Vice Chancellor of Finance

Position Summary:

The Vice Chancellor for Finance (VCF) provides overall leadership of the College’s financial operations, in support of its mission, vision and strategic goals. The VCF is responsible for managing, directing, and integrating broad, comprehensive financial services for the College, including planning, organizing, coordinating, and implementing activities relating to the College’s budgeting, accounting, payroll, debt management, grants, purchasing, and auxiliary services.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides strategic, innovative leadership in the planning, implementation, assessment and improvement of the College’s financial services, and related programs in support of College mission, vision, and goals.
• Directs the fiscal operations of the College, including planning and overseeing the development of the institution’s annual general fund budget, budgets for other operational funds, institutional assets and the annual audit. Prepares, monitors, controls and ensures adherence with fiscal year budget and the Annual Financial Review (AFR).
• Oversees financial reporting activities for the College, including but not limited to, income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, capital project reports, reports to funding organizations and reports to support contracts and grants. In consultation with the Chancellor and Board of Supervisors, works continuously to improve financial reporting for the College and is the primary contact with the LCTCS office staff and the external auditors on financial and audit matters.
• Provides leadership in the development and implementation of College financial policies and procedures; ensures compliance with College accounting and financial reporting requirements, laws and regulations.
• Develops and maintains systems of internal controls to safeguard financial assets of the College.
• Oversees the strategic planning for and management of all procurement and purchasing functions for the College to provide the highest levels of support to all College departments.
• Implements industry best practices in all financial operations of the College. Strategizes and recommends policies and procedures to achieve greater efficiency in allocation and use of resources.
• Provides advises, counsels and recommends to the Chancellor and Executive Team on financial matters.
• Develops and maintains working relationships with the SOWELA Technical Community College Foundation, various governmental entities and other organizations that conduct business with the College.
• Responsible for employee supervision and holding staff accountable. Responsible for leadership in the training and motivation of employees; all in a spirit of teamwork and high performance expectations.
• Ensures College compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations (in example, accrediting commissions, licensing requirements, administrative regulations and Board policies). Applies the College’s interpretation of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
• Conducts outreach to foster collaborative working relationships with businesses, agencies, community organizations and education institutions. Serves as College representative on various statewide, local and College committees. Attends events as appropriate.
• Serves as a member of the Chancellor’s Executive Team.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements:

• CPA and/or Master’s degree in accounting, finance, public administration, business administration or related field.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible senior-level financial and administrative management experience, preferably in a public sector environment. Prior department head and executive-level experience required.
• Experience with policies, trends and issues in higher education, especially in the community college environment.
• Prior successful experience working directly with both internal and external auditors, Boards of Supervisors and state oversight agencies.
• Prior successful experience leading, supervising, and mentoring professional managers.
• Experience working with diverse backgrounds of a college’s community, students and employees; demonstrated commitment to promoting access and diversity.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strategic thinker who can provide strong and innovative financial and organizational leadership.
• Service orientation to work and collaborative management style that fosters teamwork.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the demonstrated ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Knowledge of and commitment to the use of information technology to support finance and administrative programs.
• Knowledge of community college financing mechanisms and the fiscal requirements relating to federal education programs.
• In depth knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Generally Accepted Governmental Auditing Standards (GAGAS).
• Knowledge of theory, principles, practices and techniques of public administration including budgeting, financial planning and management, budget law, human resources, and procurement law.

Physical Requirements / Efforts:

In order to comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, all employees are asked to read and acknowledge the information below:

• Use a computer for composing, storing, and retrieving information.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing.
• Perform basic mathematical computations needed to complete assignments.
• Read and interpret computer printouts and numerical data which may be in very small print.
• Plan, organize, and prioritize job duties in order to meet deadlines.
• Reach, stoop, kneel, and crouch as required for filing and storage of office supplies and other work-related equipment.
• Lift and move items weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Work a regular Monday through Friday schedule of eight hours per day and occasional weekends and overtime as may be required.

Reasonable accommodations may be requested and made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job duties.