Associate for Finance Policy & Innovation

SCHEV; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

SCHEV in Richmond, VA seeks an Associate for Finance Policy & Innovation to advance finance policy and data-driven insights. The role collaborates with FP&I staff to analyze budgets, develop policy recommendations, and present findings to external stakeholders.

The position involves preparing budget summaries, reporting expenditures, and supporting six-year and biennial planning processes. Occasional travel is required; telework is limited.

Qualifications

• Experience analyzing public budgets and producing clear, actionable summary documents.
• Advanced spreadsheet expertise with large data sets.
• Strong analytical skills to identify correlations and develop data-driven hypotheses.
• Experience drafting quantitative and qualitative summaries with policy recommendations.
• Ability to present financial data clearly to diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently on deadline-driven projects in sensitive environments.
• Knowledge of higher education issues including enrollment, finance, affordability, programs, and workforce alignment.
• Experience interpreting and evaluating statistical information.

Responsibilities

• Maintain finance policy records, datasets and resources used in policy assessments and share with stakeholders.
• Assist with review and revision of agency Fact Packs.
• Review guidelines and process institutional equipment program requisitions.
• Report and verify data to SHEF and SREB.
• Prepare research and policy analyses for ad hoc reports and stakeholder presentations.
• Assist in producing budget summaries.
• Report yearly expenditures for institutions.
• Support fiscal and operational planning and six-year and biennial plans at state and institutional levels.

Skills

Budget analysis

Data visualization

Policy research

Quantitative analysis

Stakeholder communication

Independent work

Higher education knowledge

Statistical interpretation

Tools

Microsoft Office

SharePoint/OneDrive/Teams

AI/ML tools

SPSS

Stata

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

Associate for Finance Policy & Innovation

• Type: Full Time
• Posted Date: 09/25/2026 8:04 AM
• Deadline to Apply: 10/02/2026

About SCHEV

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is the coordinating body for the nation’s preeminent system of postsecondary education. Among its primary responsibilities are: the development of a statewide strategic plan for higher education; the facilitation of collaboration among postsecondary institutions that enhances academic quality and operational efficiency; and the development of system-level recommendations on budgetary and policy matters.

The Council and its staff play multiple, statutory roles in financial, budgetary and policy matters related to Virginia higher education, including: (i) developing policies, formulae and guidelines for the fair and equitable distribution and use of public funds among the public institutions of higher education; (ii) providing periodic updates of base-adequacy funding guidelines; and (iii) calculating each public institution's basic operations and instruction funding need for each year of each biennium and making that calculation available to the Governor, the General Assembly and the public colleges and universities. To fulfill these duties and expectations, SCHEV requires expertise in not only finance, accounting, budgeting and policymaking, but also in the management of higher-education-related financial information and data.

SCHEV aspires to be a great place to work. It is an environment of public servants committed to developing an educationally and economically sound, vigorous, progressive and coordinated system of higher education in Virginia. We value honesty, quality, diversity, inclusion, growth-orientation, personal well-being, equity, transparency and accountability. And we seek team players that will advance these values through their work and engagement.

About the Position

This position is an ongoing role in SCHEV’s Finance Policy and Innovation (FP&I) section, reporting to the Director of Finance Policy and Innovation, or designee. The position presents an opportunity to work alongside FP&I’s professional staff in a collegial atmosphere, while adding unique skills and abilities to the section’s capabilities and expanding its capacity to work with higher education data and policy. SCHEV’s offices are located in downtown Richmond, VA; limited teleworking is possible but not guaranteed.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain finance policy records, datasets and other resources used in making policy assessments and recommendations and then shared with external stakeholders.
• Assist with the review and revision of the agency Fact Packs.
• Review guidelines and process institutional equipment program requisitions.
• Report and verify data to SHEF and SREB.
• Prepare research and policy analyses to be included in ad hoc reports and presentations to stakeholders.
• Assist in the production of budget summaries.
• Report yearly expenditures for institutions.
• Support fiscal and operational planning and performance at the state and campus/institutional levels, including six-year plans, a biennial planning process for institutions and state government, and the institutional performance standards.

Special Requirements

• Occasional intraday travel will be required. Overnight travel, while infrequent, is likely.

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience analyzing public budgets and producing clear, actionable summary documents.
• Advanced spreadsheet expertise, including managing and analyzing large data sets.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify correlations, perform temporal and peer comparisons, and develop hypotheses based on data patterns.
• Experience conducting research and drafting quantitative and qualitative summaries, along with recommendations to support policy decisions.
• Skilled at presenting financial data clearly and effectively to diverse stakeholders.
• Proven ability to work independently on deadline driven projects within politically sensitive environments.
• Knowledge of higher education issues including enrollment, finance, affordability, academic programs, workforce alignment, and emerging sector challenges.
• Experienced in interpreting and evaluating statistical information.

Additional Considerations

• Experience demonstrating knowledge of public budget management or administration.
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite required, as well as experience desired in cloud services (SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams) and AI machine learning tools.
• Experience in using Statistics Software such as SPSS, Stata and data visualization tools like Tableau or Power B1.
• Knowledge of institutional reporting requirements is strongly desired.
• Possession of a valid driver’s license and/or of access to reliable transportation for travel to job-related activities.

Reasonable accommodations are available to individuals with disabilities during the application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process.

VETERANS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, AMERICORPS, PEACE CORPS, AND OTHER NATIONAL SERVICE ALUMNI ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.