Assistant Director, Department-Controlled Funds

MIT • Cambridge, MA

19h

About The Position

The Assistant Director, Department-Controlled Funds provides financial leadership for Biology’s department-managed funds. As a member of the Department of Biology Finance Office team, this role provides complex and diverse financial support in a department using a combined centralized and decentralized financial management model. The position focuses on department-controlled funds from general institute budget, endowed, and non-endowed sources.

The Assistant Director works in conjunction with the Assistant Director/Research Administration to provide overall direction of the Finance Office, including policies, procedures, and systems spanning all areas of financial management, and handles special projects as they arise.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• A minimum of seven years of accounting or financial management experience, preferably in higher education.
• Strong financial analysis and forecasting skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, spreadsheets, and databases.
• Organization, proactive communication, attention to detail, and discretion with confidential information.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Adaptability to evolving systems and policies.
• A record of solving problems without established precedent.
• Experience with AI tools or willingness to use them to improve efficiency and decision-making.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with financial systems, payroll, graduate aid, and research administration.
• Quickbase and data visualization experience, including Tableau.
• MIT experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide financial leadership for Biology’s department-managed funds.
• Manage annual budget submission, forecasting, financial analysis, and report preparation.
• Allocate graduate student aid.
• Manage direct payroll processes.
• Support budgeting, billing, and reporting processes for research service facilities.
• Serve as the local expert for complex billing arrangements with the Broad, Koch, Ragon, and Whitehead Institutes, and HHMI.
• Supervise two Financial Coordinators.
• Work with the Assistant Director/Research Administration to provide overall direction of the Finance Office, including its financial management policies, procedures, and systems.
• Handle special projects as they arise.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager