Associate Vice President for Fiscal Services/Controller

State of South Carolina; Rock Hill (SC); On-site; USD 130,000 - 159,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Paid leave

Telecommuting options

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC seeks a senior financial leader to direct financial operations, planning and reporting, ensuring GAAP compliance and strong internal controls. The role oversees budgeting, audits, accounts payable, payroll, and student financial services, coordinating with IT to keep ERP modules current and compliant.

A Master’s degree and 7+ years of leadership experience are required, with CPA preferred.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in accounting, finance, business administration or related field.
• 7+ years in finance, accounting, budgeting or related field.
• At least 3 years supervisory experience.
• GAAP and government accounting standards expertise.
• Ability to interpret complex guidelines and manage budgets.

Responsibilities

• Designs and implements systems and processes to support the university's mission.
• Ensures compliance with regulations and timely reporting.
• Leads collaboration across campus and with external constituencies.
• Provides supervisory leadership to accounting services, accounts payable, payroll, and student financial services.
• Directs and administers financial operations including budgeting, purchasing, risk management.
• Oversees annual audit and prepares GAAP financial statements.
• Partners with IT to ensure ERP modules are updated and tested.

Skills

Leadership

Budget management

GAAP knowledge

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Data-driven decision making

Problem solving

Education

Master's degree

Tools

ERP systems

GASB standards

FASB reporting

Job description

Job Responsibilities

• Designs and implements systems and processes based on best practices to support the university's mission and strategic plan;
• Ensures compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and the timely submission of internal and external reports;
• Fosters a commitment to continuous improvement and outstanding service and works to strengthen collaboration across campus and with external constituencies; and
• Provides supervisory leadership to accounting services, accounts payable, budget services, payroll services, post-award management and student financial services.

Financial Operations Leadership and Compliance

• Plans, directs and administers the university's financial operations, including accounting, post award management, accounts payable, payroll, fixed-asset accounting, resource planning and allocation, budget management, purchasing, P-Card administration, risk management, cash management, cashiering, student billing and accounts receivable.
• Builds and maintains effective, high-functioning, cross-relational teams within the fiscal operations units.
• Anticipates and leads change with understanding; considers various perspectives and uses appropriate tools to make informed changes and implement them effectively and efficiently.
• Establishes and maintains policies, procedures, systems and internal controls that are based on best practices, support the university's strategic plan and ensure compliance with state and federal laws.
• Anticipates changes in laws, rules, regulations and standards affecting higher education and ensures compliance accordingly.
• Works with Information Technology to ensure that applicable ERP modules are updated, tested and functioning as intended.

Financial Planning and Reporting

• Maintains accounting control over all of the university's financial accounts and ensures the integrity of financial data.
• Prepares the university's annual financial statements in accordance with GAAP.
• Meets external reporting requirements and deadlines, including but not limited to, those mandated by federal and state regulations, the IPEDS Survey and the Board of Trustees.
• Works with the Budget Office to develop annual budgets and calculate and negotiate the university's F&A and fringe benefit rates.
• Oversees the annual audit and serves as the point of contact for any institutional audit.
• Provides ad hoc analysis and reporting.

Leadership and Strategic Vision

• Fosters a culture of customer service and high standards of care.
• Prepares long-range financial, organizational and capital project plans and advises on their impacts.
• May serve as delegated authority to liaise with trustees, government and other external entities to perform relationship management and enhance data flow and communication.

Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Building

• Understands the needs of key customers and provides them with the financial and procedural information that allows them to make informed decisions and achieve their financial, strategic and operational goals.
• Ensures a customer-service-oriented billing and collection system for student accounts and deposit system for all university cash.
• Develops training for internal customers related to accounting and budget systems.

Minimum And Additional Requirements

• Master's degree in accounting, finance, business administration or related field.
• Seven years of experience in finance, accounting, budget management or related field.
• At least three years of supervisory experience.
• Experience leading annual financial statement preparation and managing audit requests or auditing financial statements.
• Expert knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and government accounting standards and regulations.
• Working knowledge of the taxes normally associated with a public institution of higher education.
• Ability to interpret and apply complex guidelines, rules, and regulations.
• Strong financial skills and proven ability to plan and manage operating and capital budgets and support a data-driven decision model.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and the ability to think strategically and develop a vision for long-range planning.
• Proven leader and manager who knows how to motivate a team, support their professional development and create a productive work environment.
• Exceptional communication skills and the ability to make effective oral and written presentations at the executive level.
• Must be detail-oriented, possess exceptional time-management and organizational skills, and be committed to delivering work on assigned schedules.
• Strong commitment to transparency, follow through, and customer service and the ability to monitor and evaluate service quality.
• Familiarity with higher education operations and proficiency with ERP systems common to higher education.
• Effective interpersonal skills and the demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with individuals at all levels of an organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credential.
• At least five years of experience directing or managing fund accounting and working with GASB accounting and financial reporting standards and FASB reporting, preferably at an institution of higher education.
• At least seven years of supervisory experience with a team.
• Recent experience implementing or optimizing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, business software, and/or business intelligence tools.

Additional Comments

Annual Salary/Hiring Range: $144,458; actual salary depends on qualifications.

Telecommuting: Employees are not eligible for telecommuting/remote work during their 12-month probationary period. After that time, certain positions may be eligible for telecommuting/remote work at the discretion of the supervisor and in accordance with Winthrop policies.

Benefits For State Employees

The state of South Carolina offers eligible employees generous benefits, including health and dental insurance; retirement and savings plan options; and paid vacation and sick leave. Plus, work-life balance programs such as telecommuting and flexible work schedules are available to employees of some state agencies.

Insurance Benefits

Eligible employees may enroll in health insurance, which includes prescription coverage and wellness benefits. Other available insurance benefits include dental, vision, term life insurance, long term disability and flexible spending accounts for health and child care expenses.

Retirement Benefits

State employees are also offered retirement plan options, including defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Additionally, eligible employees may elect to participate in the South Carolina Deferred Compensation Program, which is a voluntary, supplemental retirement savings plan offering 401(k) and 457 plan options.

Workplace Benefits

State employees may also be eligible for other benefits, including tuition assistance; holiday, annual and sick leave; and discounts on purchases, travel and more.

Note:

The benefits above are available to most state employees, with the exception of those in temporary positions. Employees in temporary grant and time-limited positions may be eligible for all, some or none of these benefits as benefits are associated with each position type. For these positions, contact the hiring agency to determine what benefits may be available.