Sr. Director of Finance & Business Strategy

Associated Students Inc•Pomona, CA

1d•$156,000 - $169,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As a member of the ASI Leadership Team and Administration Team, the Senior Director of Finance & Business Strategy is expected to perform as a senior-level professional consistently providing ethical, strategic, forward-looking, collaborative, student-focused, and results-driven financial leadership to those internal and external to the organization. The Senior Director works with significant independence as ASI’s principal architect of long-range financial strategy, while regularly communicating openly, honestly, and directly with the Executive Director, the ASI Board of Directors and Finance Committee, and ASI department heads and their teams. Essential to the success of the Senior Director is a future-oriented mindset and the ability to: model the multi-year financial implications of present-day decisions; surface enterprise risk before it materializes; translate complex financial information for student-governed boards, university partners, and operational leaders; exercise sound fiduciary judgment in stewarding student fee resources, reserves, and investments; and partner with leadership to operationalize ASI’s mission through sound financial planning and business strategy. Under the general direction of the Executive Director, the Senior Director of Finance & Business Strategy is responsible for and provides leadership in the development, implementation, and refinement of ASI’s enterprise financial strategy, including long-range financial planning, capital and debt strategy, reserves and investment oversight, multi-year forecasting and scenario modeling, enterprise risk management, and financial governance. This position works collaboratively across the organization to ensure ASI’s financial decisions advance the mission and values of ASI and protect the long-term sustainability of student fee resources. The Senior Director leads and supervises the Financial Services department through the Associate Director of Financial Services (or equivalent department head), serves as the principal financial advisor to the ASI Board of Directors and Finance Committee, and partners with the Executive Director, Associate Executive Director, and Director colleagues to integrate financial strategy with organizational strategy and to foster a learning organization grounded in evidence-based decision-making.

Requirements

Master’s degree (MBA, MPA, or M.S.) in Finance/Accounting required
Minimum eight (8) years of progressive financial leadership experience in a nonprofit, higher education, public sector, or comparably complex environment, including at least three (3) years at a senior leadership level
Ability to lead multi-year financial planning, forecasting, and scenario modeling at an enterprise scale
Ability to oversee investment portfolios, reserves strategy, and/or capital and debt management
Ability to present financial strategy to a governing board, audit committee, or finance committee, ideally including a volunteer or student-governed board
Strong working knowledge of GAAP and FASB applicable to nonprofit organizations; familiarity with GASB and the CSU Auxiliary Organizations Association (AOA) reporting environment preferred
Working knowledge of California Education Code §89900 et seq., CSU Title 5 provisions, CSU Executive Orders, and 501(c)(3) regulatory framework, or ability to acquire it rapidly
Experience leading external audit engagements and managing auditor relationships
Experience in successfully leading and developing direct reports and managing through subordinate leaders
Proficient with enterprise financial systems like enterprise resource planning (ERP) and enterprise performance management (EPM/CPM), business intelligence and financial-modeling tools, and Microsoft Office Suite or related software
Superior strategic, analytical, and quantitative reasoning skills, including the ability to model multi-year financial implications of present-day decisions
Advanced financial modeling, forecasting, and scenario-planning ability
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate complex financial information for non-financial audiences (students, board members, operational leaders, university partners)
Strong governance and board engagement skills, including the ability to staff and present to a student-governed board
Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple strategic priorities simultaneously
Strong people-leadership skills, with demonstrated ability to develop technical professionals and to influence peers without direct authority
High emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and the ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion on sensitive financial matters
Strong systems thinking and ability to integrate financial strategy with organizational strategy
Strong data analytics acumen to support strategic initiatives and Board-level decision-making
Comfort working autonomously and with significant accountability
Global perspective and ability to work effectively with diverse cultures
Commitment to ASI’s mission, values, and student-centered orientation

