Director of Budget & Financial Planning

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences•Yakima, WA

2d•$88,800 - $142,100•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Budget & Financial Planning leads the University’s financial planning and analysis function, including annual budgeting, forecasting, long-range financial planning, financial modeling, tuition and enrollment analysis, capital planning, and financial decision support. The Director also provides leadership oversight for Student Accounts through the Bursar, supporting effective coordination of tuition and fee administration, student receivables, financial aid disbursements, refunds, collections, and related student financial operations. The position works closely with the Vice President for Finance & Administration/CFO, Controller, Bursar, Financial Aid, Enrollment Services, Human Resources, academic leadership, and other University departments to integrate financial and operational information into institutional planning and decision-making. The Director provides forward-looking analysis and recommendations to support University leadership, budget managers, and the Board of Trustees and strengthens financial accountability through transparent reporting, disciplined forecasting, and effective budget management. As a leader of others, the Director supervises the Financial Analyst and the Bursar and, through the Bursar, provides leadership oversight of the Student Accounts team. The Director builds trust-based relationships across the University, coaches and develops direct reports toward their full potential, sets clear expectations and holds people accountable with care, and creates the conditions for a team culture in which honest questions and diverse perspectives strengthen the University’s financial planning in service of its students and mission.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, business administration, or a related field from an accredited institution.
Five years of progressively responsible experience in budgeting, financial planning and analysis, accounting, financial management, or a closely related financial discipline, including experience leading employees, functions, or significant cross-functional initiatives.
An equivalent combination of education and experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential functions of the position.
Exceptional financial analysis, modeling, and critical-thinking skills, with a strong understanding of budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and financial performance measures.
High degree of integrity, transparency, independence, and professional judgment, including the ability to question assumptions constructively and identify financial risks before they become problems.
Ability to translate complex financial information into clear conclusions and recommendations for executive leadership, budget managers, and the Board of Trustees, including experience developing executive or board-level dashboards and presentations.
Ability to provide effective leadership oversight of financial operations while relying appropriately on functional subject-matter expertise.
Ability to build productive relationships while maintaining appropriate financial discipline and independence.
Strong organizational and project-management skills with the ability to lead institution-wide processes, exercise initiative, and meet critical deadlines.
Demonstrated ability to coach and develop staff, set clear expectations, recognize good work, and hold people accountable with directness and care.
Ability to build a cohesive team environment grounded in trust, psychological safety, and open communication in every direction.
Skill in delegating thoughtfully, matching responsibility to capability and readiness, and providing clear technical guidance.
Ability to lead through change and periods of transition with stability and transparent communication.
Ability to resolve conflict constructively and to address performance concerns early, directly, and with compassion.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire and for the duration of their employment with PNWU.
A letter of introduction outlining background and qualifications for the position.
Detailed resume.
Contact information for three professional references.

