Vice President, Administration & Finance/CFO - Administrator IV

Salary and Benefits

This is a management position covered by the California State University Management Personnel Plan. The plan provides a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, retirement (CalPERS), 401k, 457, 403(b), dependent and health care reimbursement accounts, life insurance, vacation and sick, 13 paid holidays, one personal holiday and tuition fee waiver.

For more information on the benefits program, please visit https://www.csueastbay.edu/hr/benefits/index.html

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

About Cal State East Bay

Cal State East Bay is one of the 23 campuses that comprise the renowned California State University (CSU) system. The CSU is the largest four-year university system in the United States, with more than 53,000 faculty and staff, and 482,000 students. The mission of the CSU is to provide high quality, affordable education to meet the ever-changing needs of California. With its commitment to quality, opportunity, and student success, the CSU is known for superb teaching, innovative research, and producing job-ready graduates. Each year, the CSU awards more than 125,000 degrees; one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU.

The mission of Cal State East Bay is to welcome and support a diverse student body with academically rich, culturally relevant learning experiences which prepare students to apply their education to meaningful lifework, and to be socially responsible contributors to society. Through its educational programs and activities, the university strives to meet the educational needs and to contribute to the vitality of the East Bay, the state, the nation, and global communities.

Founded in 1957 as State College for Alameda County, Cal State East Bay has undergone several strategic transformations over the course of its history. Most recently, in January 2005, the CSU Board of Trustees voted to change the University’s name from California State University, Hayward to California State University, East Bay to better reflect the university’s regional service to Alameda and Contra Costa counties. With two scenic campuses, one in the Hayward Hills overlooking San Francisco Bay, and the other in the Concord foothills of Mt. Diablo, plus a professional center in dynamic downtown Oakland, the university’s footprint covers key areas throughout the Bay Area – the cultural, technological, and educational center of the American West.

Today, Cal State East Bay serves more than 14,000 students and employs approximately 900 faculty (353 tenured/tenure track) and over 900 staff. The operating budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 is $208.8 million. Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top public university, Cal State East Bay offers more than 87 degrees at the bachelor’s and master’s level each year, as well as 35 credential and certificate programs. Academic programs are offered through the College of Business and Economics , the College of Education and Allied Studies , the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences , the College of Science , and the Continuing Education unit. Students are provided a vigorous academic course of study with a real-world curriculum to prepare graduates for a lifetime of personal achievement and career success, and the university accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

The university is committed to advancing social justice and social mobility by providing quality, accessible, and affordable education to all students. The Cal State East Bay student body is extraordinarily diverse, and the university is ranked #7 for greatest racial and ethnic diversity and #24 for top performers on social mobility by U.S. News and World Report. From 2015-2017, the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Almanac designated the Cal State East Bay student body as the most diverse in the mainland United States. Today, the undergraduate student population at Cal State East Bay is 9.7% African American/Black, 0.2% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 21.1% Asian, 1.1% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 37.8% Latinx, 14.1% White, and 5.3% multi-ethnic. In addition, at the undergraduate level, nearly two-thirds of students are first generation college students.

Dr. Cathy Sandeen, Ph.D., MBA joined Cal State East Bay as its sixth President in January 2021. President Sandeen is an educational leader who is committed to continuing the university’s impressive track record in social mobility, social justice, and sustainability. Dr. Sandeen is a two-time alumna of the California State University and is a proven leader in the areas of educational innovation and educational attainment for nontraditional students. Prior to returning to her hometown in the East Bay, President Sandeen was chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage from September 2018 until December 2020, and chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and UW-Extension for four years.

About the Position

California State University, East Bay (Cal State East Bay) seeks an experienced and collaborative leader to serve as the Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer (VPAF). The VPAF will be a transformative leader at Cal State East Bay at a pivotal moment, joining a new President as a key member of the leadership team as the university emerges from the pandemic and enters a new strategic planning process. The role of the VPAF is to effectively steward and invest the university’s resources to ensure the financial stability necessary to achieving its ambitious goals in support of student success.

Cal State East Bay is a comprehensive public university and one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university is noted for its excellence in applied education and the student learning experience, as well as the beauty of its campuses and proximity to all major Bay Area cities. Cal State East Bay offers rigorous coursework and research opportunities to more than 12,000 undergraduate students and over 2,000 graduate students, supported by approximately 900 faculty and 860 staff. The campus community benefits from an increasingly multicultural environment characteristic of urban and metropolitan universities and maintains a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice.

