Finance Director

University of Wisconsin Madison•Madison, WI

About The Position

This position is located within the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH), which operates under the University of Wisconsin-Madison . The WSLH is the state’s public health, environmental health, and occupational health laboratory. We serve to protect the health and safety of Wisconsin’s people and environment and provide training to other professionals. As one of the nation’s leading and larger public health laboratories, the WSLH manages an annual operational budget of approximately $60 million and employs approximately 400 staff. The Finance Director is directly supervised by the WSLH Laboratory Director and supports financial planning, review, and approval for all units within the laboratory. The Finance Director oversees the areas of Budgeting and Accounting, Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable, Contracts, and Procurement. The Finance Director is responsible for the planning, directing, managing and oversight of all fiscal activities and operations related to finance, accounting, purchasing, budget and grant administration, and overseeing third-party billing (private insurance and Medicare) for the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH). This position will plan and coordinate the budget priorities and activities within the WSLH, engaging other divisions and outside agencies and provide a high level of administrative support to assigned supervisory and management staff. Additional duties will include oversight of the day-to-day operations of the fiscal unit within the WSLH. This position functions at the senior management level to ensure exceptional business practices are established and followed across the WSLH and the fiscal implications of future policies and strategic decisions are shared with senior management. This position will be responsible for ensuring the laboratory remains fiscally sound, that fiscal policies and financial management procedures are formulated and executed and appropriate controls and reports are used to manage the WSLH’s approximately $60 million budget. The Finance Director will communicate to and coordinate with other WSLH Directors and Managers. As a member of the WSLH Director’s Leadership Team, this position will serve with other Directors to develop and implement the WSLH’s strategic plan. This position will develop lab wide policies that ensure that all University, State, and Federal fiscal compliance laws and regulations, including Medicare, are followed. This position entails a high level of complexity, requires a high degree of initiative, creativity and personal responsibility.

Requirements

Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in a financial management role with progressive responsibility and experience with a record of significant accomplishments.
Well qualified candidates will have 3-5 years' experience in a leadership and management role.
Prior experience as a Finance Director, Controller, or Senior Financial Manager in a complex organization (university, government agency, health system, or similar).
Prior experience in environments with state funds, federal grants, fee-for-service revenue, and multiple restricted funding sources.
Prior experience collaborating with PIs and/or program directors to ensure compliance and accurate financial tracking for grants and contracts.
Demonstrated skill and experience with budget planning, preparation and management, process improvement, as well as skill and experience with automated financial systems is required.
Knowledge of and demonstrated fiscal accountability experience in a diverse organization with multiple missions and management of multiple revenue streams is required.
Demonstrated skill and experience leading and managing a professional staff with diverse responsibilities.
Superior oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate and interact with senior leadership, managers, supervisors, staff and internal and external stakeholders.
Bachelor’s degree in business, business administration, accounting or related field, required.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in business, business administration, accounting or related field, preferred.
Proficiency in Workday Finance, including reporting and transactional workflows.
Expertise with federal grant and contract administration.
Expertise in third-party billing for private insurance and Medicare.
Demonstrated success leading financial modernization efforts.
Knowledge of public-sector procurement practices.

Responsibilities

Oversees, reviews, develops, recommends, and implements policies and procedures for internal and external financial reporting, budgeting and financial operations
Participates in the development, maintenance, and monitoring of automated financial information systems and budgets, and disseminates updates and results to leadership when appropriate
Directs strategic planning initiatives and establishes objectives for multiple finance functional areas to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources and alignment with the strategic plan
Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees
Serves as a divisional representative and subject matter expert to institutional leadership and internal and external stakeholders providing financial direction and information, fostering collaborative relationships across multiple functional areas, and representing the interests of the division