Director of Finance

Covista•Chicago, IL

5h•$150,172 - $181,035•Hybrid

About The Position

Chamberlain University is seeking a highly strategic Director of Finance to lead financial planning, investment analysis, performance management, and executive decision support for two of the institution's most important growth platforms: Campus Expansion and Strategic Partnerships. Reporting directly to the CFO, this leader will serve as the primary finance partner supporting Chamberlain's Expansion and Partnerships organizations, helping evaluate growth investments, expansion opportunities, healthcare employer partnerships, and workforce pipeline initiatives that advance Chamberlain's long-term growth strategy. This leader will work directly with the Vice President of Expansion and Vice President of Partnerships, serving as the primary finance advisor supporting growth decisions, investment prioritization, business case development, and long-range strategic planning. The role requires a trusted business partner who can influence executive decision-making and help translate growth opportunities into disciplined, financially sound investment decisions. This role sits at the center of Covista’s Purpose at Scale strategy, the company's multi-year growth plan focused on addressing America's healthcare workforce shortage through Operational Excellence, Platform Extension, Employer Integration, and Technology Focus. As the finance lead supporting both Campus Expansion and Partnerships, this individual will provide the financial rigor behind two of Covista’ s most significant growth drivers and strategic priorities. The Director of Finance will help determine where Chamberlain invests, expands, and partners by developing sophisticated financial models, business cases, ROI analyses, and strategic recommendations. This is a highly visible opportunity that combines analytical rigor with executive-level influence and business partnership. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable building complex financial models, evaluating strategic growth investments, and presenting actionable recommendations to senior leadership. They will operate as a trusted advisor, helping guide decisions that shape the future growth of Chamberlain University and Covista’ s healthcare workforce mission.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related field.
8+ years of progressive experience in FP&A, corporate finance, strategic finance, consulting, transaction advisory, corporate development, or related fields.
Deep expertise in financial modeling, forecasting, budgeting, business case development, and performance analysis.
Demonstrated experience evaluating growth investments, strategic initiatives, expansion opportunities, partnerships, or capital allocation decisions.
Proven ability to build sophisticated analytical models leveraging large data sets and modern finance technologies, including AI-enabled tools.
Track record of developing executive-level deliverables for senior leadership and board audiences that combine analytical rigor with clear storytelling.
Demonstrated success influencing executive decision-making through financial insights and recommendations.
Strong executive presence with exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills.
Ability to translate complex financial concepts into actionable business recommendations.
Proven ability to build relationships, influence stakeholders, and operate effectively in a highly collaborative environment.
Experience leading multiple priorities simultaneously while delivering high-quality work in a fast-paced setting.

Nice To Haves

MBA, CPA, or CMA preferred.
Experience supporting strategic growth initiatives, expansion planning, partnerships, corporate strategy, consulting, transaction advisory, or M&A-related analysis strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the dedicated finance partner to Chamberlain's Vice President of Expansion and Vice President of Partnerships, supporting two of Covista’ s most important growth platforms.
Evaluate new market opportunities, campus expansion initiatives, healthcare employer partnerships, workforce development investments, and strategic growth opportunities.
Develop financial models, business cases, investment recommendations, and executive presentations that support growth-related decision-making.
Assess partnership economics, expansion opportunities, capital deployment decisions, and long-term value creation initiatives.
Provide financial leadership and analytical support for strategic initiatives aligned to Covista's Platform Extension and Employer Integration growth strategies.
Translate complex financial analysis into actionable recommendations for executive leadership, helping determine where Chamberlain invests, expands, and partners.
Lead the annual budget, monthly forecast, and long-range planning processes, ensuring financial plans are grounded in key business drivers and aligned with strategic objectives.
Design and build scalable forecasting tools that leverage large datasets, including enrollment, tuition, revenue, and expense data, utilizing modern finance technologies and AI-enabled tools where appropriate.
Develop monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting packages and presentations for executive leadership, board audiences, and enterprise stakeholders that are accurate, concise, and actionable.
Deliver meaningful P&L, KPI, and management reporting that highlights trends, risks, and opportunities while enabling informed decision-making.
Lead variance analysis, scenario modeling, sensitivity analysis, and strategic financial evaluations across revenue, operating expenses, enrollment, and profitability drivers.
Develop financial models supporting new campuses, strategic partnerships, capital investments, workforce development initiatives, operational improvements, and resource allocation decisions.
Establish post-investment measurement frameworks to evaluate performance against assumptions and improve future investment decisions.
Partner closely with Expansion and Partnerships leadership to evaluate the financial viability of growth initiatives.
Develop ROI analyses, market-entry assessments, break-even analyses, and investment recommendations for executive decision-making.
Support strategic healthcare employer partnerships through financial evaluation and business case development.
Collaborate with leaders across academic affairs, enrollment, operations, marketing, strategy, accounting, and institutional leadership to improve business performance and support organizational growth.
Provide enrollment, cost, tuition, profitability, and capacity analyses that inform long-term growth strategies and future expansion decisions.
Drive greater standardization, automation, and data quality across planning, forecasting, reporting, and analytics processes.
Leverage modern finance tools, advanced analytics, and AI-enabled capabilities to improve financial decision-making and forecasting effectiveness.
Completes other duties as assigned.
Complies with all policies and standards.