Director of Finance

PLEASE NOTE

Isaacson, Miller is assisting MIT Lincoln Laboratory for this search. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

Isaacson, Miller:

Dan Rodas, Partner

Liz Braun, Managing Associate

Kristen Andersen, Senior Associate

Seema Khan, Search Coordinator

MIT Lincoln Laboratory seeks an experienced, innovative, and strategic finance executive to serve as Director of Finance. Lincoln Laboratory is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) operated by MIT and is MIT’s largest laboratory, with approximately 4,000 employees and 360 contingent workers and $1.5B annual revenue, primarily located in Lexington, MA.

The Director of Finance serves as the Laboratory’s senior finance leader, responsible for enterprise-wide financial strategy, stewardship, modernization, and compliance. Reporting to the Assistant Director for Operations, with additional accountability to the MIT Vice President of Finance, the Director acts as a strategic advisor to Laboratory leadership and is accountable for the integrity, agility, and modernization of the Laboratory’s financial operations.

This role is both architect and operator — leading a complex finance organization through continued transformation to align enterprise-wide finances with the Research and Development mission in an efficient and effective manner, while ensuring operational excellence and full compliance with DoD and federal regulations.

• Establish and execute the vision and long‑term strategy for financial management across the Laboratory, aligned with its research mission and operational objectives.
• Lead the continued modernization of the Laboratory’s financial ecosystem, including the Accounting for Research Transformation:
  • Chart of Accounts redesign
  • Accrual and cost accounting enhancements
  • Labor distribution optimization
  • Integration with digital enterprise systems
• Advance modern, dynamic budgeting, forecasting, and planning capabilities to improve financial agility and decision support.
• Drive enterprise-wide financial transparency through meaningful metrics, dashboards, and predictive analytics.
• Anticipate and respond to evolving federal funding environments, regulatory changes, and DoD policy developments.

• Serve as steward of the Laboratory’s financial resources, overseeing:
  • Budgeting and multi‑year financial planning
  • Forecasting and analysis
  • Accounting operations
  • Financial reporting (internal and external)
  • Property management
  • Travel and financial operations functions
• Lead the development of the annual operating budget and long‑range financial plans.
• Ensure accurate, transparent reporting to Laboratory leadership, MIT, government sponsors, and oversight entities.
• Maintain and strengthen internal controls, audit readiness, and compliance processes.

• Provide expert guidance on:
  • DoD Financial Management Regulations
  • FAR and DFARS
  • DCAA and DCMA policies
  • OMB Uniform Guidance Cost Principles
  • Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE)
  • Government budgeting and funding processes
  • DoD ceiling management (preferred)
• Ensure full compliance with federal acquisition regulations, audit requirements, and FFRDC governance frameworks.
• Represent the Laboratory in financial matters with government agencies, MIT leadership, consortiums, and professional organizations.

• Lead and develop the central finance organization while serving as career manager and Center of Excellence leader for finance professionals laboratory‑wide.
• Exercise oversight of senior finance managers in Technical Divisions and Administrative Departments through a matrix reporting structure.
• Build, mentor, and retain a high‑performing and diverse finance team.
• Foster a collaborative, consultative leadership culture emphasizing partnership rather than command‑and‑control management.
• Provide training and best‑practice guidance in financial modeling, reporting, and compliance.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to…