Job Details

Academic Affairs Director of Finance & Administrative Services
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Position Number: 5994943
Location: Cheney, WA
Position Type: Business and Financial Management

Academic Affairs Director of Finance & Administrative Services

About Eastern Washington University:

Eastern Washington University, a regional, comprehensive public university with an enrollment of over 10,000 students, is one of six state-funded four-year institutions of higher education in Washington, each governed by its own board of trustees. As the regions polytechnic, we are recognized for our distinctive approach to hands-on learning that leads to in-demand careers. EWUs 300-acre main campus is located in Cheney, a community of 12,000 residents 16 miles southwest of Washingtons second largest city, Spokane. Eastern also offers programs in downtown Spokane at the innovative, energy-efficient Catalyst building, the SIERR building which is a hub for research, development and advancement of health sciences, and at Riverpoint, a campus shared with Washington State University. In addition, EWU programs can be found at select locations throughout the state, aligned with the needs of the community. Eastern contributes to the vitality of the region and the state through its wide array of bachelors and masters degrees in over 100 fields of study, as well as applied doctorates in physical therapy and educational leadership, offering accessible pathways to career success and personal development to students of all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

Eastern Washington University has been recognized for its commitment to helping undergraduate students learn, grow and succeed by Colleges of Distinction, a nationally trusted resource guide for college-bound students. The honor recognizes Eastern as a 24-25 College of Distinction (CoD).

Money magazine recently named EWU as one of its Best Colleges in America 2024.

Tribal Land Acknowledgement
Eastern Washington University resides within the traditional homelands of the Spokane People and other tribes who are connected through their shared history of this region. This land holds their cultural DNA and it is their Ancestors who are here and bring forth the knowledge of this place-the knowledge that comes from the land.

Job Summary:

The Office of Academic Affairs at Eastern Washington University is currently seeking skilled and team-oriented applicants for our Academic Affairs Director of Finance & Administrative Services position.

The Academic Affairs Financial and Administrative Services Officer is responsible for providing a broad and deep level support, and assistance to the Academic Affairs on budget development, preparation, monitoring, and management. Primary responsibilities are focused on providing budgetary and administrative management to the functional areas of Academic Affairs.

The successful candidate understands the units priorities and is well versed in complex budgeting strategies and planning, revenue streams, funding mechanisms, financial analysis, and enjoys serving in an advisory role offering suggestions and guidance to the functional areas. The ideal leader is highly collaborative and excels in building and maintaining relationships across the division.

See Job Duties section for detailed description of the positions responsibilities.

EWU is committed to supporting and promoting a diverse workforce and encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for this position.

The salary range for this position is $85,793 (minimum) - $102,952. Where the hired candidate will begin within this range is dependent on education, experience, and skills. On top of salary, the university offers a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, life and disability insurance and retirement. In addition, EWU offers generous vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays per year and fringe benefits, such as tuition waiver for employees, discounted
EWU sports tickets and free transportation through STA buses. For additional information regarding insurance benefits please see our Benefits page: https://inside.ewu.edu/hr/benefits/insurance/.

Eastern Washington University provides an inclusive, equitable, and transformative learning experience, driving the pursuit of knowledge with affordable academic excellence.

Position is open until filled. Screening of applications will begin on February 18, 2025 and applications will continue to be screened until recruitment is closed and position is filled.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelors degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or related field and 5 years or more years of related work experience
Experience in budgeting, financial analysis, and long-range planning
Knowledge of GAAP accounting principles
Experience developing financial management reports, summarizing complex information and the ability to effectively communicate results to leadership as evidenced by application materials
Excellent management and organizational skills with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail
Effective and professional verbal and written communication skills
Demonstrated interest, ability and/or experience promoting cultural competency, universal accessibility, and/or diversity.

Preferred Qualifications:

Masters degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or related field
3 or more years of management experience using financial reporting systems to analyze and report data and make informed decisions
Knowledge of budget planning systems and database applications
Demonstrated ability to develop and implement policies, management priorities, and initiatives
Experience in a large, complex organizational setting
Previous experience working in a higher education setting

Other Skills and Abilities:

Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills
Analytical and demonstrated problem-solving skills, both technically and functionally
High emotional intelligence and diplomacy with the ability to bring stakeholders with diverse goals/objectives/perspectives to consensus
Ability to work strategically and foster a collaborative atmosphere
Ability to work with a diverse constituency