Reporting to the President, and working in collaboration with the Executive Team, deans, faculty, students, and staff, the VPAF is responsible for overseeing all financial and administrative operations, including financial services, facilities, human resources and payroll, information technology services, risk management, university police, and athletics. The VPAF plays a major leadership role in advancing and enabling the University’s mission, through setting strategy and priorities, defining resource allocation, partnering effectively across campus, and building a culture of service, transparency, and compliance. To do so successfully, the VPAF will address a set of key opportunities and challenges, detailed in this document:

• Partner across campus to ensure ongoing, sustainable financial success for Cal State East Bay
• Build a culture of trust, mutual respect, and transparency within the Division of Administration & Finance and the University writ large
• Maintain and enhance operations, leveraging technology and other innovations to improve administrative efficiency and value
• Foster an environment wholly dedicated to student success and service excellence
• Lead, empower, and support the Administration and Finance team

Responsibilities

The Vice President of Administration and Finance and CFO is responsible for oversight of the Division of Administration and Finance. Key responsibilities include aligning divisional operational plans with the University strategic plan; engaging university constituents in providing feedback on business and administrative operations; ensuring sound financial management of the university’s fiscal and administrative control practices; liaising between the university and federal, state, and Chancellor’s Office auditors; overseeing university space allocation and facilities planning, design, construction, and maintenance; facilitating the creation of a capital plan that unites with the campus strategic plan; building partnerships with campus community members and community leaders in the Bay Area alike; guiding campus non-faculty personnel management, including effective human resources policies, practices, and services and working closely with organized labor; assuring a safe and secure campus environment through the University Police Department; overseeing the campus athletics department; and overseeing the university’s risk management and environmental health and safety programs.

Reporting to the President and serving as a key member of the President’s cabinet, the VPAF oversees the division’s 350 employees and $37M budget, as well as serving as the chief steward of the institution’s $225M operating budget. Direct reports to the VPAF include the Associate Vice President of Human Resources & Payroll, the Associate Vice President of Facilities Operations & Development, the Associate Vice President of Financial Services, the Associate Vice President of Information Technology & Chief Information Officer, the Chief of the University Police, the Director of Athletics, the Director of Audits and Compliance, and the Director of Administrative Processes.

Key Opportunities and Challenges

The VPAF will be a strategic, communicative, and thoughtful leader who is first and foremost dedicated to Cal State East Bay’s mission of student access and success. The incoming VPAF must have effective and progressive leadership skills to sustain and enhance the success of the Division of Administration and Finance, and to manage the team and campus through a time of unprecedented change. In doing so, the successful VPAF will:

Partner across campus to ensure ongoing, sustainable financial success for Cal State East Bay

In joining the leadership team at Cal State East Bay, the VPAF will serve as a strategic and collaborative partner across campus. The VPAF will develop productive relationships with partners in other units that will advance the university’s goals, including the strategic planning process currently underway. The VPAF will facilitate progress and buy-in on a number of initiatives, including upcoming capital projects, growth and balancing of funding sources, budget allocation processes, addressing deferred maintenance, and strategizing around space allocation in the post-pandemic landscape, all while maintaining an overarching focus on the success and advancement of Cal State East Bay and student success. In this way, the VPAF will play a key role in supporting the efforts of every unit on campus, providing the resources and operational support that underpins the success of the university in the short- and long-term.

Build a culture of trust, mutual respect, and transparency within the Division of Administration & Finance and the University writ large

Cal State East Bay leadership, faculty, staff, and community members seek a VPAF who is transparent and forthcoming in communicating complex financial information in accessible terms and in sharing the rationale behind critical financial decisions. The VPAF must be thoughtful in their communication style, open to feedback, and strategic in their approach, tailoring messaging appropriately for any given audience. In addition, the VPAF will be able and willing to engage stakeholders in a shared budgeting process that allows all voices to be heard. The VPAF will model respectful, consultative decision-making in a shared governance environment and will build trust around a shared commitment to the university’s mission.

