Chief Financial Officer

NU USA Northeastern University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 376,000 - 560,000; Full time

Job summary

Northeastern University seeks a Chief Financial Officer to lead the institution's financial strategy and stewardship. The role reports to senior administration and partners with the Board to translate priorities into sustainable, compliant financial decisions across campuses and units.

The CFO will guide budgeting, accounting, treasury, endowment, debt, and risk management, ensuring integrity and strategic clarity for academic, research, and community missions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, economics, or a related field.
• Minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible financial management experience, including at least five (5) years leading a complex finance organization at a senior executive level.
• Demonstrated experience in budgeting, financial planning and analysis, accounting, financial reporting, treasury and debt management, capital planning, endowment management, and financial risk management.
• Experience advising senior executives and governing boards on complex financial matters, with the ability to translate technical financial information into clear, actionable guidance for non-financial audiences.
• Experience managing significant budgets, financial resources, and organizational complexity within a decentralized, multi-unit enterprise.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute long-term financial strategies, including multi-year financial modeling, scenario planning, and sensitivity analysis.
• Experience with higher education financial models, including tuition revenue, enrollment forecasting, restricted funds, endowment resources and spending policy, sponsored research and facilities and administrative (F&A) cost recovery, financial aid discounting, auxiliaries, and capital financing.
• Experience with institutional transformation, financial restructuring, or significant organizational change.
• Senior financial leadership experience in higher education or another complex, mission-driven organization.

Responsibilities

• Budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning and analysis
• Accounting and financial reporting
• Treasury and cash management
• Debt and capital planning
• Endowment leadership
• Tax compliance and reporting
• Procurement and payroll
• Internal controls and financial risk management

Skills

Strategic financial leadership

Budgeting & forecasting

Financial reporting

Treasury & cash management

Endowment management

Debt & capital planning

Regulatory compliance

Communication to leadership

Change management

Higher education finance

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, economics, or a related field

Job description

About the Opportunity

The University seeks a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to serve as its senior financial executive and to provide strategic and operational leadership for the institution's financial affairs. Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration, the CFO is responsible for the University's long-term financial sustainability, financial integrity, regulatory compliance, and prudent stewardship of resources in support of its academic, research, student, and institutional mission. The CFO oversees the development and execution of the University's financial strategy, including:

Responsibilities

• Budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning and analysis
• Accounting and financial reporting
• Treasury and cash management
• Debt and capital planning
• Endowment leadership
• Tax compliance and reporting
• Procurement and payroll
• Internal controls and financial risk management

The CFO partners closely with the President, the Board of Trustees and its Finance, Audit and Risk, and Investment Committees, and academic and administrative leaders to translate institutional priorities into sustainable financial strategies and decisions. The CFO serves as a strategic advisor to the President and University leadership, providing clear, timely, and actionable analysis of financial performance, risks, opportunities, and the long-term implications of institutional decisions. The CFO is also a principal representative of the University to external constituencies, including credit rating agencies, bondholders and the municipal securities market, external and federal auditors, banking and investment partners, donors, and regulatory agencies.

Leadership Expectations

The CFO fosters a culture of accountability, transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement, and ensures compliance with applicable laws, regulations, accounting standards, and University policies. The successful candidate will model inclusive, collegial leadership and build a finance organization recognized across the institution for analytical rigor, service orientation, and integrity.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, economics, or a related field
• Minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible financial management experience, including at least five (5) years leading a complex finance organization at a senior executive level
• Demonstrated experience in budgeting, financial planning and analysis, accounting, financial reporting, treasury and debt management, capital planning, endowment management, and financial risk management
• Experience advising senior executives and governing boards on complex financial matters, with the ability to translate technical financial information into clear, actionable guidance for non-financial audiences
• Experience managing significant budgets, financial resources, and organizational complexity within a decentralized, multi-unit enterprise
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute long-term financial strategies, including multi-year financial modeling, scenario planning, and sensitivity analysis
• Experience with higher education financial models, including tuition revenue, enrollment forecasting, restricted funds, endowment resources and spending policy, sponsored research and facilities and administrative (F&A) cost recovery, financial aid discounting, auxiliaries, and capital financing
• Experience with institutional transformation, financial restructuring, or significant organizational change
• Senior financial leadership experience in higher education or another complex, mission-driven organization

Compensation

Grade/Pay Type: 119S Expected Hiring Range: $376,385.00 - $559,872.50 With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer. Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Position Type Finance

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning. Our approach of integrating real-world experience with education, research, and innovation empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create worldwide impact. Our global university system provides our community and academic, government, and industry partners with unique opportunities to think locally and act globally. The system -including 14 campuses across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, 300,000-plus alumni, and 3,000 partners worldwide -serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions. The university's residential campuses for undergraduate and graduate degrees are located in Boston, London, and Oakland, California. Our research and graduate campuses are in the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant; Arlington, Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Miami; Portland, Maine; Seattle; Silicon Valley, California; Toronto; and Vancouver. Northeastern's personalized, experiential undergraduate and graduate programs lead to degrees through the doctorate in 10 colleges and schools across our campuses. Learning emphasizes the intersection of data, technology, and human literacies, uniquely preparing graduates for careers of the future and lives of fulfillment and accomplishment. Our research enterprise, with an R1 Carnegie classification, is solutions oriented and spans the world. Our faculty scholars and students work in teams that cross not just disciplines, but also sectors -aligned around solving today's highly interconnected global challenges and focused on transformative impact for humankind.