Assistant Dean, Finance & Administration

Job Description:

Reporting to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and serving as a key member of the College's leadership team, the Assistant Dean provides transformational executive-level leadership overseeing critical financial and administrative planning and operations across the College. The Assistant Dean serves as an advisor to the Dean and to other members of the Dean’s leadership team on financial and human resources strategy, risk management, and administrative and operational components of the College.

Job Details:

The College of Liberal Arts is the largest of the 13 schools and colleges at the University of Texas at Austin, and is at the heart of academic learning at the University. With twenty-five distinct academic departments, and over 50 programs, centers, institutes, and initiatives, the College is a vibrant intellectual community comprised of diverse and highly talented faculty and staff. The Assistant Dean will have the opportunity to effect and influence significant financial and administrative transformation in a collegial environment. This critical leadership role will be expected to maneuver with agility across various areas of financial and administrative responsibilities, all while maintaining strategic vision and direction over the breadth and scope of the College’s overall administrative operations.

Ideal candidates should have extensive demonstrable skills and experience in leading complex and large organizations through strategic and transformative growth and change in the areas of financial budgeting and operations, and human resources administration and planning. Candidates for this opportunity must possess an exceptional ability to collaborate across a diverse range of constituents, both internal and external to the College, while consistently representing the interests of the College to the broader University community.

Responsibilities

• Oversees the college's financial and business functions including accounting, reporting and forecasting, purchasing and payables, cash management, operational funding, as well as internal controls and compliance. Executes the annual representation letter and performs the accounts certification and review of balances for the college. Acts as Chief Financial Officer for the College of Liberal Arts and serves as its representative on the Council of University Business Officers (CUBO).
• Coordinates the preparation of the fiscal budget for the College of Liberal Arts comprised of appropriated funds, tuition and fees, and gift and endowment funds. Coordinates the preparation of the five-year budget planning document. Tracks faculty hiring commitments. Ensures compliance with institutional policies and procedures.
• Serves as a part of the leadership team for the College, contributing leadership, advice, and oversight in addressing operational challenges, performance, and the business direction of CoLA. Ensures that College stakeholders have access to financial reporting and analyses so as to act as knowledgeable participants in decisions, while aligning the operations of the College with the fiscal and productivity guidelines of the University. Serves as liaison with the Provost's Office, Budget Office, Office of Accounting, Office of Sponsored Projects and other administrative offices of the University.
• Prepares financial and other statistical reports, including aggregating unit-specific financial information at the department level. Manages and fulfills financial commitments. Manages special funding requests. Provides strategic counsel on initiatives, resources, opportunities, and challenges while ensuring that daily operations advance the mission of the College and that resources are deployed wisely and efficiently. Provides regular financial reporting and analysis to the deans and other senior leaders. On an ad hoc basis, generates financial reports to accommodate a diverse set of needs and users.
• Leads, develops, oversees, and retains high-performing business and administrative professionals in the Financial Affairs, Human Resources, Business, and Centralized Business Services teams.
• Works closely with a team of seasoned HR professionals in the College to maintain consistency between financial and HR processes and commitments, develop and enforce consistent and equitable policies and procedures, and ensure the College continuously responds to rapidly evolving labor markets in a competitive and sustainable manner. Provides leadership to HR in financial analysis of compensation policies and levels.
• Reviews/approves account requests, cash advances, OOEFs, and other business-related forms and processes for the college. Oversees development and enforcement of fiscal and administrative policy and procedures for the college.
• Interprets and effectively communicates policy. Implements and leads processes to facilitate compliance. Inspires collaboration. Provides a service orientation with high standards of performance.

 Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 10 years of relevant administrative experience, including financial and operational leadership responsibilities in a college, university, or comparably complex environment.
• Demonstrated record of leadership and of establishing and maintaining productive, collaborative relationships in a complex, distributed organization.
• Broad administrative experience across a range of functions including finance, human resources, facilities, and planning.
• Demonstrated expertise working with finances and budgets.
• Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated organizational, problem-solving, and team-building skills.
• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree, especially an MBA, MPA and/or CPA.
• Familiarity with both Federal and State of Texas statutes and regulations related to finances and accounting, and knowledge of GAAP.
• Demonstrated record of increasing the diversity, equity, and inclusivity of teams and organizations.
• Strong interest in the liberal arts and higher education.

Working Conditions

• Typical university office environment
• Will require occasional evening and weekend work.
• This position is eligible for a hybrid Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) (on-campus and remote work). FWA arrangements are subject to manager approval and may shift due to changes in business needs.  The remote location must have a reliable internet connection to support working remotely. UT policies on Flexible Work Arrangements are available at https://hr.utexas.edu/current/fwa.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

What benefits do I receive at UT?  The University offers an impressive benefits package. For more details on benefits, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards

 For more information about the College of Liberal Arts, please visit: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/

The College seeks to build a supportive, growth-minded community and cultivate outstanding and courageous leaders. In order to foster leadership growth and development for our staff, the College is proud to provide opportunities including the Staff Leadership Academy and the Staff Professional Development Fund.

 For more information on the Staff Leadership Academy, please visit: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/resources-for-faculty-staff/staff-leadership-academy/

 For more information on Staff Professional Development Fund, please visit:

https://wikis.utexas.edu/display/larc/Staff+Professional+Development+Fund