Nice To Haves

Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license preferred

Responsibilities

Lead the development, implementation, and refinement of ASI’s multi-year financial strategy in alignment with ASI’s strategic plan, mission, and values
Develop and maintain multi-year financial models, forecasts, and scenario analyses that inform executive and Board-level decision-making on capital projects, fee strategy, programmatic expansion, and operational sustainability
Direct long-range financial planning for ASI’s student space portfolio, including life-cycle capital planning, deferred maintenance funding strategy, and major renewal programs
Lead enterprise resource allocation analysis and recommend strategic prioritization of resources to balance present-day program delivery with long-term financial sustainability and to delay fee increases for as long as fiscally responsible
Anticipate emerging financial pressures (system, regulatory, demographic, and economic) and advise the Executive Director and Leadership Team on strategic responses
Identify revenue stewardship opportunities and risks across all ASI funding streams, including student fees, programmatic revenue, and partnership-generated income
Translate ASI’s strategic plan into financial roadmaps with measurable indicators of organizational financial health
Provide executive oversight of ASI’s reserves and investment portfolio in partnership with the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and Finance Committee, ensuring stewardship aligned with ASI’s fiduciary obligations to students
Recommend, develop, and steward implementation of ASI’s investment policy in collaboration with the Board, Finance Committee, and external investment advisors; ensure the policy reflects ASI’s risk tolerance, liquidity needs, time horizons, and 501(c)(3) auxiliary obligations
Oversee capital and debt strategy, including annual debt service, refinancing analysis, and future debt-capacity modeling for major capital projects
Lead financial analysis, modeling, and business-case development for proposed capital projects, major facility renewals, and significant programmatic investments
Partner with external investment advisors, banking partners, bond counsel, and rating-agency contacts as appropriate to optimize ASI’s capital structure and protect institutional credit standing
Design and steward ASI’s reserves strategy, balancing operational, capital renewal, and emergency liquidity needs across short-, medium-, and long-term horizons
Direct treasury management and cash flow forecasting to support long-range capital plans and ensure operating liquidity
Lead post-investment performance review and report investment outcomes, allocation alignment, and policy adherence to the Board and Finance Committee
Serve as a member of the ASI Leadership Team and Administration Team, contributing financial strategy and risk perspective to enterprise decisions that are not strictly financial
Partner with the Executive Director, Associate Executive Director, and Director colleagues to operationalize the mission of ASI through sound financial planning and business strategy
Provide consultative financial leadership to department heads on resource planning, programmatic financial sustainability, business cases for new initiatives, and capital requests
Translate complex financial information into accessible language for the student-governed Board of Directors, Finance Committee, and student leaders, supporting financial literacy across student governance
Build organizational financial acumen across professional and student staff through coaching, workshops, and decision-support practices, in partnership with key stakeholders
Represent ASI in financial matters with university partners (Administrative Affairs, Student Affairs, Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises, Cal Poly Pomona Philanthropic Foundation), CSU system stakeholders (including the CSU Auxiliary Organizations Association), and external partners
Support student fee strategy, fee-referendum financial impact analysis, and student-facing communication of fee implications
Exercise financial systems strategy to build and strengthen ASI’s financial decision-making infrastructure through technology, process automation, and analytics
Maintain awareness and knowledge of contemporary nonprofit and higher-education financial leadership practices, CSU auxiliary trends, and emerging risks to provide suitable interpretation and recommendation to the ASI leadership and management team(s)
Demonstrate commitment and alignment with ASI’s mission, vision, and values
Serve as the principal financial liaison to the ASI Board of Directors and Finance Committee; advising the ASI Treasurer; prepare and present financial strategy, performance, and risk briefings
Lead enterprise risk management as it relates to ASI’s financial position, including identification, assessment, prioritization, and mitigation strategies for financial, operational, and reputational risk
Ensure ASI’s financial governance practices align with California Education Code §89900 et seq., applicable Title 5 provisions, CSU Executive Orders, and 501(c)(3) regulatory expectations
Oversee external audit engagement strategy, audit findings response, and management letter resolution at the executive level
Partner with ASI legal counsel and the Executive Director on matters of financial risk, contracts, and regulatory compliance
Steward IRS Form 990 strategy and ensure compliance with applicable nonprofit financial reporting obligations
Advise the Executive Director on insurance, bonding, and risk-transfer strategies
Champion strong internal controls and a sound control environment in collaboration with the Associate Director of Financial Services
Lead enterprise business analysis related to ASI operational sustainability, auxiliary business models, and long-term organizational capacity
Partner with executive leadership to evaluate operational scalability, organizational effectiveness, and revenue sustainability strategies
Support enterprise operational modernization through financial systems integration, analytics, and business-process optimization
Evaluate financial and operational implications of emerging organizational initiatives, partnerships, and service models
Manages the recruitment, hiring, training and development, and performance management of the Associate Director of Financial Services (or equivalent department head); provides indirect supervision for four (4) unit managers and respective teams
Directs the Financial Services department and key stakeholders to support enterprise financial strategy while preserving the operational integrity of accounting, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, corporate budgets, and student-organization financial services
Works directly with the key stakeholders and other ASI support staff to develop and coordinate project-based tasks, including Board financial reporting, audit preparation, and capital planning deliverables
Partners with the Director colleagues on organizational design, succession planning, and capacity building within Financial Services Department
Ensure executive oversight of ASI's audit readiness and response across financial, operational, compliance, and CSU system audit requirements
Oversee staff and cross-functional teams engaged in financial and/or audit activities, ensuring preparedness, accountability, and effective response to auditor inquiries and findings
Exercises independent professional judgment regarding enterprise financial risk, fiduciary stewardship