Responsibilities

Lead the development, coordination, implementation, and ongoing administration of the University’s annual operating and capital budgets.
Develop annual budget assumptions, timelines, templates, guidance, and processes in collaboration with the CFO and University leadership.
Partner with academic and administrative leaders to develop realistic budgets aligned with institutional priorities, enrollment expectations, available resources, and financial targets, listening actively to the needs behind each request.
Review departmental budget submissions, evaluate underlying assumptions, identify inconsistencies or unsupported estimates, and recommend adjustments as appropriate.
Maintain a controlled and transparent record of approved budget adjustments and ensure changes are appropriately supported, authorized, and incorporated into financial reporting.
Monitor budget performance throughout the fiscal year and identify emerging risks, opportunities, and potential corrective actions.
Provide ongoing budget guidance and support to University leaders and budget managers, communicating financial information in ways that are clear, accessible, and meaningful to non-financial audiences.
Develop and maintain rolling financial forecasts and multi-year financial models for revenue, expenses, operating results, cash flow, capital requirements, and other key financial measures.
Develop tuition and enrollment financial models in collaboration with appropriate University leaders, incorporating enrollment, attrition, tuition rates, financial aid, student receivables and collections, program growth, timing, and other relevant assumptions.
Develop position and compensation models to support workforce planning, hiring decisions, organizational changes, and compensation analysis.
Develop scenario and sensitivity analyses to evaluate changes in key assumptions and assess potential financial impacts.
Support long-range planning for new academic programs, strategic initiatives, capital investments, financing decisions, and other significant institutional activities.
Develop and monitor financial sustainability measures and recommend actions necessary to support the University’s long-term financial health.
Prepare monthly and periodic budget-to-actual and forecast-to-actual analyses, identify material variances, determine key drivers, and communicate actionable findings.
Analyze revenue, expense, staffing, enrollment, and other financial trends and identify areas requiring leadership attention.
Develop pro formas, break-even analyses, return-on-investment analyses, and other financial models for proposed programs, investments, contracts, initiatives, and operational changes.
Provide independent financial analysis to the CFO and University leadership, including identification and escalation of assumptions, trends, or decisions that may create material financial risk.
Evaluate financial information from multiple sources for reasonableness, consistency, completeness, and alignment with approved assumptions.
Develop recommendations regarding resource allocation, cost management, revenue opportunities, and financial sustainability.
Translate complex financial information into clear, concise information for non-financial leaders.
Develop and maintain short- and long-range cash forecasts and liquidity models using actual cash information from Finance operations and anticipated tuition, operating, capital, debt, investment, and other cash flows.
Analyze cash needs, timing differences, liquidity trends, and potential cash constraints and communicate findings to the CFO.
Support capital planning by evaluating proposed capital expenditures, timing, funding sources, prioritization, and impact on cash and long-range financial performance.
Support debt, financing, reserve, and investment analyses as requested by the CFO.
Integrate operating, capital, and cash planning to provide leadership with a comprehensive view of the financial impact of resource allocation decisions.
Establish consistent financial planning assumptions, data definitions, methodologies, documentation, and version-control practices.
Develop and improve budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, and management-reporting tools.
Participate in implementation and optimization of ERP, budgeting, reporting, business intelligence, and other financial systems.
Partner with Finance, Information Technology, Human Resources, Enrollment, academic leadership, and other departments to improve the quality and reliability of financial planning data.
Identify opportunities to reduce manual processes and spreadsheet dependency through improved systems, standardized processes, and automation.
Maintain transparent and auditable documentation supporting significant financial models, assumptions, forecasts, and budget decisions.
Develop and maintain financial dashboards, key performance indicators, trend reporting, and other management tools that provide leadership with a clear view of the University’s financial position and performance.
Develop recurring financial reporting appropriate for executive leadership, Board committees, and other institutional stakeholders.
Identify and monitor financial metrics relevant to higher education, including operating performance, liquidity, cash, debt, enrollment-related revenue, personnel costs, and other measures of financial sustainability.
Support the CFO in preparation of financial presentations, analyses, and recommendations for executive leadership and the Board of Trustees.
Continuously evaluate management reporting to ensure financial information is useful, understandable, timely, and focused on decision-making.
Provide leadership oversight for the University’s Student Accounts function through the Bursar.
Ensure Student Account operations support institutional financial objectives, effective internal controls, regulatory requirements, and responsive student service.
Partner with the Bursar, Financial Aid, Enrollment Services, Controller, and academic programs to support effective coordination of tuition and fee administration, financial aid disbursements, student refunds, receivables, and collections.
Monitor significant Student Accounts trends, including receivables, collections, credit balances, refunds, and other activity affecting financial forecasts, revenue projections, and cash flow.
Support continued improvement of Student Accounts systems, processes, policies, and internal controls, including implementation and optimization of the University’s student information system.
Serve as the University’s primary subject-matter resource for budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and financial analysis.
Lead budget meetings and financial planning discussions with executive, academic, and administrative leaders.
Establish clear expectations, timelines, assumptions, and accountability for institutional budget and forecasting processes.
Build trust-based working relationships with department leaders across the University and provide financial guidance that supports both institutional priorities and responsible stewardship.
Exercise appropriate independence in evaluating financial assumptions and recommendations and communicate concerns or differing financial assessments to the CFO.
Collaborate closely with the Controller to ensure actual financial results, budgets, forecasts, cash information, and management reporting are aligned and reconciled.
Supervise, support, and evaluate the Bursar, establishing clear expectations for Student Accounts performance, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement, and providing the Bursar with the coaching, development, and support needed to lead the Student Accounts team well.
Coach and develop direct reports toward their full potential and career goals, delegate thoughtfully as capability and confidence grow, address performance concerns early and with care, and build development plans that align individual growth with PNWU’s mission and strategic direction.
Foster a team environment grounded in psychological safety and open communication, where team members have a voice in decisions that affect their work and where questions and mistakes are met with curiosity.
Lead the budget, planning, and Student Accounts functions through system implementations, organizational change, and periods of transition with stability and transparent communication, and regularly ask whether the function is doing the right things, using data to evaluate impact and drive continuous improvement.
Promote a culture of financial accountability, transparency, informed decision-making, and responsible stewardship throughout the University, modeling honest, productive dialogue including when there is disagreement.
Performs job duties in accordance with safety, legal, and regulatory requirements; University policy and procedures; and accepted business practices.
Acts with the highest level of professional ethical standards in all aspects of job performance, in accordance with the mission and values of PNWU.
Understands and adheres to accreditation standards and expectations specific to the department.