Finance Manager - Real Estate Development

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career. Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the integrated project financial model and long-range capital plan, aligning cost, scope, schedule, operating, and financing assumptions.
• Lead project budgeting and rolling cash-flow forecasts; identify the amount and timing of funding and liquidity requirements.
• Evaluate major investments, scope choices, delivery alternatives, and schedule changes using scenario, sensitivity, return, and life-cycle cost analyses, as appropriate.
• Assess capital structure and funding alternatives, including cash, debt or tax-exempt bonds, incentives, and grants; support due diligence and financing execution with Treasury, Legal, and external advisors.
• Translate actual costs, commitments, forecasts, contingency use, and key assumptions into clear executive reporting, variance explanations, risks, and recommendations.
• Establish and maintain project finance governance, modeling standards, approval controls, and reporting requirements; monitor compliance with authorized budgets and decisions.
• Quantify financial risks related to cost escalation, interest rates, schedule, scope, market conditions, and operations; recommend and monitor mitigation actions.
• Provide functional leadership for project finance workstreams and present analysis and recommendations to project leadership, executive governance bodies, and the Board, as needed.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Real Estate, Business Administration, or a related analytical field, or equivalent relevant experience under WGU policy.
• Eight or more years of progressive experience in corporate finance, FP&A, project finance, development finance, real estate finance, investment analysis, or a related discipline, including experience supporting complex capital projects.
• Advanced financial modeling, cash-flow forecasting, scenario analysis, and capital-planning capability, with expert-level Excel proficiency.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional decisions and communicate concise financial insights and recommendations to senior executives.
• Working knowledge of development economics, construction cost and schedule dependencies, financing structures, and financial governance.

Preferred

• Experience with large-scale commercial, mixed-use, hospitality, institutional, or corporate headquarters development.
• Experience with debt or tax-exempt bond financing, public incentives, grants, or other complex funding sources.
• MBA or relevant credential such as CFA, CPA, or CCIM.
• Experience with enterprise planning, reporting, business intelligence, or project-controls systems.

Pay

Pay Range: $109,900.00 - $170,400.00

Schedule

This is a full-time, regular position classified for 40 standard weekly hours.

Benefits

• Eligible for bonuses
• Medical, dental, vision, telehealth, and mental healthcare
• Health savings account and flexible spending account
• Basic and voluntary life insurance
• Disability coverage
• Accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages
• Legal and identity theft coverage
• Retirement savings plan
• Wellbeing program
• Discounted WGU tuition
• Flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual
• Flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual
• 11 paid holidays
• Other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave

Travel

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned to support business requirements.