Director of Finance and Administration

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary:
  Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard
  
  Work Schedule:
• Building:
  Morningside
• Salary Range: $125,000 - $140,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Reporting to the Department Chair, the Director of Finance and Administration is the senior administrative and financial officer for the Earth and Environmental Engineering “EEE” Department in The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and as such, is responsible for the overall financial management and administrative operations of the Department. The Director provides active, hands‑on leadership of the EEE Department’s financial activities, including budgeting and financial planning, expense reconciliation, closing, reporting, payroll, and internal controls;

leads the department’s Human Resources and Faculty Affairs programs, including the recruitment, selection and onboarding of faculty, researchers, and administrative staff; proactively engages faculty to plan for payroll allocations; and engages in hands‑on training, coaching, counseling, and team‑building within the administrative staff; promotes innovation, documentation of SOPs, and optimization of departmental efficiency; oversees academic; oversees the department’s facilities needs and external relations activities;

and performs other duties as assigned.

• (40%) Financial Planning, Budgeting, Reporting, and Internal Controls:

  Budgeting and Financial Planning. Provides strategic financial planning and forecasting to the Chair by capturing and analyzing data to inform financial decisions of the Department. Utilizes budget analyses and modeling to forecast future financial needs/resources. Responsible for budget submission and other regular and ad hoc reporting.

  Expense Reconciliation:
  Assumes overall responsibility for the management of the Department’s administrative budget, including gift projects, discretionary projects, and pre‑and post‑award grants and projects connected with any special programs. Responsible for ensuring monthly reconciliation of departmental accounts, and of oversight of the reconciliation of sponsored projects to prevent overdrafts. Investigates and resolves variances, and recommends budget modifications to adjust levels of spending.

  Payroll:
  Collaborates with Payroll Coordinator in the allocation of payroll expenses for faculty, researchers, students, and casuals. Manage the cyclical submission of graduate student’s tuition, fees, and stipend payments. Responsible for maintaining suspense cost to a minimum. Provide oversight of all payroll activities, including salary allocations, cost transfers, payroll reconciliation, and over payment recoveries.

  Internal Controls. Provides oversight and direction for the department’s financial transaction and accounting practices. Designs, implements, and monitors financial reporting and control systems. Establishes departmental financial policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs). Ensures compliance with departmental, SEAS, and University policies and procedures, as well as external rules and regulations from sponsoring agencies and legal and regulatory authorities. Approves high‑dollar threshold transactions and provides ad hoc approvals.
  
  Coordinates with SEAS Finance, CU Internal Audit, SPA/SPF, and other internal stakeholders to comply with any audit…