Senior Business Manager

Louisiana State University

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The LSU College of Science seeks a highly experienced and collaborative finance professional to provide college-level leadership in financial oversight, strategic advising, compliance, training, and process improvement in close partnership with, or in support of the Senior Assistant Dean of Finance & Administration (F&A). The position supports the Senior Assistant Dean of F&A by working closely with college leadership, academic units, and central administrative offices to support sound financial stewardship and informed decision-making. This role is designed for a seasoned financial and post-award professional who thrives in an advisory capacity and enjoys partnering with leadership, strengthening internal controls, developing staff expertise, and resolving complex financial challenges across a distinct financial portfolio including both unrestricted and grant funds. The position provides advanced oversight and guidance for both unrestricted funds and externally sponsored awards, with a strong emphasis on compliance, risk mitigation, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement. This role blends high-level financial analysis with hands-on collaboration and training, serving as a trusted advisor and escalation resource for complex or high-risk financial matters, and making recommendations on strategic and sensitive matters requiring leadership review. This position plays a critical role in strengthening the College’s financial and post-award environment by promoting consistent practices, developing clear guidance and tools, and fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, and operational excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree
5 years professional experience with financial and budgetary matters including grant-related activities and/or policy interpretation, application, or development
Experience in managing projects within teams of 6-10 individuals.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in finance, accounting or related discipline
7 years of professional experience with financial and budgetary matters including grant-related activities and/or policy interpretation, application, or development
Experience in managing projects within teams of 6-10 individuals.

Responsibilities

Supports the Senior Assistant Dean of F&A with financial planning and analysis, commitments tracking, and budget scenario forecasting.
Serves as a senior resource for overseeing the college’s annual operating budget of unrestricted funds including operating accounts, start-up funds, etc.
Monitors financial projects and activity to ensure appropriate use of funds, alignment with strategic plans, F&A team priorities, and compliance with university and college policies and procedures.
Works closely with college leadership and senior financial staff to analyze balances, expenditures, and projections, while supporting a range of budgetary and financial projects or initiatives.
Serves as a senior resource for resolving complex financial issues related to unrestricted funds.
Serves as the College’s primary training resource for financial matters by designing and delivering on demand and/or tailored training for financial and business operations staff; develops and maintains standard operating procedures (SOPs) for financial monitoring, account reconciliation, budget projections, financial reporting, and year-end closeout; creates and maintains supporting documentation (checklists, templates, etc.) to promote consistency and best practices across departments.
Assists in the development and maintenance of standardized tools, reports, and best practices to support financial monitoring and decision-making.
Serves as cost center manager as deemed necessary.
Reconciles college-level accounts ensuring expenditures are appropriate and an approved college commitment.
Conducts regular financial reviews and variance analyses; identifies risks, trends, or deficits and develops mitigation strategies.
Provides high-level support in the college’s fiscal year-end closeout activities, including reviewing account balances and transactions for accuracy and allowability; ensuring timely processing of financial transactions, commitments, and corrections; and coordinating with central administrative offices to meet fiscal year deadlines.
Manages the college’s summer budget and serves as the primary financial lead, working closely with college leadership as well as HR and senior financial staff. Responsibilities include establishing and loading the budget, verifying salary and enrollment data, tracking profit/loss, and ensuring overall financial accuracy.
Serves as cost center manager and effort certification reviewer for all summer budget accounts.
Serves as the financial lead for the college’s summer research project, collaborating directly with college leadership and HR and senior financial staff. Responsibilities include compiling the college’s file for EIB submission, and resolving discrepancies with LSU HRM and departments, and ensuring compliance with reporting requirements.
Partners with the F&A team member(s) overseeing restricted and private funds to understand the college’s portfolio including ICR, LSU Online, technology transfer, scholarships, discretionary funds, etc.
Monitors financial reports and recommends enhancements to improve the accuracy, clarity, and usefulness of financial data reporting.
Provides high-level, college-wide financial oversight and analysis of a distinct portfolio of sponsored projects to inform leadership of financial trends, emerging risk, and systemic gaps, while preserving departmental responsibility for day-to-day grant management.
Serves as a strategic financial advisor to leadership by conducting periodic, high-level reviews to identify recurring compliance issues, control gaps, and training needs.
Synthesizes and translates fundings into recommendations for action plans, workflow improvements, and decision support.
Identifies patterns that warrant leadership attention, escalation, or targeted training.
Provides clear guidance to support sound financial decision-making including but not limited to financial reconciliation and reporting, budget forecasting, risk management, and award closeout.
Serves as the College’s central escalation and advisory resource for complex, high-risk, or non-routine post-award financial and compliance issues, acting as liaison with SPA, the college’s pre-award office (SciRS), and central administrative offices as needed.
Addresses matters that rise beyond the departmental level, supporting the Senior Assistant Dean of F&A in meeting accountability expectations from LSU central administration.
Partners with leadership and departments to resolve audit findings and review questions.
Proactively addresses grants with low expenditures nearing expiration by partnering with departments to discuss spending strategies or realignment, including payroll cost transfers and no-cost extension considerations, without assuming departmental execution responsibilities.
Strengthens the College’s post-award environment by leading college-level financial training and knowledge-sharing efforts and disseminating post-award communication to appropriate parties.
Develops and maintains college-level tools and standards (SOPs, checklists, templates, and best practice guidance) that enable departments to manage grants effectively and independently.
Ensures guidelines and training to promote a culture of improving accuracy, constancy, and compliance while reducing audit exposure.
Recommends process improvements that strengthen the College’s financial control environment and reputation.
Serves as Dean’s Office grant analyst.
Interprets and applies university, state, and sponsor financial policies across key ledger accounts, including personnel (summer salary, graduate assistants, student workers), equipment, travel, procurement, scholarships, and participant support costs.
Maintains expert-level knowledge of LSU financial systems, LSU financial and business policies and SOPs across all fund and account types (unrestricted, restricted, private; grants, start-up, scholarships, operating).
Performs other duties and/or supports special financial projects and initiatives as assigned by the Senior Assistant Dean of F&A.