Vice President for Business and Finance

Applications (including a cover letter and resume) must be uploaded to: http://lapovsky.hiringthing.com

Alfred University — located in Western New York State— a small, successful, private, comprehensive doctoral degree-granting university with state-sponsored programs in engineering, and art and design is doing a national search for its next of Vice President for Business and Finance. Reporting to President Mark Zupan, the Vice President serves on the President's leadership team and is an active participant in all aspects of institution-wide financial management, planning and policy development. This individual will join a new, dynamic and energetic senior team which is student-centered and supports academic excellence, co-curricular engagement, and involvement in an inclusive and vibrant community of learners and makers. Alfred students are innovators, change-makers, and purpose-focused. The University seeks a financial leader who is student-centered, committed to Alfred’s mission and understands the value of higher education. The new VP, in addition to being an outstanding financial expert and administrator, should be a servant-leader who is forward thinking, entrepreneurial, transparent, collaborative, collegial, a good listener, and excellent communicator. The new Vice President must understand the value of making strategic investments to achieve financial equilibrium rather than one who believes that equilibrium can only be achieved by cutting your way to a balanced budget.

The new VP will manage the areas of finance, facilities, food service (in partnership with the VP of Student Engagement), sponsored programs, bookstore, ancillary services, procurement, and investments and endowment. The VP will support the Finance, Building and Grounds, Audit, and Investment committees of the board of trustees.

Challenges and Opportunities

• Help the University Dream
• Move the University to Financial Equilibrium
• Develop New Sources of Revenue and Help Increase Existing Revenue
• Develop a Budget Process and Balanced Budget
• Maintain Efficient, Cost-Effective Operation of the College
• Partner with the Town and the Village
• Provide Leadership to all Direct Reports and Create an Effective Team
• Gain Trust and Communicate Effectively with the Campus

Qualifications

The successful candidate will be student-centered, positive, collaborative, optimistic and forward thinking. The VP will demonstrate unquestioned integrity, be an outstanding listener and communicator, a strategic thinker and possess strong and effective interpersonal skills that engender trust and cultivate collaboration. The VP will have a strong commitment to promoting diversity. The successful candidate will have an entrepreneurial spirit and will be willing to think outside the box and take prudent risks. The new VPBF will be a skilled negotiator and will work to help the faculty and staff achieve their goals. They will understand the higher education landscape, and the challenges that higher education is currently facing and provide innovative ideas in approaching the future. The new VPBF will be able to understand and negotiate complex financial transactions and the ability to achieve goals using influence and negotiation skills. The successful candidate will have the fortitude to make difficult choices when necessary and the ability to convey decisions with clarity .

The new VPBF will be knowledgeable about the critical areas in the portfolio and will have experience working with boards of trustees. They will have at least ten years of progressively increasing experience in finance and administration and in managing a large staff with diverse responsibilities. Higher Education experience is desirable as well as experience in business, non-profits and/or other sectors. A bachelor’s degree is required, and an MBA or other advanced degree is preferred. For additional information, please refer to the position profile .

Nomination and Application Process

Nominations and applications are invited for this position. Review of applications will begin immediately, and candidate material received by August 21, 2023 will be assured full consideration. Applications (including a cover letter and resume) must be uploaded to: http://lapovsky.hiringthing.com . Lapovsky Consulting is assisting Alfred in this search. For nominations, questions, or additional information, please contact:

Lucie Lapovsky

Alfred@lapovsky.com

917-690-1958

Alfred University actively subscribes to a policy of equal employment opportunity, and will not discriminate against any employee, student or applicant because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, gender identification or expression, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry or national origin, marital status, genetic information, military or veteran status, domestic violence victim status, criminal conviction status, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Protected veterans, minorities and women are encouraged to apply.