Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration

Job Description

Reporting to the Dean of the College of Education, the Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration serves as the chief financial officer for the College and provides leadership, oversight and strategic planning for all finance and administration functions in the College including Finance, Human Resources, the Office of Technology, and College facilities. The Assistant Dean will serve on the Dean’s leadership team and provide recommendations, guidance and decision support to ensure the strategic goals of the College are met. The Assistant Dean will exercise a high level of independent and professional judgment to develop, propose, and implement strategies and long-range operational planning that advances the goals of the Dean and contributes to the successful business and financial operations of the College. This position will also develop and implement administrative and budgetary policies that provide excellent and proactive resource management and high-quality customer service to college faculty, staff and students. At the discretion of the Dean, the Assistant Dean will have decision-making authority with respect to allocation and expenditure of funds and will be expected to take initiative and identify solutions to anticipated and emergent issues.

The Assistant Dean will be a strategic leader in the College and must be able to communicate clearly and persuasively about complex financial data and think creatively about how to meet financial and budgetary challenges and opportunities. This position will have frequent and substantive interactions with a variety of internal and external constituents, serving as the direct representative of the Dean as directed, and requires an effective leader with individual initiative, excellent communication skills, and the desire to motivate and serve multiple stakeholders and enable them to meet the expectations of the Dean and the College while working within UW regulations and policies and ensuring overall compliance.

Primary Responsibilities

Strategic Planning

Serve as a key member of the Dean’s leadership team and act as lead administrative partner for the Dean in promoting and supporting the mission of the College and its finance and administration function. Provide high-level support to the Dean and ensure an effective executive leadership team by establishing priorities, controlling costs, identifying important issues, developing action plans, and monitoring progress towards agreed-upon goals.

In partnership with the Dean, College faculty, and staff leadership, including the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Associate Dean for Research, lead strategic thinking in business matters including projected benefits and consequences of decisions, and assist with the development and implementation of a strategic plan for the College. Provide advice and counsel to the Dean and leadership team on short- and long-term planning and develop key metrics to measure and report on the progress of strategic objectives. Ensure timely decision making on issues of strategic importance.

Lead the development of the comprehensive annual budget/operating plan, and annual Provost Budget Submission process that support the mission, strategic goals and core values of the College. Oversee preparation and prepare submissions of state budget and budget revisions to the Office of Finance, Planning and Budgeting and the Provost’s Office. Organize financial presentations for the Dean, translating complex financial information into general summaries for College faculty, staff and student stakeholders.

Partner with faculty to support the faculty governance process. Serve on the faculty council budget committee and attend regular and ad hoc faculty meetings to share financial information and context to help inform faculty input and advisement to the dean on strategic planning, goal setting and budget planning.

Develop relationships and strong working partnerships with College and University leadership, faculty, students and staff members. Communicate and support the Dean’s strategic priorities and mission and contribute to positive team-building throughout the College. Develop and implement policies and procedures to support the College financially, academically and operationally. Participate as a representative on institutional and College committees as assigned.

In collaboration with college leadership, oversee project funding requests to UW Capital Projects, Capital and Space Planning offices, and College construction projects. Maintain awareness of College space usage to ensure the most efficient use of limited space available and inform long-range space planning goals.

Finance and Administration Management and Compliance

Oversee the management of all College funding sources, fiscal operations, and accounting functions relative to all budgets. Promote compliance and manage risk in accordance with policies of the University, other oversight bodies, guidelines from the state and federal government, and other research project sponsors and external partners to ensure the College’s financial activities, operations and resources are in alignment with mission and requirements.

Develop a deep understanding of existing financial reporting systems and identify and implement new resources and processes as needed to optimize the College’s ability to manage financial performance within Workday Finance and the UW activity-based budgeting environment. Oversee internal controls to ensure integrity of all financial transactions in accordance with applicable jurisdictions and develop and implement additional internal controls and processes as needed. Ensure adherence to procedures for implementation, execution, and review/audit of fiscal operations.

Participate in collaborative decision making about resource allocation and exercise a big picture approach to the College’s business and financial planning to ensure the successful operation of the College and the collective mission. Provide the Dean and College leadership with information that guides their evaluation of alternatives through prompt and accurate financial reporting and an ability to generate iterative financial and budget models/scenarios.

Develop and produce long-term, specialized and ad-hoc financial reports requiring a high level of sophistication and complexity relative to the University and the College. Prepare information and reports that evaluate programs, forecasts trends, analyzes performance results, projects revenue, addresses financial concerns, and allows for informed decision making by the Dean and college leadership.

Oversee the approval of College grant and contract proposals on behalf of the Dean and ensure that funded research needs on College infrastructure are met including financial management and reporting, staffing, space, research technology, information management and data security, and more. Maintain awareness of relevant national and state trends in research funding. 

In partnership with the Dean and College leadership, and in collaboration with the Director of Human Resources, provide financial oversight and input to the College’s merit, promotion, retention, and salary adjustments processes, reviewing for compression and equity and ensuring the availability of resources to support all salary actions.

Supervision and Leadership

Supervise the Directors responsible for Finance, Human Resources, Information and Learning Technology, and Facilities and Space Management, leading the development of a diverse and successful team. Foster collaboration across the team to coordinate College-wide process improvement and workflow and ensure effective and efficient infrastructure support throughout the College with a focus on responsive and high-touch customer service for college faculty, staff, students, and internal and external university partners. Motivate the team, enhance supervisor effectiveness, and ensure employee retention and satisfaction.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Administration or related field and a minimum of seven years in a senior-level financial lead or professional position with financial, organizational and operational responsibilities in a complex and dynamic organization.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

Additional Requirements

• Demonstrated experience in business planning, financial analysis, organizational development and strategic planning. 

• Experience interpreting and communicating financial information to people with varied exposure to and understanding of complex budgets and strategic planning (i.e., from deans to students).

• Superior analytical, written, and verbal communication and presentation skills.

• Outstanding team development, people management, project management, facilitation, and negotiation skills. 

• Demonstrated ability to effectively supervise, lead, and delegate to staff. 

• Proficiency in the computing environment, Microsoft Office Suite applications; a high level of proficiency in applying Microsoft Excel to financial management, forecasting, and accounting tasks is expected. 

• Must work comfortably within a collaborative team environment.

• Must exercise sound judgment and maintain a high degree of integrity with the ability to maintain confidentiality and use discretion.

• Ability and willingness to adjust to changing priorities on very short notice as well as the ability to manage multiple projects with varying deadlines.

Desired Qualifications

• A master’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Administration or related field

• Knowledge of and experience in working with the University of Washington’s financial systems, including Workday Finance.

• Familiarity with Activity Based Budgeting (ABB) model.

• Experience with business administration and finance in a research-intensive environment or an institute of higher education is highly desirable.

• Familiarity with academic policies and procedures.

Cover Letter Requirement:

• An introduction

• State the specific position for which they are applying

• A summary of how your qualifications, skills, and experiences align with the key responsibilities and requirements of the position.

Compensation, Benefits and Position Details

Pay Range Minimum:

Pay Range Maximum:

Other Compensation:

Benefits:

Shift:

Temporary or Regular?

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent):

Union/Bargaining Unit:

About the UW 

Working at the University of Washington provides a unique opportunity to change lives – on our campuses, in our state and around the world.  

UW employees bring their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier world. In return, they enjoy outstanding benefits, opportunities for professional growth and the chance to work in an environment known for its diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. 

Our Commitment 

The University of Washington is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and welcoming community for all. As an equal opportunity employer, the University considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status consistent with UW Executive Order No. 81.

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu. 

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.