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Position Number: 001305

Department: Academic Affairs (Adm)

Employment Type: Permanent - Full-time

Months Per Year: 12

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Guidance. The Senior Business Officer provides division-level leadership and advisory support to college and academic unit business officers. This position serves as the principal business partner for college and academic support unit leadership, providing expert guidance on all financial operations and offering expert advice on a diverse portfolio of funds, including state appropriations, trust funds, grants, and endowments.

+ Financial Partnership: Manages business partnerships with college-level and unit-level leadership, conducting regular budget review meetings, and assisting in the annual planning process for all fund types.

+ Operational Oversight: Provides oversight and analysis of college and unit-level financial data, offering data-driven recommendations and alternatives to management regarding trends, change management, and resource allocation.

+ Budgeting Leadership: Provides guidance and oversight for the annual and multi-year budgeting process for all funds. Determines appropriate budget methodologies and coordinates all aspects of the budget, including salary, personnel, operations, and capital planning.

+ Liaison and Representation: Serves as the primary liaison between the business officers and Academic Affairs leadership on budget-related issues. Represents leadership in the absence of the Associate Provost for Academic Budget.

Human Resources Operational Expertise and Coverage

The Senior Business Officer has full operational knowledge of human resources functions for the college and non-college units. They must be capable of providing direct supervision of staff, overseeing recruitment, hiring, performance management, and handling personnel-related issues for various classifications of employment across Academic Affairs.

Key Responsibilities

+ Faculty Hiring and Promotion Management: Provides the necessary coverage to manage processes related to faculty hiring, promotion, retention, and special compensation, ensuring procedural accuracy and equity.

+ College Business Staff Supervision: Provides the necessary coverage to supervise business staff positions with job responsibilities related to budget and human resources, ensuring effective talent management and compliance with university policies.

+ Staff Development and Workforce Planning: Oversees initiatives related to staff development, workforce planning, and succession strategies to ensure a sustainable and high-performing workforce.

+ HR Compliance: Ensures divisional alignment and provides coverage to manage compliance with federal, state, and university HR policies, including salary administration, promotions, and performance reviews, maintaining alignment with institutional guidelines.

+ Personnel Issue Resolution: Collaborate with leaders to resolve disciplinary matters and other personnel issues in a fair and timely manner.

+ Confidential Information Management: Handle sensitive personnel information with care, ensuring discretion and confidentiality in all HR matters.

Consultation and Professional Development. As the principal leader for business officer development, this position designs, develops, and delivers comprehensive training and knowledge-sharing programs to elevate the skills of the business officers and administrative staff across the division.

+ Knowledge Management: Provides training and consultation to all levels of business staff and leadership on financial and accounting support and on processes related to Academic Affairs HR. Designs and implements systems for the management of the division budget and overall financial activity.

+ Policy and Compliance: Interprets and communicates policies and procedures to stakeholders, ensuring appropriate internal controls and compliance. Performs regular risk assessments and oversees monthly/quarterly/fiscal year-end close processes.

+ Problem-Solving: Utilizes technical and professional knowledge to resolve unique and complex problems with significant organizational impact. Serves as a division-level subject matter expert on budget and fiscal issues, as well as a technical expert on university systems and methodologies.

Supervision and Management This position provides direct supervision to a small team of professional staff and student workers while providing management guidance to the broader network of approximately 100 business and administrative staff across the division.

+ Direct Supervision: Directly supervises two full-time professional staff, providing guidance, onboarding, performance management, and professional development.

+ Indirect Oversight: Oversees and provides management guidance for lead business officers and support staff within the division’s colleges and units.

+ Workforce Planning: Ensures an appropriate structure and organization of work, along with backup plans and cross-training for operational continuity during times of leave or vacancies.

Minimum Experience / Education:

+ Requires a relevant post-Baccalaureate degree with a minimum of five (5) years or greater of related professional experience, or

+ A relevant undergraduate degree and a minimum of seven (7) years or greater of relevant experience.

Preferred Education Skills and Experience:

+ Advanced degree, MBA preferred.

+ Higher education experience, preferably working within academic affairs.

+ Demonstrated experience in a role responsible for budget planning, financial management, resource allocation, and business services, including human resources management.

+ Demonstrated analytical and organizational skills, interpersonal and managerial expertise, and a demonstrated capacity for leadership initiative and teamwork.

+ Systems experience, including extracting and manipulating complex data from an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system such as PeopleSoft or Banner, and Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, data manipulation, and generating complex financial reports.