Senior Vice President for Finance and Budget and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) - New York University

Position Summary

New York University (NYU), a member of the Association for American Universities (AAU) and one of the world’s premier private institutions for academic excellence, seeks applications and nominations for the position of the Senior Vice President for Finance and Budget and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). 

Founded in 1831 with a mission to be a center of higher learning that would be open to all, regardless of national origin, religious beliefs, or social background, NYU is today one of the largest private universities in the United States and a leader in global education. From a student body of 158 during NYU’s very first semester, enrollment has grown to more than 60,000 students. Today, students come from every state in the union and from 133 foreign countries. NYU’s alumni community is nearly 470,000 strong and spans 183 foreign countries in addition to the United States. As a global institution, NYU has degree-granting campuses in New York City, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai, alongside thirteen global academic centers of undergraduate study on six continents – Accra, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Florence, London, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Tulsa, and Washington DC. 

Linda G. Mills became the 17th President of NYU on July 1, 2023.  Dr. Mills is the Lisa Ellen Goldberg Professor of Social Work, Public Policy, and Law at NYU. She is also the Executive Director of the NYU Center on Violence and Recovery. She has been NYU’s Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice Provost for Global Programs and University Life since 2012. In 2002, she was named Vice Provost (and in 2006 Senior Vice Provost) for Undergraduate Education and University Life.

The Role

The Senior Vice President for Finance and Budget and Chief Financial Officer (SVP/CFO) will work with a talented Finance team to develop a mission and shared goals that emphasize service, collaboration, and communication. Reporting directly to Martin Dorph, Executive Vice President, this critical role provides strategic and transformational leadership in the development and implementation of all matters relating to the financial operations of the university, including its global campuses. The SVP/CFO will work collaboratively and in partnership with the EVP, the provost, the president, and the board of trustees to provide enterprise-wide leadership in the responsible stewardship of NYU’s financial resources to manage both an ambitious academic agenda and an increased focus on cost effectiveness and affordability. The leader will oversee the delivery of high-quality services in a dynamic and complex environment characterized by a drive for continuous improvement and transformational change.

NYU seeks a dynamic and innovative SVP/CFO with a unique combination of leadership skills and the ability to plan and direct a complex set of administrative and support services advancing NYU’s mission. Candidates must demonstrate vision, creativity and collaborative and managerial acumen, along with a strong commitment to NYU’s public mission. Ideal candidates will have substantial financial leadership experience in achieving strategic impact; strong visibility within the higher education community; knowledge of local, federal, state and university policies and procedures; familiarity with transformative trends in the field; aptitude and creativity to work within complex financial constraints and a changing regulatory environment; understanding of business intelligence that contributes to data-based decisions and to continuous process improvement; a keen ability to make high-impact business decisions with positive long-term consequences for the university; cultural fluency and relationship skills; and the capacity to exercise leadership at local, state and national levels.

Qualifications

Required Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics or other related discipline.

Required Experience10+ years experience in a senior leadership level. A minimum of 15 years of progressive financial experience in higher education or industry with significant experience working in a complex, decentralized environment with multiple stakeholder relationships and reporting.

Preferred Education/ExperienceMaster’s degree in a related field is highly preferred. Professional experience in higher education and/or an academic healthcare setting is valued.Required Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

The next SVP/CFO should possess the following: 

• Has an understanding of revenue and expense trends and longer-term resource issues in higher education as well as strong project management and continuous process improvement expertise with enterprise-wide systems.
• Experience in supporting governing boards, and in staffing committees or subgroups on matters of a financial, capital investment, or administrative nature is also a plus.
• Demonstrated experience in the areas of financial reporting and forecasting, treasury, tax planning, internal controls, contract negotiation and management, and enterprise risk management. 
• A solutions-oriented leader with the ability to make difficult decisions.
• Is direct, articulate, pragmatic, socially and politically astute and trustworthy.
• Has a reputation as a leader who advances and applies rigorous professional standards.
• Is a strong communicator with the ability to influence. 
• Is viewed as a highly credible professional, is ethically uncompromising and exhibits the highest level of integrity.
• Sophisticated and discriminating problem-solving abilities and applies a creative approach to presenting and recommending multiple solutions to problems.
• Excellent judgment and an ability to develop and nurture key relationships complement an ability to work under pressure, juggle multiple timelines, negotiate with others, and interact with a diverse client base. 
• Values and respects people and is a team builder who can work effectively with peers at all levels throughout the organization.

Additional Information

In compliance with NYC's Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is USD $884,000.00 to USD $954,000.00. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as, market and organizational considerations when extending an offer. This pay range represents base pay only and excludes any additional items such as incentives, bonuses, clinical compensation, or other items.