Strategic Initiatives Advisor-Business Office

Grinnell College • Grinnell, IA

1d

About The Position

The Business Office Strategic Project Advisor serves as a trusted strategic partner to the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, driving high-impact initiatives and advancing the division’s priorities. This role provides leadership across strategic planning, operational excellence, communication strategy, governance support, and special projects, ensuring alignment and momentum across the Business Office. Working in close collaboration with departmental leaders in Human Resources, Accounting, Risk Management, Facilities Management, and Auxiliary Services (Dining Services, Pioneer Bookshop, the Mail Room, the GC Golf Course, and the Office of Event Coordination and Scheduling), the Advisor helps shape and execute initiatives that enhance operational effectiveness, support informed decision-making, and deliver measurable outcomes on complex, cross-functional projects. As a central connector within the Business Office, the Advisor serves as a key liaison among senior leadership, trustees, departmental teams, and campus stakeholders. Through this work, the role ensures strong alignment between strategic goals, operational priorities, communications, and project execution—ultimately strengthening the division’s impact and cohesion.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business or public administration, communications, Higher Education administration, Finance, Management or related field
• Five to seven years of progressively responsible project or operations management/strategic planning, communications
• Champions Diversity Equity and Inclusion
• Demonstrated experience leading complex projects
• Experience preparing executive-level reports, presentations, communications, and recommendations.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail and quality.

Nice To Haves

• Masters Degree in any of the forementioned fields
• Experience working in higher education
• Project management certification or equivalent training preferred.
• Proven experience with website content management systems, project management software, and data reporting tools.
• Experience supporting executive leadership and governance activities

Responsibilities

• Lead and orchestrate cross-functional strategic, operational, technology, and process improvement efforts.
• Develop clear project roadmaps, implementation timelines, milestones, and success metrics that ensure measurable outcomes.
• Support the implementation of new systems, technologies, and operating models—helping departments modernize, streamline operations, and enhance service delivery.
• Act as a key advisor and thought partner to the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, facilitating alignment across the division and ensuring effective communication and coordination with senior leaders and trustees.
• Develop and deliver compelling communications—ranging from presentations and reports to newsletters and announcements—that clearly articulate priorities, progress, and impact to internal and external audiences.
• Lead data collection, analysis, and reporting efforts, including the development of dashboards and performance metrics, to inform strategic planning, enable data-driven decision-making, and track progress against divisional goals.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior