Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Dartmouth College; Hanover (NH); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering in Hanover, NH seeks a Chief Financial and Administrative Officer to oversee finance, administration, facilities, HR, IT, institutional research and research administration. The CFAO directs 7–10 reports and a $100+ million operating budget, partnering with the Dean and senior leaders to turn vision into operational reality.

The role emphasizes strategic leadership, financial stewardship, risk management and inclusive leadership across seven

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA/MPA or related advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years with progressive responsibility in finance, HR and facilities.
• Proven track record managing multimillion-dollar budgets.
• Ability to translate data into clear, actionable information.
• Experience leading diverse teams and developing leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and align finance, administration, facilities, HR, IT, research admin.
• Oversee annual operating and capital budgets and forecasts.
• Drive internal controls, compliance and risk management programs.
• Partner with senior leaders to translate strategy into operations.
• Develop and mentor a high-performing administrative team.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Budgeting & forecasting

Internal controls

Communication skills

People management

Policy development

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA/MPA strongly preferred

Job description

Position Information

Posting date: 09/04/2026

Open Until Filled: Yes

Position Number: 0006601

Position Title: Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Hiring Range Minimum: Please inquire

Hiring Range Maximum: Please inquire

Union Type: Not a Union Position

SEIU Level: Not an SEIU Position

FLSA Status: Exempt

Employment Category: Regular Full Time

Scheduled Months per Year: 12

Scheduled Hours per Week: 40

Location of Position: Hanover, NH 03755, Thayer School of Engineering, 15 Thayer Drive

Remote Work Eligibility? Hybrid

Is this a term position? No

Is this a grant funded position? No

Position Purpose

The Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO) provides strategic and daytoday leadership for all businesssupport functions‑administration, facilities, finance, human resources, information technology, institutional research, and research administration. The role oversees 7-10 direct reports that collectively manage a large group of professional staff across seven functional units, and is responsible for a $100+ million annual operating budget. The CFAO partners with the Dean, senior leadership team, and the Thayer Board of Advisors and collaborates with campus colleagues to translate the school's vision into operational reality.

Description

The Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO) provides strategic and daytoday leadership for all businesssupport functions‑administration, facilities, finance, human resources, information technology, institutional research, and research administration. The role oversees 7-10 direct reports that collectively manage a large group of professional staff across seven functional units, and is responsible for a $100+ million annual operating budget. The CFAO partners with the Dean, senior leadership team, and the Thayer Board of Advisors and collaborates with campus colleagues to translate the school's vision into operational reality.

Required Qualifications

Education and Years of Experience: Bachelors plus 6 or more years' experience or combination of education and experience

Required Qualifications – Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Proven record as a trusted advisor to senior leadership in a complex, missiondriven organization.
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience overseeing finance, HR, and facilities.
• Demonstrated expertise in budgeting, forecasting, internal controls, and capitalproject finance; experience managing a multimilliondollar budget.
• Track record of delivering largescale initiatives on time and on budget, with measurable impact on efficiency and effectiveness.
• Experience leading and developing diverse teams of 50 + staff; commitment to inclusive leadership.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills; ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable information for varied audiences.
• Unquestioned personal and professional integrity; commitment to transparency and accountability.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPA, or related) strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced degree (MBA, MPA, or related) strongly preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Dartmouth College is an equal opportunity employer under federal law.

We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

Applications are welcome from all.

Background Check

Employment in this position is contingent upon consent to and successful completion of a pre-employment background check, which may include a criminal background check, reference checks, verification of work history, conduct review, and verification of any required academic credentials, licenses, and/or certifications, with results acceptable to Dartmouth College. A criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Dartmouth College has a Tobacco-Free Policy. Smoking and the use of tobacco-based products (including smokeless tobacco) are prohibited in all facilities, grounds, vehicles or other areas owned, operated or occupied by Dartmouth College with no exceptions. For details, please see our policy. https://policies.dartmouth.edu/policy/tobacco-free-policy

Key Accountabilities

Executive Leadership

Percentage Of Time: 25

• Partner with the Dean and the Senior Leadership Team to advance Thayer's strategic agenda
• Shape and implement Thayer's strategic objectives, priorities, plans and initiatives
• Lead the development of Thayer's finance and administration vision and strategy, with a focus on infrastructure improvement, risk management, financial impact, and operational efficiency
• Deliver concise financial and operational updates to the Thayer Board of Advisors
• Represent the Dean and/or the School on institutional committees and policymaking bodies
• Lead and coordinate school-wide events, such as the Investiture Ceremony

Financial Management

Percentage Of Time: 25

• Partner with the Finance Director to lead the development of annual operating budgets, capital budgets, quarterly projections and long range forecasts for academic, research and administrative units
• Deliver regular consolidated financial reports and various analyses to internal and external stakeholders
• Drive revenuegeneration strategies while rigorously controlling costs
• Oversee a robust internal controls framework to ensure compliance with Dartmouth policies and external regulations
• Engage with other Dartmouth schools and, more broadly, peer institutions to share best practices and develop a timely framework for making financial decisions.

Human Resources and Staff Development

Percentage Of Time: 10

• Partner with the HR Director to oversee recruitment, promotion, compensation, performance management, professional development, and succession planning for Thayer staff
• Partner with the Dean on faculty hiring, retention, annual faculty letters, and workload management
• Establish clear performance metrics, identify skill gaps and create targeted training programs, provide coaching/mentoring, and implement professional development plans
• Assist with mediation of employee relations issues
• Recruit, retain, and develop a highcaliber administrative operations team

Administrative Operations

Percentage Of Time: 40

• Provide support, guidance, and accountability to direct reports, and coach them to provide the same for their teams
• Work with Facilities Director to set policies for building operations, space planning, and capital projects; manage space inventory and coordinate renovations and maintenance with Campus Services
• Partner with Research Administration Director and faculty to grow research funding; negotiate/approve contracts; supervise award lifecycle from award to closeout
• Collaborate with Computing Director to define the IT roadmap; ensure secure, reliable, missionaligned technology for teaching, research, and administration
• Leverage Institutional Research to develop and track metric dashboards, benchmark against peers, and manage surveyresponse processes
• Collaborate with Administrative Manager to oversee academic support services for Thayer faculty and ensure highquality service delivery
• Align school initiatives with Dartmouth HR, Campus Services, and IT; drive datainformed continuous improvement across all functions
• Respond to more complicated inquiries escalated from other groups, connecting the right people and policies; determining when issues should be made into policies

Other Duties

• Demonstrates professionalism and collegiality through actions, interactions, and communications with others appropriate to an environment that is welcoming to all.
• Performs other duties as assigned.