Business Officer

Colorado State University • Fort Collins, CO

4d • $125,000 - $150,000

About The Position

The Business Officer serves as the embedded senior financial leader for multiple divisions and the primary finance liaison between the unit and central administrative functions. The role leads unit-level financial management, including financial strategy, budget development, forecasting, endowment oversight, internal controls, and compliance. The Business Officer partners with unit leadership and the Senior Business Officer to align financial decisions with institutional priorities and provide clear, actionable financial guidance. The position also supervises and develops embedded finance staff in a complex, matrixed environment.

The role oversees long-range financial strategy, annual budget development, multi-year forecasting, financial analysis across fund types, reporting, and process improvement. It ensures audit readiness and compliance with university, state, federal, GAAP, and GASB requirements, and supports data-driven decision making. The position directly supervises 4–6 FTE, including embedded professional finance staff.

A pre-employment criminal background check is required for all new hires. For full consideration, applications were due Monday, November 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM MT.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, finance, public administration, or a related field, including formal coursework through intermediate accounting, or four years of demonstrated equivalent experience.
• At least 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis.
• At least 3 years of supervisory experience with professional finance staff, including responsibility for completing performance evaluations.
• At least 3 years of experience working with a complex account structure and establishing, reconciling, and recommending improvements to existing structures or establishing new ones.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex projects and coordinating multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong, comprehensive understanding of internal controls and ability to analyze and implement effective internal control systems.
• Demonstrated understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• Professional communication skills, including the ability to communicate across organizational levels and present complex financial information to non-financial audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in finance, business, or a closely related field, such as an MBA or MPA, or CPA/CMA certification.
• Higher education or government finance experience.
• Experience with endowment accounting, gift compliance, sponsored programs, capital project finance, fund accounting, or Governmental Accounting Standards (GASB).
• Familiarity with CSU HR systems, budget system, and central administrative processes.
• Track record of process improvement and operational transformation.
• At least 8 years of progressive experience in financial management, including 5 or more years of senior-level managerial experience in a complex environment.
• Working knowledge of Federal Uniform Guidance and related compliance requirements.
• Analytical abilities, including use of Microsoft Excel, statistical techniques, financial modeling, data management, and data-mining tools.
• Strong organizational and complex problem-solving skills, follow-through, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively in a multi-layered team environment and autonomously.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the embedded senior financial leader for a college or division and the primary finance liaison between the unit and central administrative functions.
• Partner with unit and Finance leadership on financial strategy, governance, and operational priorities; translate complex financial information into clear recommendations for leadership and non-financial audiences.
• Develop and execute long-range financial strategy, including resource allocation, sustainability analysis, reserve management, endowment expenditure oversight, and scenario planning.
• Lead annual budget development and maintain multi-year forecasts, financial models, and targets using historical data, current trends, and stakeholder input.
• Ensure sound internal controls, policy compliance, audit readiness, and appropriate application of university, state, federal, GAAP, and GASB requirements.
• Oversee analysis of all fund types and complex funding sources; identify opportunities for revenue growth, cost efficiencies, and optimized fund utilization.
• Supervise, coach, evaluate, and develop embedded finance staff; assign work, set performance expectations, conduct performance evaluations, lead onboarding, and prioritize workloads.
• Foster a collaborative and accountable team culture and support staff professional development.
• Maintain financial dashboards and reporting, lead process improvement and change-management efforts, and support data-driven decision making.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Colorado State University describes its benefits package as robust and highlights a collaborative atmosphere and focus on work-life balance; detailed benefits information is referenced but not itemized.

What This Job Offers

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