Director of Financial Systems and Transformation

Director of Financial Systems and Transformation


About College of the Holy Cross:

Founded in 1843 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the College of the Holy Cross is among the nation's leading liberal arts institutions. A highly selective, four-year, exclusively undergraduate college of 3,100 students, Holy Cross is renowned for offering a rigorous, personalized education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition.

Holy Cross highly values the unique skills, perspective, talents and passion that each employee contributes to its learning community. To work at The College is to accept an invitation to participate in the growth and development of all campus members, students, faculty and staff. The College's commitment to diversity is an important feature of the Holy Cross education. Informed by the presence of diverse interpretations of the human experience, Holy Cross is building a community marked by freedom, mutual respect, and civility. We seek others who support our values of diversity and inclusiveness. Job candidates of all diverse backgrounds who embrace the open and inclusive culture of Holy Cross are welcome and encouraged to apply.


Job Description:

Job Summary

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Finance, the Director of Financial Systems and Transformation is responsible for the assessment, evaluation, and implementation of system updates that will transform the finance organization, drive new ways of working, and deliver positive impacts to members of the Holy Cross community, from end user to back office.? This individual is responsible for supporting the use of systems that interface with financial data throughout the College, ensuring efficient and effective operations, internal controls, data integrity, and the employment of best practices. This individual will be a key member of the Associate Vice President's direct report team, providing thought leadership of general financial operations and strategic uses of technology to enhance the experience of students, faculty, and staff. This is an on-premise or hybrid position.

Major Areas of Responsibility

In coordination with the leaders in the finance area, the IT department, and in support of the College's goals, mission, and vision:?

• Work closely with partners in the IT organization to define finance systems strategy, to design new and enhance existing finance systems, and to identify initiatives that will transform the finance function.? This includes serving as the lead finance representative on the?selection and identification?of key financial systems and other systems that interface with the general ledger.???
• Define financial system requirements considering the?end-to-end process,?including aspects such as user experience, logistical support required, ability to integrate with PeopleSoft and other key systems, ease of back-office functions, regulatory/compliance implications, and data/reporting needs.??
• Provide project and budget management of financial system implementations and enhancement projects.?
• Evaluate systems and update them to ensure they are configured to feed into the general ledger in an optimized way that provides for strong financial reconciliations between source systems and financial records, minimizing need for manual interventions when possible.?
• Work with areas impacted by system updates and changes to ensure new processes are operationalized in a sustainable way.?
• Lead change management and training processes on new systems, working with area leaders to ensure system and process changes are operationalized in a realistic and sustainable way.?
• Identify ways to streamline processes and more effectively leverage existing systems, with a long-term eye on staff time savings, where practical.?
• In coordination with the other finance leaders, evaluate and implement mechanisms to eliminate manual processes while ensuring appropriate internal control mechanisms remain in place.?
• Subject to data security protocols established by the IT team, monitor system access in key financial systems.
• Collaborate with the IT data governance team to seek ways to ensure data structures are documented and consistently applied throughout the entire finance area.???
• Build strong and positive relationships with individuals throughout the Holy Cross community who interface with financial systems, leading training efforts and providing insights that may create efficiencies.?
• Define and document system processes, data flow, controls and interfaces for financial information systems. Provide analytical and technical support to team members and end users. Develop and maintain training materials for financial systems including query writing.
• Support the Finance and Information Technology Services teams in performing system testing, assisting with implementations, business process improvements, system upgrades, system optimizations, production activities and end user engagement improvement initiatives. Coordinate with the Data Administrator in Information Technology Services to ensure data definitions are current, accurate, and documented, and that data integrity is maintained within Finance systems.
• Serve as a leader within the Finance team, modeling behavior as an inclusive and effective team leader who reinforces a positive, yet performance-driven culture.?
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Requirements:

Minimum Requirements

• Master's Degree (field open) preferred or combination of Bachelor's Degree with 8+ years of related administrative experience in an academic setting, preferably in a liberal arts context.
• Ability to keep track of numerous details, work independently, multi-task and make decisions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; demonstrated ability to manage complex projects.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google platform.

Technical Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, or another quantitative field, CPA designation strongly preferred, along with 10 years of progressive experience.?
• Proven track record with financial system implementation and streamlining other financial processes.?
• Strong understanding of how systems interface with the general ledger and/or impact end users, as demonstrated through Controller office experience, preferably in a higher education environment.
• Strong analytical, structured problem solving, critical thinking skills, and accounting skills, including familiarity with GAAP and general ledger data structures.?
• Advanced understanding of how data interfaces between systems.???
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills and ability to produce high-quality deliverables, oriented towards clarity and succinctness without missing critical details.?
• Understands, values and respects diversity as an individual, in a team and within groups while fostering an inclusive and supportive environment.?
• Commitment to the mission of the College of the Holy Cross.?

Core Competencies

• Demonstrated technical and functional expertise in major ERP systems and third-party systems with financially significant roles (e.g., point of sale, housing systems, expense reimbursement, food inventory management, budgeting, payroll, reporting, etc).
• Strong leadership skills?
• Financial acumen??
• Strategically-minded and goal oriented?
• Dependability?
• Flexibility?
• Service Oriented?
• Excellent Written & Verbal Communication?
• Proficient Problem Solving?
• Excellent Innovation/Creativity?
• Service oriented
• Strong Teamwork & Team Facilitation?
• Strong Interpersonal Skills?
• Understands values and respects diversity as an individual, in a team and within groups while fostering an inclusive and supportive environment.

To mitigate the spread and effects of COVID-19, and as an integral part of its public health and safety measures, College of the Holy Cross requires that all successful applicants show proof of full, up-to-date vaccination (including a booster dose once eligible) by an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine before beginning employment, unless an accommodation exempting the applicant from this policy has been granted. Applicants who wish to request an accommodation based on a disability or sincerely-held religious belief should inform Human Resources after an offer of employment is extended; please do not include any medical, genetic, or religious information in your application materials.


Additional Information:

This is a full-time, exempt-level level position. The College is committed to providing competitive market pay for its employees.The College also offers a competitive benefits package for full-time staff, including:

• 10% College contribution to the 403(b) Retirement Plan (1-year wait waiver available)
• Hybrid work
• NEW - condensed summer 4-day work week
• Tuition benefits
• Wellness programs & ongoing Training and Development opportunities
• Generous paid time off
• Free parking and free use of the athletic/fitness facilities.
• Click here to learn more.

College Description

The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit Catholic, undergraduate institution serving approximately 3,100 students. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and has a tradition of academic excellence. It is located atop Mount Saint James in Worcester, Massachusetts. The picturesque, 174-acre campus is an award-winning and registered arboretum.

Region Description

Worcester is a city of approximately 200,000 people centrally located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is approximately one hour from Boston, Hartford, and Providence, and three hours from New York City. Worcester is known as the Heart of the Commonwealth. Worcester offers many cultural and recreational opportunities which you can read more about here.

The College is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and complies with all Federal and Massachusetts laws concerning Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in the workplace.

A member of the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts (HECCMA).


Application Instructions:

Please attach a cover letter addressing the position requirements along with your resume.

In your cover letter please address how your work might support the College's mission as a Jesuit, undergraduate liberal arts college (see http://www.holycross.edu/mission) and its core commitment to diversity and inclusion. Please provide examples of any past work that illuminate your commitments in these areas. For more information, please visit http://holycross.edu/diversity.

Review of applications will begin as received and continue until the position has been filled.







To apply, visit https://holycross.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=148875

The College of the Holy Cross is a highly selective Catholic liberal arts college in the Jesuit tradition. It enrolls about 3,000 students and is located in a medium-sized city 45 miles west of Boston. The College seeks faculty members whose scholarship, teaching, advising, and on- and off-campus service demonstrate commitment to the educational benefits of a richly diverse community. Holy Cross aspires to meet the needs of dual-career couples, in part through its membership in Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts (http://www.heccma.org) and the New England Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (https://new-england.hercjobs.org/) jeid-5bb5ec0cfb26154ca7baabb9635d440c