Vice President for Finance and Administration, Bentonville Institute of Technology

Art and Wellness Enterprises•Bentonville, AR

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Vice President for Finance and Administration serves as Bentonville Institute of Technology’s senior financial officer and Controller of record, with institutional authority over financial control, budgeting, accounting close, financial reporting, bursar services, accounts payable, student accounts, and contract management. The role is the primary institutional counterpart to the Art and Wellness Enterprises (AWE) shared-services finance team, which provides payroll processing, treasury, limited financial reporting, Workday platform administration, and accounts payable workflow support. The position must retain institutional authority and accountability for core accounting, financial control, bursar functions, financial decisions, representations, and filings. This is a hands-on leadership position responsible for designing finance processes, selecting and configuring tools, building the finance team, and establishing capabilities to support pre-accreditation operations, the University’s first undergraduate cohort, and its path toward accreditation and Title IV federal student aid eligibility. The role must develop infrastructure that can operate without federal aid initially and transition to it when the institution becomes eligible. The five-term academic year requires student account and bursar workflows designed for frequent billing, payment, and reconciliation cycles. The Vice President owns the functional design of the University’s finance systems, including the chart of accounts and the use of Workday Finance, Workday HCM, and a student information system that has not yet been selected. Systems and vendors must interoperate with AWE’s shared-services infrastructure, Workday ERP, MuleSoft integration layer, and Snowflake data platform. The University expects AI automation to be embedded in finance workflows from initial buildout, supporting a lean operating model. The role leads the annual budget process, maintains the operating budget and monthly variance reporting, supports multi-year financial modeling and capital planning, and prepares internal and board financial reporting. It oversees audit readiness and external audit coordination, compliance reporting, the student bursar and accounts payable functions, and the contract lifecycle management function. The position also builds, leads, coaches, and develops a high-performing team while remaining prepared to personally execute finance work in a developing institutional environment. The University is being developed in Bentonville, Arkansas, to advance new models of STEM education and workforce development. Its educational model will combine rigorous STEM instruction with entrepreneurial and business-oriented learning, experiential education, stackable credentials, flexible pathways, and industry engagement. The institution plans to enroll its first undergraduate class in 2029. Initially, faculty and staff will be employed by AWE and work within the broader Crystal Bridges Campus for Art and Wellness ecosystem.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a closely related field.
CPA or equivalent professional designation.
12–15+ years of progressive financial management experience, including 5+ years in a Controller, Assistant Controller, or comparable institutional finance leadership role.
8–10+ years of progressive leadership experience leading and developing teams, including staff supervision, performance management, coaching, professional development, and oversight of managers and senior-level leaders.
Demonstrated experience owning institutional budget development, financial statement preparation, and external audit management.
Experience managing or closely coordinating with shared-services or outsourced finance functions while retaining institutional control and accountability.
Proficiency with enterprise financial systems.
Working knowledge of nonprofit GAAP and fund accounting principles.
Ability to design and enforce internal controls, financial policies, and compliance frameworks.
Familiarity with Title IV student financial aid regulations and OMB Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200), in preparation for the planned pursuit of federal aid eligibility.
Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to explain financial information to non-financial audiences, executives, and board members.
AI fluency, including hands-on experience or willingness to learn how to apply AI to financial workflows, scenario modeling, reporting automation, or process improvement.
High tolerance for ambiguity and a track record of building operational infrastructure in startup or transformation contexts.
Independent professional judgment and commitment to financial integrity and institutional independence.
Ability to design processes and infrastructure in an environment where they do not yet exist.
Operational precision, deadline discipline, and ability to manage complex, multi-workstream processes accurately.
Ability to serve as a proactive financial advisor to senior leadership and communicate financial risks clearly.
Willingness to personally execute finance work, including accounts, reconciliations, and systems, while the team is small.
Ability and willingness to use AI tools in daily financial work and design automated workflows from the outset.
Ability to meet the stated physical demands, including prolonged computer and telephone use, bending and stretching, and lifting and transporting at least 10 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree in business administration, accounting, public administration, or a related field.
Experience in higher education finance, including familiarity with accreditation financial criteria.
Experience establishing a bursar or student accounts function at a new or significantly restructured institution.
Experience with Workday Financials and student information system financial integration.
Familiarity with contract lifecycle management tools and procurement policy in higher education.
Experience deploying AI-powered tools in finance or higher education, such as AI-assisted close processes, automated variance reporting, Workday Prism Analytics, or workflow automation platforms.
Ability to evaluate and select AI tools with AWE platform compatibility in mind.

Responsibilities

Serve as the University’s Controller of record and own the general ledger, chart of accounts, and accounting close in partnership with the AWE finance team.
Maintain institutional financial controls consistent with accreditation criteria, nonprofit GAAP, and, when applicable, Title IV regulations and OMB Uniform Guidance.
Direct and review AWE finance team deliverables while retaining institutional authority over financial decisions, representations, and filings.
Oversee audit readiness, act as the primary staff liaison to the external auditor, and coordinate the annual audit and audited financial statement preparation with AWE.
Build and maintain the internal control environment and pursue continuous improvement.
Use AI tools and automation in close workflows, variance analysis, reconciliation, and reporting.
Own functional design of finance systems and validate interoperability with AWE shared services, Workday ERP, MuleSoft, and Snowflake before selection or configuration.
Lead the annual institutional budget process, including calendar development, coordination with division leaders, scenario modeling, board presentation, and formal adoption support.
Maintain the operating budget in Workday Financials, monitor actuals against budget, and prepare monthly variance analyses with narrative for senior leadership.
Partner with executive and AWE finance leadership on multi-year financial models, capital planning assumptions, and accreditation-phase projections.
Develop and enforce budget policies and delegation-of-authority thresholds consistent with Board policy.
Support grant budget development and ensure compliance with sponsor-specific financial requirements.
Prepare accurate monthly and quarterly financial statements and management reports, and board-quality reporting packages.
Manage IPEDS financial reporting, state financial reporting to the Arkansas Division of Higher Education, and other external compliance filings.
Coordinate with AWE treasury on cash positioning, investment reporting, and philanthropic capital draw schedules.
Establish and lead the bursar function, including student account setup, billing, payment processing, institutional aid posting, and collections.
Design and administer student accounts in the student information system, integrating it with the enrollment CRM and five-term billing workflows.
Develop student-facing financial policies, billing calendars, payment plans, and refund procedures in accordance with institutional policy and applicable federal regulations.
Serve as the institutional liaison for student financial matters before and after activation of Title IV eligibility.
Oversee accounts payable, including invoice processing, payment runs, vendor setup, and 1099 compliance, primarily through AWE’s Workday workflow.
Establish accounts payable policies for approval workflows, payment terms, and segregation of duties.
Monitor accounts payable aging, resolve vendor disputes, and enforce payment terms across departments.
Build and administer the University’s contract management function, including a contract register, approval routing, and execution tracking in coordination with legal counsel.
Manage vendor contracts from request for proposal through execution, amendment, renewal, and termination; ensure financial terms, insurance requirements, and performance milestones are accurately reflected.
Maintain the institutional contracts library and flag renewal deadlines, termination windows, and financial commitments to leadership.
Partner with technology and operations on major technology vendor management to align with the AWE technology shared-services MSA.
Build and lead the team, set expectations and priorities, coach and develop employees, support recruitment and onboarding, manage performance, and monitor engagement and workload.
Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned to support evolving organizational needs.