Senior Director (Finance Leader), Financial Management Reporting Strategy and Reporting Center of Excellence

About the role

The Senior Director of Financial Management Reporting Strategy and Reporting Center of Excellence is a transformative leadership role designed for a visionary financial professional who thrives at the intersection of data, technology, and institutional strategy. This position is housed within the VPCFO organization and reports directly to the Associate Vice President of Financial Enterprise Engagement.

Department-Specific Responsibilities

• Evaluates existing reporting tools, data structures, processes, and team capabilities across all campuses to identify gaps and establish future-state KPIs for academic and administrative decision-making.
• Leverages AI solutions for advanced financial analysis.
• Establishes an institution-wide financial management reporting framework that defines core metrics, standardizes report cadences, and creates a clear reconciliation crosswalk between accounting results and management reporting results.
• Partners with UITS and external vendors to assess, select, and implement middle-layer reporting and business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
• Defines enterprise data governance policies, establishing clear boundaries between technical tool ownership and functional content ownership to ensure reporting integrity.
• Ledges and manages a permanent Financial Reporting Center of Excellence that consolidates reporting functions, manages a governed enterprise report portfolio, and reduces reliance on ad-hoc, unit-built solutions.
• Develops and maintains standardized executive reporting packages and performance scorecards, providing senior leadership and campuses with unified financial views for results summary, trend analysis, and strategic planning.
• Structures, recruits, and mentors a high-performing team of data analysts and BI specialists, fostering a customer-centric service model for central and campus partners.
• Oversees university-wide training, adoption, and change management strategies to empower fiscal officers, deans, and executives to effectively navigate and utilize new financial tools.
• Acts as the primary financial liaison across campuses to translate complex data into actionable insights, while introducing predictive analytics, rolling forecasts, and scenario modeling to institutional leadership.

General Responsibilities

• Oversees the analysis of financial performance in university units.
• Prepares and presents financial analyses and recommendations to top-level university management.
• Creates financial models and analyses of financial and operational metrics to evaluate and direct business performance.

Education and Experience

• Required: Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field (data analytics, information systems).
• PREFERRED: Master's degree (MBA, or related discipline).
• Required: 5 years in finance, financial administration, accounting, or related field.
• PREFERRED: 10 years experience in finance planning and analysis (FP&A), financial reporting, financial systems management or related experience.
• Proven excellence in managing large initiatives from inception to executing day-to-day operations.
• Higher education, public sector, or governmental organization experience strongly preferred.
• Deep understanding of fund accounting, responsibility center management (RCM) budgeting, and the unique financial ecosystem of higher education.

Skills

• Ability to analyze and interpret financial data.
• Demonstrated analytical skills.
• Excellent interpretation of complex statistical data.
• Demonstrated written communication skills.
• Articulate and responsive to colleagues.
• Develops and delivers effective presentations.
• Excellent collaboration and team building skills.
• Ability to lead/manage others.
• Instills commitment to organizational goals.
• Assumes personal responsibility for actions.
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.
• Ability to work within tight time frames and meet strict deadlines.
• Preferred: Demonstrated experience managing cross-functional projects and leading high-performing technical or financial teams.
• Proven time management and priority setting skills.
• Demonstrates a high commitment to quality.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Effectively coaches and delivers constructive feedback.
• Demonstrates excellent judgment and decision-making skills.
• Effective conflict management skills.
• Understanding of technology initiatives and the coordination necessary with IT to successfully implement.
• Proven ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals at all organizational levels, including executive leadership, staff, and external partners.
• Diplomacy and sound judgment in managing sensitive and confidential information.
• Proven track record of leading successful implementations of financial reporting systems, (e.g., BI platforms - Tableau, Power BI).
• Proven success managing large-scale, multi-disciplinary projects in dynamic, complex environments.
• Experience utilizing AI in reporting and analysis.
• Excellent facilitation, collaboration, and negotiation abilities.

Pay

$150,000 - $175,000 annually, depending upon qualifications.

Schedule

Sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
Health savings account with generous IU contributions
Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
Basic group life insurance paid by IUV
Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
Generous paid time off plans
Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
Employee assistance program (EAP)