Director of Financial Planning and Analysis

Fresno Pacific University•Fresno, CA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) plays a key role in the university’s financial planning and resource management. Reporting to the CFO and Vice President of Business Affairs, the Director leads budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, and long-range financial planning, providing leadership with clear financial analysis to support institutional priorities and responsible resource allocation. The Director works closely with university leadership and departments across the institution to develop reliable projections, evaluate financial implications of strategic initiatives, identify trends and opportunities, and translate complex financial information into practical recommendations. This role also provides an opportunity to enhance the university’s financial planning capabilities by strengthening processes, developing effective financial models and scenarios, and leveraging Ellucian Colleague and the university’s scenario-planning and PFM software. The position supervises financial planning and analytical staff as assigned. The ideal candidate brings strong financial and analytical expertise, sound judgment, curiosity, and the ability to communicate financial information clearly to both financial and non-financial audiences. This is a highly collaborative role with the opportunity to influence how financial information is used across the university to support sound planning and stewardship of institutional resources.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field
Minimum five years of progressively responsible experience in budgeting, financial planning and analysis, accounting, or a related financial management field
Demonstrated experience developing budgets, forecasts, financial models, and scenario or sensitivity analyses
Experience supervising, coaching, or leading professional staff
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and demonstrated ability to work with financial reporting, ERP, and analytical tools
Strong analytical, critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to translate complex financial information for nonfinancial audiences
Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills and demonstrated ability to collaborate across organizational functions
Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, maintain confidentiality, and produce accurate work in a dynamic environment

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education or nonprofit financial management
Experience with Ellucian Colleague or a comparable enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
Experience with Synario, PFM, or comparable financial planning and scenario-modeling software
Knowledge of higher education financial drivers, including enrollment, tuition, financial aid, and auxiliary or advancement revenue
Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field; CPA, CMA, or other relevant professional credential

Responsibilities

Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the university’s annual operating and capital budget processes, including standardized timelines, assumptions, templates, review checkpoints, and departmental accountability.
Maximize the financial and budgeting capabilities of Ellucian Colleague to establish a consistent, integrated, and reliable university-wide budget process and improve budget entry, consolidation, monitoring, and reporting.
Develop and maintain institution-wide financial forecasts, with formal forecasts prepared at least quarterly and updated more frequently when material conditions change.
Prepare rolling revenue and expense projections and analyze key financial drivers, including enrollment, retention, tuition and fees, financial aid, compensation, benefits, and other operating assumptions.
Develop and document what-if scenarios, sensitivity analyses, and multi-year financial models to evaluate institutional priorities, financial sustainability, risks, and potential operating outcomes.
Become proficient in and effectively utilize the university’s scenario-planning/PFM software, including Synario as application, to support forecasting, scenario analysis, and long-range financial planning.
Prepare accurate, timely, and insightful budget-to-actual analyses, forecasts, dashboards, and financial reports for the CFO, President, Executive Leadership Team (ELT)/Cabinet, budget managers, and other university stakeholders.
Partner with the Controller to ensure budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning are grounded in accurate, reconciled, and timely financial results and clearly documented assumptions.
Collaborate regularly with Student Financial Services, Institutional Research, Advancement, Admissions, Academic Affairs, Human Resources, and other university offices to develop, validate, and communicate financial assumptions and projections.
Conduct financial assessments of proposed academic programs, staffing changes, capital investments, strategic initiatives, and other miscellaneous planning matters as requested by the CFO and university leadership.
Prepare financial analyses, business cases, and presentation materials for the CFO and President and, as requested, support presentations to the Finance Committee and other relevant Board committees.
Supervise, coach, and develop the Budget Analyst and an additional financial planning or analytical position as assigned; establish clear responsibilities, workflows, documentation standards, deadlines, cross-training, and quality expectations.
Support budget managers through financial guidance, training, and tools that promote consistent budgeting practices, fiscal responsibility, and informed decision-making across the university.
Maintain confidentiality of information regarding students, employees, donors, and institutional financial matters.
Responsible for supervising assigned staff including, but not limited to, hiring, training, evaluating, and managing performance.
Demonstrate a commitment to serving and inspiring students and colleagues in a context of a Christian University, integrating your Christian faith into your role and responsibilities.
Embrace the mission, vision , and values of Fresno Pacific University, affirm the FPU Faith Expectations , and support the ideals and practices articulated in " The Fresno Pacific Idea "
Uphold and advance Fresno Pacific University’s commitment to Christ-centered higher education, holistic student development, and serving diverse communities.
Complete tasks timely with work that is comprehensive, complete, and accurate
Communicates clearly, listens attentively, and seeks to understand others
Collaborates productively with colleagues of varying skillset
Other job duties as assigned