Finance Director

Chatham University•Pittsburgh, PA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Finance Director provides leadership to the Student Accounts Office, a department which plays a critical role in financial administration and student services. The primary role of the Director is to maintain the accuracy of student tuition and fee accounts and oversee the billing process to ensure timely and accurate billing statements for students. The Director is the expert institutional resources for all student account-related policies and procedures as well as compliance with Federal and State guidelines. The Director will also have primary responsibility for the implementation of Workday Student, including ensuring all student activity is properly classified and recorded in the General Ledger. As a key direct report to the Chief Financial & Administrative Officer’s, the Director of Student Financial Systems & Operations will support a myriad of special projects as assigned. These may include, but are not limited to, accounting and reporting of Temporarily Restricted Gifts and Grants, assistance with Budgeting and Forecasting, review of special transactions (sale-leasebacks, debt refinancing, etc.) and programmatic profitability reviews.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Business Administration, or Finance.
Working knowledge of accepted accounting/bookkeeping principles and methods and terms, preferably with an emphasis on higher-education and/or non-profit accounting.
Strong computer skills, especially Microsoft Excel PowerPoint and Microsoft Word, required.
High level of knowledge related to Federal and State rules and regulations, as they pertain to higher educational institutions.
Minimum of seven to ten years of experience in accounting, preferably in a college or university setting.
Leadership competencies are required; seven+ years supervisory experience preferred.
Excellent quantitative analytic skills, writing and clear communication skills, demonstrated organization skills.
Ability to perform with a high degree of diplomacy, confidentiality, and professionalism required.

Nice To Haves

Advanced Degree or CPA certification preferred but not required
Familiarity with Workday desired but not required.
Previous system implementation/conversion experience strongly desired.

Responsibilities

Management and overall supervision of Student Accounts staff and their activities, including coordination with Financial Aid and Registrar departments
Maintains the accuracy of student tuition and fee accounts and oversees the billing and receipt process to ensure timely and accurate billing statements for students.
Responsible for all students’ accounts (full-time, part-time, non-degree, certificate, VA, and other specialized populations).
Ensures that all University funds, including student payments, chargebacks, government checks/drafts, receipts from financial institutions and other sources are properly accounted for.
Maintains policies and procedures related to Student Account Office and receivables.
Supervise and lead the staff in the office by providing excellent management, training, and support.
Ensures office coverage and excellent customer service.
Counsels and advises students regarding the tuition and fee payment process and options available to discharge the financial obligation including but not limited to payment plans, student loans and personal payment arrangements with the University.
Provides assistance with customer service, parent/student interactions and dispute resolution.
Keeps informed of updates/patches regarding student information system (Anthology/WorkDay) and payment system (TouchNET) and leads oversight and management of updates in collaboration with Information Technology (IT).
Troubleshoots and resolves issues related to the student side of the system.
Builds and tests tuition and fee assessment for each semester.
Coordinates with IT as it relates to reporting, Compliance, 1098T tax reporting, and third-party vendor integration.
Partners collaboratively with other University offices and directs resources to student financial policies as appropriate.
Maintains excellent control of departmental budget, consistently looking for ways to reduce costs without sacrificing service.
Implementation of Workday Student (conversion from Anthology)
Temporarily Restricted Gift and Grant Management
Reporting assistance to Office of Research & Sponsored Programs and University Advancement departments
Accounting support to Principal Investigators and other relevant parties
Supervise accounting for grant expenses, revenues, and indirect funds
Account reconciliations
Support annual audit
Budget preparation and analysis