Director, Financial Planning and Budgeting

Bentley University•Waltham, MA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Under the leadership of and partnership with the AVP of Financial Strategy & Capital Planning, the Director drives the development of Bentley’s operating budgets, capital budgets, long-range plans, special projects, and other planning efforts (e.g., debt affordability and issuance, enrollment planning). This position is also responsible for the comprehensive quarterly forecast processes for the University. The Director is an integral part of the overall finance leadership team. Additionally, the Director may work directly with the President’s Cabinet to achieve the strategic plans noted above. Leads efforts of the financial planning and budgeting team including areas of budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and accounting. The Director directly manages the Assistant Director, Budget and Financial Analyst.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or related field
At least 8-10 years of budgeting, analysis and reporting experience
Strong working knowledge of accounting and financial principles
Ability to develop, analyze and communicate financial information at an institution of higher education
High proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel
Demonstrated ability to employ multiple systems in the tracking, modeling, and analysis of financial information
Proficiency and comfort with forecasting anticipated outcomes based on limited data and evolving assumptions
Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to multi-task and work under pressure
Self-motivation, high energy and engagement and a positive attitude
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, presentation skills
The presence to interact with senior leadership
Ability to maintain confidentiality

Nice To Haves

MBA and/or CPA preferred
Workday and Adaptive Planning experience is a plus

Responsibilities

Lead the coordination and development of the annual budget process, developing the timeline and facilitating and coordinating the preparation, submission, compilation, and review of information from cost center managers across the university.
Participate and help lead the university capital budget process, including working with capital project managers and department directors on the development, tracking, and reporting of university capital funds.
Collaborate with large capital planners, such as Facilities and Information Technology divisions, to ensure capital projects align with university strategic plans and department goals.
Ensure that the detail of the capital annual plan and long-range plan and related depreciation are compliant with GAAP and university policies.
Manage and lead the Assistant Director, Budget and the Financial Analyst, who serve as cross-functional points-of-contact to the university community regarding budget questions, issues, and end-user training for operating, capital, and position budgeting.
Act as a lead/primary resource between business units and the Financial Planning & Budget Office.
Ensure training materials and training sessions are up to date for key users and cost center managers to utilize Workday financials and Workday adaptive applications.
Use strong financial systems skills and the ability to problem-solve technology issues in a complex systems environment.
Collaborate with IT and Business Systems teams to ensure effective reporting and that the Workday budgeting and planning modules are delivered and functioning properly.
Oversee the detailed account balances for annual budget load in Workday for each cost center to ensure Trustee-approved budgets are rolled out effectively and put into place for operations.
Monitor spending trends and approve budget adjustments to maintain financial control.
Lead efforts to maximize and optimize Workday and Adaptive planning.
Provide the Financial Planning and Budget team with guidance and goals to ensure systems are being leveraged as best as possible.
Collaborate with university leadership and the finance division to inform long-range strategic financial planning, including potential new academic programs, ROI, divestment, and investment in university operations.
Represent the Office of Financial Planning and Budget on campus-wide committees and serve as a financial expert to others in this capacity at the University.
Lead ongoing review, analysis, and development of quarterly revenue and expense forecasts.
Monitor performance against budget objectives, analyzing variances, forecasting anticipated results, and recommending corrective actions as needed.
Partner with the Financial Operations team to ensure close communication on results and variance analysis.
Ensure accuracy, automation, and timeliness of financial and managerial reports as needed.
Oversee and delegate position control to the Financial Analyst, ensuring that staff budgets are established, monitored, and analyzed.
Partner with Human Resources to support job requisition workflow and related budget checking, as well as the annual merit process.
Liaise with Academic Affairs regarding the same for faculty personnel budgets.
Lead operational and strategic objectives through financial modeling, ratio analysis, benchmarking, and any other financial analysis required.
Summarize analysis, including presentation development for university leadership and Trustees.
Apply best practice cost accounting principles to develop effective internal financial management processes to change budget behavior at Bentley.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, work with leadership and relevant colleagues to evaluate policies, procedures, and methodologies to ensure best practices are employed.
Directly supervise two staff members, including delegation of assignments, review and oversight of work, goal setting, and conducting formal and informal performance reviews.
Work with the AVP to establish the office’s goals and oversee their implementation, as well as staff members’ development plans and implementation.
Other duties as assigned.