Vice President of Finance and Administration

Cecil College • North East, MD

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the President's Executive Leadership Team, the Vice President of Finance and Administration provides executive leadership for the College's financial services, procurement, facilities and capital planning, public safety, auxiliary services, and administrative operations. The Vice President serves as the College's chief financial strategist, ensuring sound fiscal stewardship, long-term financial sustainability, operational excellence, and responsible management of institutional resources. The Vice President collaborates with executive leadership to align financial planning, resource allocation, facilities investments, and administrative services with the College's strategic priorities, enrollment goals, student success initiatives, and institutional effectiveness objectives. The Vice President promotes a culture of accountability, transparency, innovation, shared governance, continuous improvement, and data-informed decision-making while strengthening the College's capacity to fulfill its mission in an evolving higher education environment. The position directly supervises the Controller, Director of Facilities and Projects, Director of Public Safety, Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Finance and Administration. The Vice President is responsible for the oversight and leadership of ancillary third-party vendors, including but not limited to college bookstore operations, ensuring compliance, service quality, and contract performance. Given the need for interaction with employees, students, and college community, this position requires in-person presence. This position is eligible for telework.

Requirements

• Master’s degree required
• CPA certification preferred.
• Experience working in education required, with a preference given to individuals that have higher education experience.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in increasingly responsible positions in financial systems and operations, including successful fiscal, administrative leadership, and managerial experience.
• Preference for experience with strategic and long-term planning.
• Excellent Microsoft Office Software skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Familiarity with online Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System.
• Specific knowledge and experience in budget development, purchasing, accounting, accounts payable and receivable, investment of funds, state and federal funds, grants, cost studies, travel, revenues, expenditures, financial statements, insurance, auditing and related operational functions of the institution.
• Preferred knowledge of risk management practices related to fiscal and administrative functions, including public safety, emergency preparedness, facilities management, maintenance operations, and regulatory compliance.
• Familiarity with audit functions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, leadership, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to multi-task, work independently, pay attention to detail, think critically, analyze data, adapt to changing priorities, and maintain confidentiality.
• Demonstrated ability to implement change, build consensus, establish and maintain cooperative working relationships, and gain confidence and cooperation within the College community.
• Proven ability to analyze complex data, develop financial reports for financial analysis, forecasting, trending, and results analysis.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the US, as the College does not offer Visa sponsorships.
• Employees of Cecil College, including instructors for online and virtual courses, must be residents of Maryland or the contiguous states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, or the District of Columbia.

Nice To Haves

• CPA certification
• Higher education experience
• Experience with strategic and long-term planning
• Risk management practices related to fiscal and administrative functions, including public safety, emergency preparedness, facilities management, maintenance operations, and regulatory compliance.
• Familiarity with audit functions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a member of the President's Executive Leadership Team, providing strategic leadership and counsel on fiscal stewardship, administrative operations, institutional sustainability, and long-range planning.
• Lead the development and implementation of long-term financial and administrative strategies that advance the College's mission, Strategic Plan, Master Plan, enrollment objectives, student success initiatives, and institutional effectiveness goals.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, transparency, customer service, and continuous improvement throughout the division.
• Lead divisional strategic planning, establish measurable performance objectives, and evaluate organizational effectiveness through data-informed decision-making and continuous assessment.
• Ensure that related Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation are exemplary as required by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
• Provide executive leadership for all financial operations, including budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, treasury management, procurement, payroll, accounts payable, debt management, investments, and long-range financial planning.
• Lead the development of the College's annual operating and capital budgets through an integrated, governance-based planning process that aligns financial resources with institutional priorities and strategic initiatives.
• Advise the President and Board of Trustees on financial strategy, fiscal sustainability, budget development, capital investments, and emerging financial risks affecting the institution.
• Utilize institutional analytics, financial modeling, scenario planning, and predictive forecasting to support executive decision-making and long-term financial sustainability.
• Establish and maintain strong internal controls, financial policies, and business practices that ensure responsible stewardship of College resources.
• Provide executive leadership for the College's strategic sourcing, procurement governance, contract administration, and vendor performance management to ensure fiscal stewardship, regulatory compliance, transparency, and value-based purchasing.
• Review, negotiate, approve, and monitor contracts and agreements within the division and other institutional contracts as assigned by the President.
• Oversee procurement, purchasing, accounts payable, payroll, mail services, print services, bookstore operations, and other auxiliary business services to ensure efficient, customer-focused operations.
• Ensure all purchasing and contracting activities comply with applicable federal, state, local, and Board policies.
• Provide strategic leadership for facilities management, capital construction, deferred maintenance, campus master planning, sustainability initiatives, environmental health and safety, and stewardship of the College's physical assets.
• Lead the development of long-range facilities and capital investment strategies that support enrollment growth, student success, academic excellence, and operational effectiveness.
• Forecast capital requirements and develop financing strategies that support institutional priorities and long-term fiscal sustainability.
• Oversee auxiliary operations and contracted service providers, including bookstore operations and other third-party partnerships, ensuring contract compliance and high-quality service delivery.
• Provide executive leadership for Public Safety, Emergency Management, Business Continuity, Continuity of Operations, Crisis Management, and Environmental Health and Safety programs to maintain a safe, secure, and resilient working and learning environment.
• Coordinate the College's Enterprise Risk Management program in collaboration with executive leadership, identifying institutional risks and developing mitigation strategies that protect the College's people, assets, operations, and reputation.
• Oversee the College's insurance programs, including cyber security, liability, casualty, property, workers' compensation, and other risk management coverages.
• Collaborate with executive leadership on institutional emergency preparedness, disaster recovery, operational resilience, and continuity planning.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, local, accreditation, grant, accounting, and regulatory requirements governing financial and administrative operations.
• Provide executive leadership for audit activities, financial compliance, and internal control processes, leveraging audit findings to strengthen institutional performance and accountability.
• Recommend, develop, and implement financial and administrative policies that support sound governance, regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to align financial planning, capital investments, and administrative services with institutional effectiveness, accreditation, enrollment strategy, and student success priorities.
• Participate in institutional governance of the College's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)environment, institutional data governance, and artificial intelligence governance initiatives.
• Ensuring timely compilation and submittal of required reports to state and local agencies.
• Prepare and present financial reports, budget recommendations, capital planning initiatives, and administrative updates to the President, Board of Trustees, and Board committees.
• Support the Board's fiduciary responsibilities through timely financial reporting, strategic analyses, and recommendations regarding fiscal and administrative matters.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to develop reports, analyses, and communications that support informed institutional decision-making.
• Provide leadership, coaching, mentoring, and performance management for direct reports while developing a highly engaged, customer-focused, and high-performing administrative organization.
• Promote collaboration across divisions to improve institutional efficiency, enhance administrative services, and strengthen organizational effectiveness.
• Represent the College on internal and external committees, professional organizations, and community partnerships as assigned by the President.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the President.

Benefits

• medical, dental and vision coverage for employee and eligible dependents
• generous annual, sick and personal leave
• 19 paid holidays
• tuition assistance and tuition waiver based on eligibility guidelines
• opportunity to enroll in retirement accounts (403B or Maryland State Retirement System based on eligibility guidelines)
• voluntary retirement account with TIAA or Fidelity
• employee paid short term disability
• employer provided basic life insurance and accidental death insurance
• employee paid voluntary life insurance
• access to Fitness Center
• access to library

What This Job Offers

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