Vice Dean, Finance & Administration and Chief Financial Officer

University of Southern California • Los Angeles, CA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The USC Marshall School of Business seeks an accomplished, collaborative, and forward-looking leader to serve as Vice Dean of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer. Reporting to the Interim Dean and serving as a key member of the school’s senior leadership team, the Vice Dean will provide strategic leadership across Marshall’s financial and administrative operations and help position the school for continued academic excellence, innovation, and long-term success. This is a broad and influential leadership role extending well beyond traditional financial management. The Vice Dean will serve as a trusted strategic partner to the Dean, Vice Deans, Associate Deans, faculty leaders, and administrative leadership, helping the school evaluate opportunities, navigate complex tradeoffs, and align its resources and operations with its academic mission and strategic priorities. The Vice Dean will bring together financial insight, operational expertise, and a deep understanding of the higher education environment. They will ensure that school leaders have timely, relevant, and actionable information to support sound decisions. The successful candidate will anticipate emerging needs, translate complex financial and operational matters into clear options, and balance analytical rigor with the responsiveness required in a dynamic academic institution. The Vice Dean oversees Administrative Services, Financial Services, Human Resources and Payroll, Information Technology and Facilities. They will lead and develop a multidisciplinary organization, establish clear expectations and accountability, strengthen leadership capacity, and build sustainable systems that support continuity and effective service across the school. Equally important, the Vice Dean will be a visible and trusted member of the Marshall community. They will understand and value the distinct perspectives of faculty and staff, approach challenges with curiosity and flexibility, and cultivate relationships grounded in competence, transparency, respect, and a shared commitment to the school’s mission. The role also represents Marshall in university-wide planning and works closely with central partners across finance, human resources, information technology, facilities, research administration, and other administrative functions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Ten years of progressively responsible experience in finance, administration, or a related area, including significant leadership experience in higher education.
• Demonstrated expertise in budgeting, financial planning and analysis, financial controls, resource allocation, and long-range planning.
• Experience leading people and multiple administrative functions within a large, complex organization.
• Understanding of the academic enterprise, including faculty needs, academic programs, research, fundraising, scholarships, and university resource-allocation models.
• Demonstrated success advising senior leaders, evaluating competing priorities, and aligning financial and operational decisions with institutional goals.
• Strong analytical, strategic-planning, relationship-building, and communication skills, with a record of developing teams and fostering accountability.
• Thorough knowledge of management principles and applicable financial, employment, and regulatory requirements.
• Minimum Education: Bachelor's Degree
• Minimum Experience: 10 years
• Minimum Field of Expertise: Progressively increasing leadership responsibilities in budget, financial control, cash flow analysis and debt planning. Progressively increasing leadership, planning and management experience in human resources field. Demonstrated strong organization, planning, analytical, innovative, critical thinking, strategic, collaboration, interpersonal and relationship building skills are essential. Thorough knowledge of management principles, budgeting, finance and applicable laws/regulations.

Nice To Haves

• Master of Business Administration or another relevant advanced degree.
• Fifteen years of relevant experience, including senior leadership within a complex academic institution.
• Experience implementing technology, data analytics, and management reporting to improve decision-making and organizational performance.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational change while navigating complex institutional, political, and cultural considerations.
• Proven ability to recruit, develop, and retain high-performing leadership teams and sustain new ways of working.
• Preferred Education: Masters of Business Administration
• Preferred Experience: 15 years
• Preferred Field of Expertise: Knowledge of higher education operations and environment in addition to budget, financial control, cash flow analysis and debt planning, and human resources

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to the Dean and senior leadership team on financial strategy, resource allocation, operational priorities, and long-range planning.
• Align financial and operational decisions with Marshall’s academic mission, strategic objectives, and institutional priorities.
• Provide timely financial analysis, forecasts, scenario planning, and recommendations that help leaders evaluate opportunities, risks, and tradeoffs.
• Lead the development and oversight of the school’s annual budget, multi-year financial plans, and business plans for new programs and strategic initiatives.
• Provide strategic oversight of finance and budget, human resources and payroll, information technology, facilities, administrative services, and sponsored projects administration.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team by establishing clear expectations, strengthening accountability, developing talent, and supporting succession planning.
• Guide organizational planning, including structures, staffing strategies, operational processes, and service-delivery models.
• Partner effectively with faculty, staff, school leaders, and central university offices to address complex needs and advance shared priorities.
• Build trust across the Marshall community through collaborative leadership, transparent communication, sound judgment, and consistent follow-through.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.
• The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Benefits

• The annual base salary range for this position is $390,000–$437,000.
• USC provides benefits-eligible employees with a broad range of benefits and resources designed to help protect their and their dependents’ health, financial well-being, and future. These benefits are part of USC’s overall compensation and total rewards package.

What This Job Offers

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