Maintain and enhance operations, leveraging technology and other innovations to improve administrative efficiency and value

Leveraging best practices from across the CSU and beyond, the VPAF will take a close look at processes to identify duplication and minimize bureaucracy while maintaining accountability and fiscal, legal, and regulatory compliance. The VPAF must adhere to system-wide policies and compliance while supporting a culture of problem-solving and innovation. In addition, the VPAF will proactively target strategic investments in technology and infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of the campus community, including a growing commitment to environmental sustainability. Beyond campus, VPAF will work with partners across the CSU to share services and streamline processes and with local leaders to maintain and expand innovative public partnerships to continue the university’s success in serving its students and the community.

Foster an environment wholly dedicated to student success and service excellence

The VPAF will lead a large, diverse team that spans a broad array of duties. In order for the Division to successfully function, the VPAF must foster a shared sense of purpose and vision across the unit. A critical element of this shared vision will be a deeply held commitment to student success and service excellence across all functional areas of the Division. The VPAF will be responsible for setting an example and building a culture of professionalism, transparency, and accountability in delivering outstanding service to the campus community and ensuring that all decisions and processes are aligned with Cal State East Bay’s student-centered mission.

Lead, empower, and support the Administration and Finance team

The VPAF will understand the importance of maximizing the contributions of the Division’s talented staff to effectively achieve goals. Through accessible and supportive leadership, clarity of purpose, and ongoing opportunities for professional development, the VPAF will enable the team to continue to effectively serve the needs of the campus. A key element to success will include the ability to work effectively in a collective bargaining environment, while creating meaningful opportunities for growth, impact, and advancement for Administration and Finance staff. In addition, the VPAF will bring experience recruiting and retaining a diverse staff by fostering an inclusive sense of belonging and teamwork. The VPAF will be responsible for upholding and promoting the university’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.

Minimum Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree is required. A minimum of 10 years of directly related experience in progressively responsible financial and administrative management positions is required.

To best serve Cal State East Bay, the ideal candidate will have many of the following professional qualifications and personal characteristics:

• Leadership experience in comparable higher education institutions;
• In-depth knowledge of the full range of issues addressed by an administration and finance executive in a public higher education setting;
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills required;
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, students, and the external community;
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the ability to thrive in a diverse university community.

Preferred Skills and Knowledge

• Master’s degree or higher in a related field is preferred, especially an MBA.

Condition(s) of Employment

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including LiveScan, as appropriate), that may include, but is not limited to: criminal records check, verification of academic credentials, licenses, certificates, credit history, professional references and/or verification of work history is required for employment. Cal State East Bay will issue a conditional offer of employment to the selected candidate, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Unsatisfactory results may also affect the continued employment of current Cal State East Bay employees who were conditionally offered the position.

All background checks are conducted through the university's third party vendor, Accurate. LiveScan is conducted through the University Police Department.

EEO Statement

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Cal State East Bay does not discriminate on the basis of any protected categories: age, ancestry, citizenship, color, disability, gender, immigration status, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran's status. The University is committed to the principles of diversity in employment and to creating a stimulating learning environment for its diverse student body.

Other Information

Cal State East Bay has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled; for best consideration, please apply by January 9^th, 2022 . Complete applications will include a CV, cover letter, and statement of contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

All California State University campuses, including Cal State East Bay, are smoke and tobacco-free. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.csueastbay.edu/smokeandtobaccofree/

In compliance with state and federal crime awareness and campus security legislation, including The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, the Cal State East Bay Annual Campus Security Report is available at: http://www.csueastbay.edu/upd/safety-and-security-reports.html

At CSUEB, the following nine competencies have been identified as valued leadership qualities: Communication, Cooperation, Delegation, Empathy, Feedback, Innovation, Leadership Presence, Passion and Strategic Ability. While we may not expect our managers to exhibit all of these competencies, we do expect them to aspire to develop them. As part of the annual evaluation review process, the Vice President, Administration & Finance/CFO will be evaluated on each.

Sponsorship

Cal State East Bay is not a sponsoring agency for Staff or Management positions.

Mandated Reporter

The incumbent in this position may be considered a mandated reporter under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and will be required to comply with requirements set forth in the CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

CSU Vaccination Policy

CSU requires faculty, staff, and students who are accessing campus facilities to be immunized against COVID-19 or declare a medical or religious exemption from doing so. Any candidates advanced in a currently open search process should be prepared to comply with this requirement. The systemwide policy can be found at https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/9779821/latest/ and questions may be sent to hr@csueastbay.edu .

Advertised: November 16, 2021 (4:55 PM) Pacific Standard Time
Applications close: