VP of Business and Finance/Chief Financial Officer
10 days ago
New Orleans
Job Description THE SEARCH Dillard University, a selective, coeducational, residential, private university located in the heart of New Orleans, seeks a VP/ Chief Financial Officer who is visionary, strategic, collaborative, and innovative. The Vice President for Business and Finance serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and manages the areas of business, finance, investments, payroll, real estate, and bursar. Reporting to the President, the CFO serves as a member of the President’s Senior Executive Cabinet, participates in formulating broad strategic and managerial policies and decisions across all areas of the University. The CFO serves as the major fiscal steward of the University and ensures fiscal integrity and solvency of all University assets. Dedicated to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the university, the CFO is responsible for the financial planning and policies (including the capital plan), investments, budgeting, procurement, cash management, forecasting, revenue generation, debt management, and risk. The CFO will also work strategically alongside Dillard's President, advisory boards, and administrators to create a more holistic student experience by advancing Dillard's living, learning, and serving the community. This position is an exciting and challenging opportunity to help transform Dillard into an even more effective and efficient enterprise in partnership with Monique Guillory, Ph.D., appointed in December 2024 as the University's ninth president. U.S. News & World Report ranked Dillard among the top HBCUs, #16 in 2025, #67 in the nation for social mobility, and #153 among liberal arts colleges. Among its academic achievements, Dillard boasts a renowned 80-year-old nursing program and a prodigious physics program, ranked third in 2020 by the American Institute of Physics in producing African American physics graduates. Its pre-law program is also well known: in 2023, 100 percent of its students who applied for law schools were accepted. Founded more than 150 years ago in the aftermath of the Civil War in 1869, Dillard is located on a historic 55-acre campus in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans. The University is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church, receiving funding from members of the Louisiana Conference and individual churches alike. Dillard's distinguished faculty are dedicated to teaching, scholarship, internal and external service, and innovative academic programs. It enrolls approximately 1,200 students at the undergraduate level in its four colleges with 22 academic degree programs. Students come from 33 states and 12 countries. Reporting to the President, the CFO serves as the chief financial officer of the University and an integral position within the President’s vision for ensuring the institution's financial fortitude. The position provides an outstanding opportunity for a talented and thoughtful individual to provide leadership, strategic planning, and management of the division of Business and Finance, including Finance, Budget, and Payroll Investments. Assure that those departments can comply with external regulations and provide the best possible service to the University community and the University's external stakeholders. The next CFO must have a track record of success at a four-year college or University and a working knowledge of HBCUs (or minority-serving institutions), with a deep respect for their critical role in the lives of historically underrepresented and marginalized students of color. To sustain that legacy and its impact on global society, Dillard's next CFO must understand the existential threats facing many higher educational institutions and how they are especially challenging for HBCUs. Essential Duties and Functions * Support the President and the Trustees, formulate and implement Trustee policies in the above areas, and promote effective communication and cooperation between the various administrative offices. Specifically, support the Trustee Audit and Finance Committees and provide financial reports to the Board of Trustees. * Provide leadership across the University community in areas of finance, administration, and physical resources through presentations and work with various faculty and staff groups and organizations. * Provide vision and leadership of the University’s financial and business operations, including accounting, budgeting, grants and contract administration, auditing, tax, purchasing, real estate, fixed asset inventories, investment strategies, long range forecasting, and other fiscal imperatives. * Ensure adequate controls and substantiating documentation such that all purchases, financials, and accounts receivable pass independent and governmental audits and align with best ethical business practices. * Ensure appropriate reconciliation functions between the Offices of Business and Finance, and Sponsored Programs on a monthly basis to ensure the best stewardship of stakeholder relationships, including donors, students, suppliers, government, and other partners. * Approve university expenditures, including contract and purchasing regulations (All contracts must be approved by the President and reviewed by Legal Counsel before initiating). * Oversee the coordination and activities of independent auditors, ensuring all audit issues are resolved, all compliance issues are met, and the preparation of the annual financial statements is in accordance with U.S. GAAP and federal, state, and other required supplementary schedules and information. Education Minimum qualifications include a Bachelor’s from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning in Business Administration or Accounting. Master’s Degree in Business Administration or related area and/or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) preferred. Minimum Candidates must have: * Considerable experience in various financial and management areas. * Experience in higher education, preferably at a private institution * Experience setting up new systems that streamline fiscal operations. * A minimum of 8, preferably 10, years of experience in a senior role in higher education finance and/or accounting. * Experience supervising, mentoring, coaching, and training a finance/accounting team * Demonstrated success in financial planning and analysis. * Experience managing financial operations, including accounts payable/receivable, payroll, and auditing. * Be comfortable in a transformative, fast-paced environment * An understanding of the complexities of restricted, endowed, grants, and non-restricted accounts * Experience in building and supporting a team (change management) * Experience with SACSCOC or another regional accreditation organization Preferred: Preferably, the candidate has: * Experience with Jenzabar and ADP * An active membership in NACUBO * Experience in financing building and real estate projects * Outsourcing and shared services * Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities * Not-for-profit accounting in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, OMB Circulars A-133, A-110 and A-122, * Experience in managing Finance and Accounting, Business Services, Investments, Financial Aid, Payroll. * General office software, particularly the Microsoft Office Suite and Jenzabar software (or other similar not-for-profit general ledger software) and use of databases * The ability to foster and cultivate business opportunities and partnerships. * Create and assess financial statements and budget documents. * Excellent written and verbal communication skills. * Up-to-date knowledge of current financial and accounting computer applications. * Excellent verbal, analytical, organizational, and written skills. * Ability to strategize, problem solve, and make sound business decisions. * Experience in developing budgets and financial plans. * Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate teams. * Knowledge of regulatory standards and compliance requirements. * Familiarity with investment management and funding sources.