Senior Fiscal Officer

The Ohio State University•Columbus, OH

4d•$140,000 - $183,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Fiscal Officer (SFO) serves as the financial leader for the College of Education and Human Ecology (EHE), reporting directly to the Dean with a dotted reporting line to the university’s Vice President of Financial Operations and Deputy CFO. This role is responsible for the financial health, strategic direction, and operational excellence of the college across all funding sources. The SFO leads the Office of Finance and Business Services and provides expert counsel to the Dean, Associate Deans, Department Chairs, and Center Directors to advance EHE’s mission and strategic goals. The SFO oversees all aspects of financial operations, including budgeting, forecasting, resource allocation, compliance, and fiscal stewardship, ensuring a high‑performing and customer‑focused finance function. The role also leads college‑wide finance transformation efforts—modernizing financial processes, systems, and decision frameworks to increase efficiency, accuracy, and strategic alignment. This includes aligning financial resources with college and departmental strategy, driving budget‑rebasing initiatives, and developing sources‑and‑uses reporting at the departmental level to support transparent and effective financial management. Through this work, the SFO ensures the finance function evolves from transactional processing to delivering high‑value insights that enhance decision‑making and long‑term fiscal sustainability. Responsibilities include developing and maintaining a comprehensive all‑funds annual budget; creating long‑range financial plans and forecasting models; and managing resource projections and trend analyses to support strategic decision‑making. The SFO also sets and monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) to maintain alignment with the college’s strategic direction. Additionally, the SFO directs the management of the college’s administrative budget, centrally held allocations, and strategic reserves, while ensuring strong internal controls, compliance with university policies, and readiness for internal and external audits. Beyond financial planning and oversight, the SFO manages operations such as purchasing, capital planning, development and implementation of college‑wide financial policies and procedures, funds management, and pre‑ and post‑award grants administration in collaboration with research administration. The position prepares and presents executive‑level financial reports and analyses, responds to information requests, and ensures transparency and accountability through regular monitoring of KPIs. The SFO provides direct leadership to the college’s central/administrative finance team and oversight to EHE finance business partners across departments, fostering a culture of collaboration, customer service, and continuous improvement. This role works closely with Human Resources, Facilities, Capital Planning, and other operational units to integrate financial strategies with broader college priorities. The SFO also partners with the college’s HR Business Partner on initiatives that intersect with fiscal planning and serves as a liaison to Legal Affairs, Business & Finance, University Advancement, the Office of Academic Affairs, and other central university units. The SFO is a member of the college’s Executive Committee and represents EHE at university‑level Senior Fiscal Officer meetings and other forums, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities. Other duties may be assigned as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Ten (10) years of relevant experience required.

Nice To Haves

Extensive finance operations and leadership experience.
A Master's degree focused in finance, accounting or business administration
Complex budget forecasting and modeling experience for a large organization.
Fund accounting and zero-based budgeting experience.
Possess data analysis skills and experience.
Executive-level reporting experience.

Responsibilities

Developing and maintaining a comprehensive all‑funds annual budget
Creating long‑range financial plans and forecasting models
Managing resource projections and trend analyses to support strategic decision‑making
Setting and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) to maintain alignment with the college’s strategic direction
Directing the management of the college’s administrative budget, centrally held allocations, and strategic reserves, while ensuring strong internal controls, compliance with university policies, and readiness for internal and external audits
Managing operations such as purchasing, capital planning, development and implementation of college‑wide financial policies and procedures, funds management, and pre‑ and post‑award grants administration in collaboration with research administration
Preparing and presenting executive‑level financial reports and analyses
Responding to information requests
Ensuring transparency and accountability through regular monitoring of KPIs
Providing direct leadership to the college’s central/administrative finance team and oversight to EHE finance business partners across departments
Fostering a culture of collaboration, customer service, and continuous improvement
Integrating financial strategies with broader college priorities
Serving as a liaison to Legal Affairs, Business & Finance, University Advancement, the Office of Academic Affairs, and other central university units
Representing EHE at university‑level Senior Fiscal Officer meetings and other forums, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities

Benefits

Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.

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