Associate Vice President Finance and Operations

The Associate Vice President for Finance & Operations (AVP-FO) is a rare executive opportunity to shape and scale a nearly $600M research enterprise on its path to $1B. As the Chief Business Officer for the Office of the Vice President for Research & Innovation, you will drive enterprise-wide financial strategy, oversee complex operations, and partner with top university leadership to fuel innovation, discovery, and impact.

This high-visibility role blends strategic vision with operational excellence—guiding multi-year financial planning, optimizing research funding models, and strengthening the infrastructure that supports world-class faculty and groundbreaking research. You’ll lead diverse teams, influence institutional investment decisions, and ensure financial integrity in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

We’re seeking a collaborative, forward-thinking leader with deep expertise in research finance, a track record of driving growth and transformation, and the ability to translate complexity into clear strategy. If you’re ready to make a lasting impact at scale, this is your opportunity to lead at the forefront of research innovation.

At the VCU Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, our mission is to foster transformative research, discovery and innovation at Virginia Commonwealth University through excellence in service. The VCU Strategic Research Priorities Plan (SRPP) strengthens our transdisciplinary culture across our multifaceted campuses and disciplines, empowering us to generate transformative innovation with meaningful public impact. We work collaboratively to bring creative solutions to challenges where others may see boundaries, drawing on the full breadth of our scholarship to address local needs in partnership with our communities while shaping bold, practical solutions with global reach.

Through our passion for discovery and willingness to take on challenges, we continue to advance the work that matters most and position the university as a national leader in research, innovation, creativity, and scholarship. Read more about VCU research by visiting: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./

Reporting directly to the Vice President for Research & Innovation (VPRI) with a dotted line to the Office of the Deputy CFO, the Associate Vice President for Finance and Operations (AVP-FO) serves as the Chief Business Officer for the Office of Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) and the research enterprise, providing comprehensive financial, operational and administrative leadership to ensure the long‑term fiscal sustainability, and strategic growth of a nearly $600M+ research portfolio.

This includes collaboration with Central Finance and the Controller’s Office that has oversight of Indirect Cost Recovery (ICR) strategy, enterprise‑level financial planning, resource allocation, and the strategic deployment of institutional funds to support progress toward the university’s $1B research goal.

The AVP‑FO brings deep financial expertise, advances data‑driven decision‑making, and fosters a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement. Working closely with the leadership of the OVPRI, the role will have financial oversight of key institutional functions such as research support services, internally funded research programs, research space and core facilities, research computing and data infrastructure, the policies that govern research administration and operations, and the human resources functions and daily business operations that support research activities.

Reporting directly to the Vice President for Research and Innovation, and working closely with other campus leaders including the Provost, deans, and central administrative units, the AVP-FO provides financial and operational strategy for all facets of budget planning and business process innovation. The AVP-FO in collaboration with the leadership of the OVPRI also serves as a resource for campus-wide l research administration matters such as facilities and administrative (F&A) cost waivers, cost‑share commitments, and institutional investments.