Finance Transformation & Process Optimization: Lead the assessment, design, and execution of strategic finance transformation initiatives to improve efficiency, accuracy, and automation. Identify opportunities to streamline finance processes, leveraging emerging technologies such as machine learning and automation to enhance financial closing, reconciliation, and reporting.Business Process Improvement & Automation: Drive continuous improvement initiatives by analyzing workflows, identifying inefficiencies, and implementing best practices to optimize financial operations. Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to develop and execute automation strategies that reduce errors, increase processing speed, and maximize system utilization.Data-Driven Decision-Making & Analytics: Utilize data analytics and performance metrics to assess finance operations, identify root causes of inefficiencies, and develop solutions that enhance financial reporting and decision-making. Ensure finance teams have access to accurate, timely, and auditable financial information.Project & Change Management: Lead and manage complex business process improvement initiatives using agile, lean, and waterfall methodologies. Build a pipeline of high-value projects and prioritize them based on clearly defined and quantified benefits. Guide teams through organizational change, ensuring alignment between business and technical objectives while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.Cross-functional leadership & Collaboration: Partner with finance, IT, and other university departments to align transformation efforts with strategic goals. Act as a key advisor to leadership, providing insights and recommendations on future-state finance models, operational improvements, and risk mitigation strategies.Governance & Compliance: Ensure all process improvements align with university policies, financial regulations, and audit requirements. Develop standardized guidelines, document best practices, and implement governance structures to support consistent and sustainable finance operations.Technology & Innovation: Stay ahead of industry trends and emerging financial technologies to drive innovation in finance transformation. Identify and implement tools that enhance reconciliation, reporting, metrics, and financial decision-making capabilities.Team Leadership & Development: Manage a team of process improvement professionals, fraud prevention specialists, and analysts. Provide leadership, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to build a high-performing team focused on continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Required Skill/ability 1:  Strong analytical, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, assess complex finance processes & identify transformation opportunities. Skilled in developing & implementing strategies to reduce errors, boost efficiency & enhance system utilization. Proficient in data analysis, workflow optimization & root cause identification to drive process improvements.

Required Skill/ability 2:  Demonstrated experience in finance process design, improvement and automation. Ability to leverage best practices, industry benchmarks, and technology-driven solutions to streamline financial operations. Expertise in using tools and machine learning to optimize financial closing, reconciliation, and reporting processes in the University's Workday environment.

Required Skill/ability 3:  Ability to lead cross-functional teams + drive organizational cultural transformation. Strong project management skills w/ experience in waterfall, agile + lean methodologies to ensure effective execution of finance transformation initiatives. Guide teams through organizational change, influencing stakeholders + embedding culture of cont. improvement.

Required Skill/ability 4:  

Excellent verbal & written communication skills to articulate complex financial and tech. concepts to diverse stakeholders. Ability to influence/negotiate w/ executives, finance professionals & tech teams to align business objectives w/ process transformation initiatives. Strong interpersonal skills, foster collaboration across all levels of the organization.