Job Duties:
Budget/Finance

Provide leadership and direction in the development and execution of the annual budget for the functional areas. Build and develop a sustainable fiscal year budget based on revenues, allocations and distributions to support the operating costs and unit spending plans.
Advise the Academic Affairs Division leadership in implementing, coordinating, and controlling all budget and fiscal services for the functional areas, including grant and contracts, endowments, and scholarship oversight. Analyze cost of operations and make recommendations to assure appropriate income and cash flow.
Lead the strategic budget planning and manage the annual budget preparation to respond to any re-forecasting changes needed. This will include the development of analysis for expenditures, high level financial review, qualitative analysis of results, and various financial projections.
Analyze options related to budget operations and assist the functional area leadership with developing budgets and strategies that support accomplishment of their goals and objectives.
Monitor fiscal performance of functional areas to ensure compliance and effective internal controls. Review variances reports (budget vs. actual) for revenues and expenses each fiscal period. Follow up on unexpected results.
Manage funds/indexes to ensure that sufficient revenue and expenditure budget is available to support operating activities in the current fiscal year and beyond. Clear any budget (org/index level) deficit in the following fiscal period.
Serve as the primary point of contact for budget and purchasing questions related to process and compliance with university policies and procedures. Ensure purchases are appropriate, accurate and complies with applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures. Ensure posting of transactions are reconciled to supporting documentation.

Percent of Time: 60

Management/Leadership

Develop and implement internal controls and procedures to ensure compliance with university policies and procedures, consulting with Business and Finance units as well as Academic Affairs functional area leadership.
Work with Academic Affairs Division leadership to develop and implement financial and administrative policies, procedures, and management reports.
Provide training, assistance, and advice to functional area administrative staff concerning administrative policies, procedures and financial management.
Monitor the processing of necessary funding changes for functional area staff.

Percent of Time: 25

Strategic Initiatives of Functional Areas

Cultivate an environment where the team respects and adheres to unit standards of integrity and ethics by integrating these values into all programs and practices.
Collaborate closely with institutional finance leadership and team members to drive strategic financial initiatives, foster effective communication, and ensure alignment with institutional goals and objectives.
Participate in the planning and development of functional areas strategic priorities as assigned by the functional area leadership and University goals.
Represents the functional areas on strategic initiatives that impact the financial operations of said areas.
Perform other related duties as assigned by functional area leadership.

Percent of Time: 10

Other Duties as Assigned

Develop and implement a records retention strategy in compliance with the University Retention Schedule for Administrative and fiscal records.
Serve as a functional area representative on various committees and groups.
Other related duties as assigned by functional area leadership.

Percent of Time: 5
Conditions of Employment:

This position, during the course of university employment will be involved in the receipt of, or accountability for, university funds or other items of value, as well as the unsupervised access with the developmentally disabled, vulnerable adults or children under the age of 16. The offer of employment is contingent upon successful completion and passing of a background check
prior to beginning employment.

All new employees must comply with EWU Immunization Policy 602-02 and provide proof of immunity or vaccination to MMR before beginning work at EWU. Waivers for the immunization requirements are available for medical or sincerely held religious beliefs.

This is an Administrative Exempt position and is covered by EWU Policy 406- 01, Exempt Employment
https://inside.ewu.edu/policies/knowledge-base/ewu-406-01-exempt-employment/

All new faculty and staff are required to complete DEI/Title IX/Hazing Training for employees after their hire date. This should be completed as soon as possible, but no later than the first few weeks of your hire. You can access the online training here or complete the training in person or via Zoom. In person and Zoom training opportunities will be posted on InsideEWU and are listed on Human Resources site https://inside.ewu.edu/hr/training-resources/.

Note: Interviews might be conducted via Zoom (camera must be enabled). If so, candidates must be able to demonstrate competence using Zoom and other technologies.

Salary Information:

The salary for this position is $85,793 (minimum) up to $102,952. Where the hired candidate will begin within this range is dependent on education, experience, and skills.

Posting Date: 02/07/2025
Open Until Further Notice: No
Closing Date:
Screening to Begin: 02/18/2025

Special Instructions to Applicants:
Submit your application materials through our online applications portal provided below. If you are unable to submit through the applicant portal, please contact Human Resources Services at (509) 359-2381.

To apply, visit https://jobs.hr.ewu.edu/postings/13363

EWU does not discriminate in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, age, marital status, families with children, protected veteran or military status, HIV or hepatitis C, status as a mother breastfeeding her child, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability, as provided for and to the extent required by state and federal laws.