Manager, Finance - College of Arts and Sciences

About the role

The University of Miami's College of Arts and Sciences seeks a full-time Finance Manager to support strategic financial planning, analysis, and operational oversight.

Responsibilities

• Oversees the budget preparation process and monitors department performance against budget.
• Prepares and monitors staffing benchmarks.
• Translates long-range strategy into executable business cases and financial planning.
• Aids department with performing economic evaluations of new programs and equipment.
• Performs trend analyses and volume projections.
• Evaluates spending trends and develops strategies that will ensure compliance with budgets.
• Drives the strategic direction and financial long-term investment process.
• Forms and maintains effective partnerships across organizational boundaries.
• Formulates monthly and annual financial statements.
• Establishes and continuously assesses the effectiveness of the internal controls within the unit and compliance with University policies and procedures.
• Ensures employees are trained on controls within the function and on University policy and procedures.
• Financial Planning & Strategic Analysis:
• Conduct in-depth financial analyses to support strategic initiatives and decision-making at the College level.
• Collaborate with Senior Business Officer to translate institutional goals into long-range financial plans and cost-benefit frameworks.
• Lead the development of tuition planning models and implement reconciliation processes to ensure accuracy and transparency.
• Budgeting, Forecasting & Performance Monitoring:
• Support the creation and refinement of annual departmental budgets, ensuring alignment with College and University priorities.
• Maintain budget execution, identify variances, and provide timely forecasts and recommendations.
• Design and implement custom templates for data collection and budget uploads to streamline planning cycles.
• Prepare quarterly and annual financial packages, including performance metrics and variance analyses.
• Reporting & Data Visualization:
• Extract, analyze, and interpret financial data from multiple business systems at the College and department levels.
• Present findings to leadership in clear narrative, tabular, and graphical formats.
• Create ad-hoc reports and dashboards to support operational and strategic needs.
• Deliver insights on budget variances, projected revenues and expenditures, and compensation trends.
• Systems Optimization & Automation:
• Refined MDX queries to retrieve and manipulate multidimensional data from financial cubes.
• Integrate Excel automation tools and VBA macros to improve reporting efficiency and reduce refresh times.
• Maintain Python scripts to automate document management, enhancing audit readiness and backup documentation.
• Operational Oversight & Compliance:
• Oversee daily fiscal operations for assigned cost centers, including contract review, expenditure control, and account reconciliation.
• Ensure compliance with University Budget Guidelines and support fiscal year-end closing activities.
• Monitor and reconcile operational accounts, projecting revenue and expenditure trends to inform resource allocation.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Support:
• Partner with College departments to address financial reporting needs and resolve irregular transactions.
• Serve as a resource for faculty and staff on budgeting, cost analysis, and fiscal planning.
• Support integrated financial management across units to promote shared goals and operational efficiency.
• Space & Resource Allocation (USpace):
• Manage USpace deliverables including effort distribution analysis, space utilization reporting, and allocation tracking.
• Develop specialized templates to streamline USpace data input and improve system integration.
• Internal Controls & Staff Development:
• Assist in assessing internal controls and ensuring compliance with University financial policies and procedures.
• Provide training and guidance to staff on financial systems, reporting tools, and budgeting practices.
• Promote continuous improvement and professional development within direct reports.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience.
• Knowledge of business and management principles.
• Ability to direct, manage, implement, and evaluate department operations.
• Ability to establish department goals, and objectives that support the strategic plan.
• Ability to effectively plan, delegate and/or supervise the work of others.
• Ability to lead, motivate, develop, and train others.
• A combination of a strong background with computer application systems and financial analytical skills are critical.
• Ability to work in a complex environment with the skills to manage multiple projects and deadlines, establish priorities, set objectives, and achieve stated goals.
• Ability to work as a team or independently.
• Attention to detail and able to meet strict deadlines.
• Appreciation for organizational subtleties and a high level of discretion.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Customer service experience, focus, and above average problem-solving skills.