Associate Director of Budget

About the Job

Hybrid Work Environment

This position is based on the Twin Cities campus and will work in the office a minimum of 3 days per week, with up to 5 days per week required. The schedule will be based on in-person meetings and critical in-person activities. Out-of-state candidates must be willing to relocate to Minnesota at their own expense.

Position Overview:

The University of Minnesota is the state's land-grant university and one of the most prestigious public research universities in the nation. We're ranked by Forbes as one of the best educational employers in the nation and currently have an extraordinary leadership opportunity within the University Budget Office.

The University of Minnesota seeks an Associate Director of Budget to serve as a system-wide leader responsible for revenue and cost forecasting/planning, budgetary analysis, budget process design and coordination, presentation of budget information, and financial oversight and monitoring of the institution and individual units. This position reports directly to the Vice President & Budget Director.

This position is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota at our Twin Cities campus, but serves all five greater Minnesota campuses and supports the University's critical financial needs. This position works as a liaison between the Budget Office and the various operating units throughout the University - gaining an understanding of their financial management opportunities, challenges, and practices and representing those interests in broader discussions.

Gaining the respect of unit leaders and being viewed as a credible authority within the University is key to the position's success in the role. It also requires an understanding of the goals, policies, and operating procedures of the University in order to arrive at "allowable" or "best-practice" solutions within policy and budgetary constraints. This role balances advocacy for the individual units with work to benefit the University as a whole.

It requires independent work, with the responsibility to know when issue elevation is necessary, on a variety of ever-changing complex issues with potentially significant impact on the University's financial health and reputation.

Job Responsibilities:

University of Minnesota's Annual Operating Budget - 50%

* Direct the strategic development and implementation of the university's annual operating budget and function as a primary expert in the University's budget model and process.

* Provide guidance to the President, Budget Committee, and other executive-level leaders throughout the development of the University's annual operating budget, ensuring the systemwide budget aligns with the President's strategic direction, promotes the short and long-term financial health of the institution, and complies with policy.

* Provide strategic guidance and direction to Vice Presidents, Chancellors, Deans, and other University leaders throughout the budget development process; act as a liaison between the

* Budget Committee and University leaders; ensure transparency throughout the decision-making process; and provide guidance on system, campus, and college-level implications of budget variables and decisions.

* Provide ongoing direction and guidance to the 30+ Chief Financial Managers across the University of Minnesota system; promote and foster a collaborative team-based culture; provide mentoring and leadership both at the individual and group level; and provide training on all aspects of the budget model, budget process, key budget variables, and other budgetary topics.

* Chair and facilitate budget meetings with Vice Presidents, Chancellors, Deans, Chief Financial Managers, and other University leaders for all 50+ Resource Responsibility Centers - both for the budget development process and, as needed, throughout the year. Coordinate and analyze information from each of the 50+ Resource Responsibility Centers to inform the President's budget.

* Lead expert for the intersection between the University's capital budget and operating budget; lead expert to the Budget Committee on the financial assessments for capital projects.

* Lead teams to address opportunities and challenges that emerge during the operating budget process.

* Develop, write, and shape, in coordination with the Budget Director: the annual systemwide budget instructions;
President's Annual Operating budget; other budget documents and guidance.

* Present to the Board of Regents, as needed.

Biennial Budget, State Appropriations, and State Policies - 25%

* Lead the development of the University's biennial budget and supplemental operating requests to the State of Minnesota; lead teams to facilitate systemwide input sessions, as requested by the President and Budget Committee; write request documentation; and draft and review legislation.

* Fiscal policy expert for the University on state appropriations and related policy.

* Lead expert for: providing guidance to Government Relations on State of Minnesota appropriations;…