Director of Academic Finance & Strategic Planning

Mgr Finance III

This position is located on the Cornell University Campus in Ithaca, New York. You will be expected to work in Ithaca, although you may be permitted to perform a portion of your work remotely.

Note:

No Visa sponsorship is available for this position.

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of the University Budget Office, the Director of Academic Finance & Strategic Planning is the primary financial lead for the University's decentralized Colleges and Enterprise units, responsible for strengthening the analytical depth and consistency of unit-level budgeting practices.

A central focus of this role is defining and implementing the methodologies and internal controls that govern budgeting across the decentralized landscape. This includes assessing current unit-level practices and establishing consistent methodology across the Ithaca and Cornell Tech campuses, covering areas such as fund balance reporting and future-year hiring plans. The Director's authority to guide and enforce these standards is supported by the dotted-line reporting relationship between college budget leads and the Associate Vice President.

The Director holds end-to-end ownership of Sources & Uses reporting across both Operating and Capital portfolios. While individual units develop their own plans, the Director serves as the final reviewer and approver of those submissions, responsible for ensuring every financial narrative is accurate, operationally sound, and thoroughly vetted. This includes proactively challenging unit-level assumptions and pushing for the level of analytical depth that complex institutional decisions require.

The Director leads and develops a small team of analysts while driving the process standardization and data integrity that underpin both day-to-day financial clarity for University leadership and the University's upcoming Workday Adaptive Planning implementation.

As a people manager and university leader you will model and support a culture of inclusion, belonging, and wellbeing by fostering an environment where everyone has the ability to thrive and navigate work and life's challenges because they feel like they belong and have the tools and support they need.

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 7–10 years of progressive experience in financial management, budgeting, and resource planning. Experience in higher education or a similarly complex, decentralized organization is preferred.

• Demonstrated experience assessing and standardizing financial processes across decentralized units, with a track record of implementing consistent methodologies and internal controls at scale.
• Proven track record of preparing and presenting complex financial information, including Sources & Uses reporting, to senior leadership such as VPs, Deans, and Provosts.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to scrutinize financial assumptions and trace how figures are derived. Experience identifying and resolving cross-subsidization and aligning revenue and expenses to reflect the true cost of operations is highly desired.
• Experience working directly with academic units, College Business Officers, or comparable decentralized stakeholders, with the ability to translate central financial mandates into operational practice.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate organizational complexity and resolve data discrepancies across stakeholder groups, bringing diverse perspectives to a shared understanding of financial reality while preserving working relationships.
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing staff, including setting priorities, overseeing analytical work, supporting professional development, and fostering collaboration.
• Demonstrated skill in…