Senior Director of Budget and Financial Planning

Job Description

NORMAL WORK HOURS: 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday

IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR: Vice President of Finance and Administration

OTHERS WHO MAY ASSIGN WORK: Associate Vice President of Finance

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Budget and Financial Planning (Director) leads the budget preparation and financial forecast, data analytics and planning functions for the College, communicating implications of budgetary assumptions to internal and external constituencies. Reporting to the Vice President of Finance and Administration (VPFA) and working in collaboration with the Associate Vice President of Finance (AVPF) and college leadership, the Director initiates, designs, and oversees issue-specific analyses to address current or future needs and contributes to the development of college-wide strategic initiatives.

The Director collaborates with the Director of Institutional Research in developing and analyzing data and with the Registrar’s and Admission Offices in projecting net tuition revenue and related fees. The Director instigates and facilitates budget process improvement opportunities and problem-resolution efforts involving cross-sections of college staff, faculty and students and guides and participates in planning, implementation, upgrading and maintenance of information systems related to budget, financial planning and position management.

The Director develops, implements, and maintains college-wide budgetary and financial planning policies, processes, and procedures, and supervises a supporting budget analyst. The role involves close collaboration within a small and innovative community to design, refine, and apply budget and forecasting models and processes that support the full range of academic, administrative, and student operations at a leading-edge engineering college.

This is an in-person/on-campus position based in Needham, MA, with possible flexible work options. Any approved remote work arrangement must be performed in the state of Massachusetts where Olin is registered to do business.

Responsibilities

• Oversees the annual budget development and quarterly budget forecast processes. This involves working collaboratively with the VPFA, AVPF, and budget managers in academic and administrative functions throughout the College.
• Continually monitors adherence to Board-approved budgets. Prepares and maintains balanced operating, capital, and cash budgets.
• Designs and executes creative, story-driven financial analyses that reveal insights across disaggregated data and complex cost centers; synthesizes results into actionable recommendations that inform college priorities.
• Contributes to the College’s ability to meet strategic objectives by preparing pro-forma financial assessments for new programs, construction programs, new or refinanced debt issues, etc. that are under consideration, including the projected impact on financial statements and ratios.
• Understands the College’s business model; develops reports to enhance effective decision-making, and occasionally provides training to faculty, students and staff on the college’s budget, its challenges, opportunities, and the implications of various activities.
• Attends Trustee Committee Meetings and frequently full Board Meetings and provides supporting financial reports and presentations as needed.
• Works collaboratively with the Financial Affairs Team and leadership across the College to streamline and improve budget and forecasting processes.
• Works collaboratively with the Finance and Technology leadership to participate and support upgrades to the existing systems and/or support new system implementations.
• Maintains the Budget module in the college’s ERP system.
• Trains and directly assists departmental budget managers on budgetary compliance; develops and implements tools for use by budget managers enhancing their ability to effectively manage their budgets.
• Leverages advanced Excel modeling and modern AI-aided tools to build and maintain forecasting models, optimize planning efforts, and explore innovative budget scenarios.
• Drives continuous improvement to augment communication and flow of information to and from the departmental budget managers.
• Represents Olin in the budget community of practice within the Boston Consortium for Higher Education.
• Other relevant duties as assigned.
  
  

Experience And Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Finance or Accounting; Master's degree in business administration (MBA) or certified public accountant (CPA) preferred.
• At least 10 years of progressive budget, projection and long-range planning experience required, including two years’ experience managing a budget process, preferably in the higher education or non-profit industry.
• Strong working knowledge of not-for-profit GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) as it applies to higher education.
• Strong strategic and analytical ability, including experience in budget development, financial applications, and accounting systems; use of AI tools to drive creative analytical and process solutions.
• Must be able to work with limited direction and comfortable making decisions and/or recommendations to leadership.
• Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to values of equity, access, and belonging.
• Enjoys interacting with people including faculty, staff, students at all levels; Comfortable leading meetings and delivering presentations that accommodate various levels of expertise and understanding of college finances.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills. Must be able to effectively communicate both orally and in writing with all levels of employees, supervisors, management, and external consultants.
• Comfortable working knowledge of higher education budget drivers, financial planning and analysis, and accounting principles.
• Substantive experience streamlining, refining, and automating financial processes.
• Advanced MS Office skills, especially Excel (pivot tables, macros, v-lookups).
• Collaborative and flexible management style; persuasive and diplomatic in effecting change, strives for continuous improvement, willingness to “roll-up” sleeves.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive data and materials.
• Flexible on-campus / at-home schedule is permitted supported by upfront and ongoing relationship building through participation with the College community in various activities regardless of whether they directly relate to budget responsibilities.
  
  

Company Description

Olin College of Engineering seeks employees who are passionate about working collaboratively within and outside of the Olin community to support the College’s mission and vision for the future. At Olin, we are educating the next generation of engineering innovators and shifting the definition of engineering. Not only do our students ask, “Who are we designing this for, and what are their values?” They also ask questions about the impact of their work on society.

As Olin evolves under the leadership of our president, Dr. Gilda Barabino, we seek to become a more diverse and aware community, a place where everyone is a learner and where everyone is an educator. Olin will become a place where experimentation—including making and learning from mistakes—will be embraced across the institution, not just in the classroom. Collaboration is key to Olin’s curriculum and culture, and we will work intentionally to reinforce the values and culture to which we aspire. We are a community that thrives on being together; we value trust. The College supports teams to collaboratively decide how they can best do their work, and display a commitment to the community, all while providing individuals with overall work-life flexibility.

Olin College is situated on 75 acres in Needham, Massachusetts. We are approximately ten miles from Boston, one mile from the MBTA Commuter Rail train station, and approximately four miles from the Woodland Station for the MBTA Green Line. We have plenty of free parking on campus. You can find more details on our Visiting Campus page.

• Take a Virtual Campus Tour: From the moment you step on campus at Olin, you feel a buzz of energy and activity—and once you experience it, you want to be a part of it.
  
  

Olin College is committed to supporting an innovative, integrated learning and working environment. As a small campus, the in-person experience and cross-team collaboration is what helps build a strong, dynamic community for our students, faculty and staff. Typically, most roles at Olin College are intended to be in-person and on-campus. Certain paid positions may be eligible for flexible working arrangements, at the College’s sole discretion. Any approved remote work arrangement for pay must be performed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where Olin is registered to do business. Individual flexible and remote work options can be discussed during the interview process.

Benefits

Olin College prides itself on offering to faculty and staff comprehensive benefits that provide both choice and value. These benefits are an important part of total compensation.

Full-time employees scheduled to work at least 30 hours per week may be eligible for the following benefits:

Core Benefits

• Medical (three different options)
• Dental
• Vision
• Basic Life and AD&D Insurance (company paid)
• Paid Family Medical Leave
• Long Term Disability (company paid)
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with company match
• Liberal sick and vacation time and paid holidays
• Free parking
  
  

Additional Benefits

• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Business Travel Insurance
• Supplemental 403(b) Retirement Plan
• Travel Assistance Services (company paid)
• Health Care Management Program
• Pet Insurance
  
  

Please note that benefits are subject to change at any time.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

At Olin College we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace. If you’re excited about a role and have relevant experience, but your work history doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we'd nevertheless encourage you to apply.

Olin College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We especially welcome applications from candidates belonging to groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA people, and people with disabilities. Employees of the College who have a disability are welcome to request reasonable accommodations by contacting Human Resources at HR@olin.edu.