunities that make up Georgetown's commitment to its employees, please visit the Georgetown Works website.

EEO Statement

Georgetown University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer fully dedicated to achieving a diverse faculty and staff. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation), disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Benefits

Georgetown University offers a comprehensive and competitive benefit package that includes medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, retirement savings, tuition assistance, work-life balance benefits, employee discounts and an array of voluntary insurance options. You can learn more about benefits and eligibility on the Department of Human Resources website.

Current Georgetown Employees

If you currently work at Georgetown University, please exit this website and login to GMS https://gms.georgetown.edu/ using your Net ID and password. Then select the Career worklet on your GMS Home dashboard to view Jobs at Georgetown.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at Georgetown University you must submit a cover letter and resume for each position of interest for which you believe you are qualified. These documents are not kept on file for future positions.

Need Assistance

If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please click https://ideaa.georgetown.edu/ada for more information, or contact the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (IDEAA) at 202-687-4798 or [email protected].

Need some assistance with the application process? Please call 202-687-2500. For more information about the suite of benefits, professional development and community involvement opportunities that make up Georgetown's commitment to its employees, please visit the Georgetown Works website https://georgetownworks.georgetown.edu/

EEO Statement

Georgetown University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer fully dedicated to achieving a diverse faculty and staff. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation), disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf