Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Onondaga Community College

MACNY's Job Board • City of Syracuse, NY

17d • $106,992 - $135,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Onondaga Community College is seeking a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to serve as a key visionary managing business operations, accounting procedures, financial planning, fiscal management, risk management, forecasting, budgeting, and facilities management. The CFO will align with the strategic direction of the President and Senior Vice President of Administration, Enrollment, and Finance (SVP). Reporting to the SVP, the CFO is a member of the Expanded Executive Council, responsible for resource allocation, strategic planning, and advising on financial implications of institutional decisions. The role requires mission-driven leadership, focusing on advancing the College's mission and financial position through innovative business models, leveraging technology, diversifying revenue, and improving student outcomes while ensuring long-term financial sustainability. The CFO will collaborate on financial strategy, budgets, new revenue strategies, and financial practices aligned with student success and equity goals, proactively addressing future financial challenges and opportunities.

Requirements

• Master's degree required from a regionally accredited college, university or foreign equivalency in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field and substantial experience in business, financial or public administration, preferably within higher education
• Ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in planning, financial analysis/management and budgetary control, to include five (5) years of increasingly responsible administrative, management, and leadership experience in a fast-paced, changing environment
• Experience in capital planning, project development and oversight
• Demonstrated experience with and commitment to strategic planning and continuous quality improvement
• Experience with a unionized environment
• Solid experience with revenue and expense forecasting
• Extensive experience negotiating contracts and agreements
• Strong knowledge of public sector accounting/financial management involves expertise in governmental accounting principles (e.g., SFFAS, GAAP), budgeting, and compliance to ensure transparency, accountability, and efficient public resource management
• Effective interpersonal, organizational and communication skills

Nice To Haves

• Experience in higher education, public-sector, nonprofit, healthcare, or similarly complex mission-driven organizations or highly regulated environments
• Solid understanding of local, state, and federal laws and regulations applicable to public higher education
• Knowledge of SUNY, state and county funding structures
• Proven success developing high-performing teams and building leadership capacity within finance and administrative functions
• Demonstrated ability to use financial and operational data to drive strategic decision-making and resource allocation

Responsibilities

• Leads the development of a sustainable financial strategy that aligns resources with institutional priorities, student success goals, and long-term organizational resilience through proper preparation and administration of the College budget, and financial operations by directing the overall financial plans, multi-years forecast and accounting practices of the College.
• Oversees annual institutional budget process ensuring that all financial resources are expended in support of the College's mission, goals, and strategic plan.
• Manages the College's operating, grant, and capital budgets, coordinating the budget and resource allocation process, accounting and financial management, cash management, formulating financial policies, and implements procedures and internal controls that ensure the financial integrity of the College.
• Oversees treasury accounting, operating and capital budgets, resource allocations, tax, audit and risk management.
• Assesses institutional performance against both the annual budget and the College's strategic plan, looking for ways to gain efficiencies and revenue opportunities.
• Maintains an effective program of fiscal management and internal controls.
• Directs the overall financial plans, multi-year forecasts and accounting practices of the College in direct support of the institution's mission, goals, and strategic plan.
• Serves as a board member of each of the College's 501c3 affiliate corporations as: Treasurer of OCC Housing Development Corporation and OCC Association, and Ex-Officio CFO for the OCC Foundation.
• Exercises administrative supervision over several functional areas of the College.
• Provides oversight of facilities planning and operations, deferred maintenance strategies, and long-range campus infrastructure planning, maintaining budget control in accordance with approved budgetary allocations in regard to capital, operation and special projects.
• Works with numerous entities related to financial matters on behalf of the College, including the Board of Trustees, OCC Foundation, OCC Housing Development Corporation, OCC Association, State University of New York (SUNY), and New York State and Onondaga County legislative and executive offices.
• Works closely with academic and senior administrative leaders to align financial operations with institutional mission and strategies.
• Interacts significantly with faculty, staff, and student groups as well as the community in matters related to assigned functional areas.
• Helps build understanding for all members of the President's senior team of how finances work, how finance is a strategic tool for student success, and why certain financial decisions are made.
• Maintains strong relationships with College leadership team to collaborate on joint efforts toward student success and equity goals.
• Seeks to understand program and project goals and readily adapts finance strategy accordingly.
• Ensures timely financial and statistical reports and projections for management and/or Board use; develops draft and final budgets for approval and submission to the College President and Board of Trustees.
• Involves each employee within area of supervision in the development of a divisional master plan and operational plan that measurably supports the College's mission and strategic plan.
• Oversees all accounts, ledgers and financial reporting systems ensuring compliance with appropriate Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, regulatory requirements, and internal control processes.
• Works with third party consultants and vendors to optimize savings to the College; leads the request for proposal process to negotiate affordable rates for insurance related to the College's: health and dental, property and liability, workers' compensation, and cybersecurity plans.
• Negotiates all auxiliary-related services and agreements on campus.
• Remains knowledgeable about all areas of the enterprise in academic and administrative units.

Benefits

• New York State Local Retirement System (pension) or an Optional Retirement Plan 401(a).
• Excellent health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Onondaga Community College participates in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program for eligible borrowers.

What This Job Offers

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