Associate Director of Financial Planning and Analysis

Harvarduniversity; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Harvard College Library in Cambridge, MA seeks a Senior FP&A leader to drive budget planning, forecasting, and financial strategy for the library's operations.

You will supervise FP&A staff, partner with library leadership, manage endowment and fund activity, and deliver actionable insights to optimize resources. This role emphasizes governance, resilience, and cross-unit collaboration to support the university's mission. Prior higher education finance experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, mentor, coach, and develop FP&A staff by providing technical guidance and prioritizing workloads.
• Foster a collaborative, customer-focused, high-performing team culture emphasizing accountability and client service.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, and succession planning.
• Establish and continuously improve FP&A documentation, file structures, workflow standards, internal controls, and business continuity.
• Lead the annual operating budget, quarterly forecasts, multi-year financial plan, capital planning and related deliverables.
• Advise budget managers on budget development, forecasting, fund management, financial sustainability, and resource planning.
• Monitor funding sources including endowment income, gifts, and other revenue sources; advise on financial activity.
• Lead fund utilization and optimization, evaluating balances, reserves, and spending trends for flexibility.
• Oversee FTE and position management to align with budgets and strategic priorities.
• Identify financial risks and opportunities through variance analysis and long-range forecasting.
• Lead complex financial analyses, business cases, and projects supporting strategic decisions.
• Lead financial planning for facilities operations budgets, reserves, and capital projects.
• Provide FP&A for collections management, including budget development and long-term sustainability.
• Develop advanced financial models, dashboards, and tools to improve forecasting and decision support.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, including Generative AI, to improve reporting and automation.
• Perform other duties and special projects in support of Library Finance goals.
• Build collaborative relationships with Accounting, Library Administration, HR, and university financial offices.

Job description

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Supervise, mentor, coach, and develop FP&A staff by providing technical guidance, establishing priorities, managing workloads, reviewing work products, and supporting professional growth.
• Foster a collaborative, customer-focused, and high-performing team culture that promotes accountability, continuous improvement, innovation, and exceptional client service.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, and succession planning to strengthen organizational capacity and develop future finance leaders.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve FP&A documentation, shared file structures, workflow standards, internal controls, and business continuity plans to promote operational consistency, knowledge transfer, and organizational resilience.

Financial Strategy, Budget & Resource Stewardship

• In partnership with the Senior Director, lead the development, implementation, monitoring, and presentation of the Harvard College Library annual operating budget, quarterly forecasts, multi-year financial plan (MYFP), capital planning, and related financial deliverables for library leadership, the Vice President for the Harvard Library, and FAS Finance.
• Serve as the primary FP&A advisor to Harvard College Library budget managers by providing strategic financial guidance on budget development, forecasting, fund management, financial sustainability, and long-term resource planning.
• Monitor, analyze, and advise on major funding sources and financial activity, including University charges, endowment income, FAS, PDF, and other subventions, other tub income transfers, central assessments, income credits and debits, gifts, and other revenue sources.
• Lead fund utilization and optimization strategies by evaluating unrestricted and restricted fund balances, reserve planning, and spending trends to maximize financial flexibility while ensuring compliance with University and FAS policies and donor intent.
• Oversee FTE and position management by monitoring staffing plans, salary budgets, vacancies, workforce projections, and organizational changes to ensure alignment with approved budgets and strategic priorities.
• Identify financial risks and opportunities through variance analysis, trend analysis, scenario modeling, and long-range forecasting, recommending strategies that promote financial sustainability and operational effectiveness.
• Lead complex financial analyses, business cases, and special projects that support library leadership in evaluating strategic initiatives, operational alternatives, and resource allocation decisions.

Operational Planning, Facilities & Continuous Improvement

• Lead financial planning and analysis for facilities/building operations operating budgets, building reserves, capital projects, space-related costs, and other infrastructure investments that support Library operations.
• Provide financial planning and analysis for collections management, including budget development, spending analysis, fund utilization, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Develop and implement advanced financial models, dashboards, reporting tools, and analytical methodologies that improve forecasting accuracy, operational efficiency, and executive decision support.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, including Generative AI and financial systems enhancements, to identify opportunities to improve reporting, workflow automation, analytical capabilities, and administrative efficiency.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned in support of the goals and priorities of the Harvard College Library Finance organization.

Strategic Partnerships & Client Services

• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with Accounting, Library Administration, Library Building Operations, VPDR, FAS Finance, Human Resources, University financial offices, library budget manage