Director Of Finance

Director of Finance

Brown University

Director of Finance

On July 1, 2025, Brown University launched The Thomas J. Watson Jr. School of International and Public Affairs, further building on its commitment to expand and strengthen research and teaching on the world's most pressing economic, political, social and policy challenges. The launch comes at a pivotal moment for the University, the nation, and the world. The School builds on more than a decade of growth within Brown's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, which will serve as the foundation of the school, and offers significant opportunities for expansion in faculty, research, and educational programming.

The new Watson School of International and Public Affairs is undergoing a period of rapid, strategic expansion, significantly growing its community of distinguished faculty and staff. We are seeking a visionary and experienced financial professional to serve as a key member of Watson's leadership team.

Reporting to the Associate Dean of Finance and Administration, the Director of Finance is a strategic leader responsible for overseeing the entire scope of financial information, reporting, and planning for the School. This role provides pivotal financial leadership, driving operational decisions and informing the School's strategic direction. The Director manages internal financial processes in tandem with the University's budgeting, forecasting, and year‑end close cycles.

The Director also serves as an advisor to the central and distributed community ensuring the School optimally utilizes financial systems to maximize transparency for analysis and planning.

The Director is responsible for financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and year‑end processes. The role manages all internal financial operations in coordination with University financial processes and consolidates the School's budgets, forecasts, and multi‑year planning. The Director provides the Watson Associate Dean of Finance and Administration and the Dean of the Watson School with financial and policy guidance, setting the strategic financial direction for the School.

This includes guidance on budget proposals as they relate to staff growth, faculty administration and hiring, as well as endowed chairs, gift compliance issues, and proposed spending on new initiatives.

The Director oversees a complex $23 million annual budget comprised of endowments, spendable gifts, university‑based funds, master’s‑program revenue, and grants. The position manages the School's internal financial processes in tandem with the University's budgeting, forecasting, and year‑end Close processes, ensuring that the School utilizes the University's financial systems optimally to maximize transparency for analysis, planning, and financial reporting.

The Director commands an understanding of all income and expenses of the School in order to project and create multi‑year budgets, including graduate program budgets and scholarships, funding for complicated jointly appointed faculty, and an undergraduate concentration of nearly 350 students. The role develops and manages sophisticated financial dashboards and institutional reports specifically tailored for the Board of Governors' advisory needs.

In close collaboration with the Associate Dean of Finance and Administration, builds and maintains complex multi‑year financial plans and ad‑hoc models to stress‑test institutional goals.

The Director partners with the Watson leadership to develop and report on key staffing statistics for budgeting and, for forecasts and planning, to create a long‑range plan for staffing needs. The Director also partners with the Watson Dean, Associate Dean of Finance and Administration, Chief of Staff, and other key staff on advancement and Board of Governors growth opportunities. The Director plays a critical role in identifying fundraising needs, tracking and preparing information for nearly 40 annual stewardship reports, providing financial briefings for the Watson Board of Governors.