Washington State University
Senior Director and College Financial Officer
Job Label: WSU-40358-RS
Why You Are Going to Love This Job
Working as the Dean’s right-hand person, our Senior Director and College Financial Officer for the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University will play a pivotal role in advancing the college’s mission of improving the lives of animals and people at home and around the work through enhancing health and wellbeing. If you are inspired by the idea of supporting faculty in groundbreaking research across diverse disciplines—Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Global Health, Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, and Molecular Biosciences—this role will allow you to make a tangible impact worldwide. You’ll be joining a community that values creativity, collaborative problem-solving, and compassion for animals and people alike.
By overseeing financial strategy and administrative support, you will be the principal consultant and advisor to the Dean, as well as a college liaison to the university’s central administration on a variety of financial matters. This role is perfect for a seasoned finance professional who is not only adept at managing numbers and people, but also driven by a commitment to global health initiatives and education, all within one of the country’s most respected veterinary colleges.
Professionally, this role has the potential to open the door to university wide roles and opportunities. As you oversee the operations of the college’s administrative services while working with area service directors and leads, you will facilitate operational processes and support systems including financials, personnel, facilities, technology, inventory, and assets.
The WSU College of Veterinary Medicine founded was 1899 and is the fifth-oldest veterinary college in the United States. The college is a leader in veterinary and biomedical research and education. In addition to the professional veterinary medical degree, we offer pre-health undergraduate degrees in biochemistry, genetics and cell biology, microbiology, and neuroscience and graduate degrees in immunology & infectious disease, integrative physiology, veterinary clinical and translational sciences, molecular biosciences, and neuroscience.
What We Need You to Do
- Cross-Departmental Relationship Building: Build strong, trust-based relationships with various departments across the university and serve as a resource to ensure alignment with the school’s strategic objectives. Your influence will help streamline operations and foster cross-functional collaboration.
- Strategic Financial Oversight: Lead College financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes, working closely with the financial personnel across the College to ensure the integrity of all financial operations and supporting high-impact research funding across local and international projects.
- Strategic Personnel Management: Oversee strategic personnel operations within the College, from recruiting and staffing structure to performance management and disciplinary procedures. Lead a team that is committed to fostering a student-centric and supportive work environment.
- Administration and Compliance: Establish and implement administrative policies, ensuring compliance with university and regulatory standards, particularly within complex international project frameworks.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Provide key financial insights and present data to support the Dean’s strategic decisions and program growth, from enhancing student opportunities to expanding international research initiatives.
- Lead a Terrific Team: The Associate Director for Finance, Director for Information Technology and Assistant Director of Facilities and Support Operations will report to you.
- Manage and Monitor sensitive programs, projects, activities and budgets as
required by the Dean.
- Represent the College: Serve on various university, college and external committees regarding finances, grants & contracts, business operations, policy development, strategic growth and related matters.
What You Bring to the Table
- Interpersonal Savvy: A natural collaborator with the ability to influence cross-departmental efforts and gain trust across the college, departments, and international research partners.
- Educational Background: A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, or a closely related field with an accounting emphasis, and at least five years of progressive experience in finance and administration, ideally within higher education.
- Financial Acumen: A track record of success in financial management, including experience in audit environments, issue identification, and control implementation. Experience working with contractual agreements and presenting data to large groups is highly valued.
- Leadership Experience: Proven ability to supervise and develop a team, ideally with experience handling corrective actions and fostering an inclusive, supportive workplace.
- Passion for the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Mission: A deep commitment to animal welfare and global health, aligning with the College’s mission of “Healthy Animals. Healthy People. Healthy Planet.”
- Knack for getting things done: You find ways to get things done with resourcefulness, creativity and a positive, can-do attitude.
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