Deputy Chief Financial Officer

Colorado School of Mines; Golden (CO); On-site; USD 240,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible health options

Generous paid time off

Tuition benefits

Retirement plan

Job summary

Colorado School of Mines seeks a Deputy Chief Financial Officer to lead the university’s financial sustainability, planning, and administrative excellence. The role focuses on aligning financial operations with strategic goals across accounting, treasury, and research administration.

The Deputy CFO partners with the CFO and executive team to drive forecasting, strategic investments, and robust internal controls, while ensuring compliance and responsible stewardship of resources in a dynamic

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or business.
• CPA license OR Master’s in Accounting, MBA, or related degree.
• 15+ years of experience in financial operations and progressive leadership across a broad portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, and reserves.
• Oversee accounting, research admin, procure-to-pay, treasury, and financial systems.
• Develop and implement financial strategies aligned with institutional priorities.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Financial operations

Multi-portfolio management

Financial planning & analysis

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in accounting/finance/business

CPA license OR Master’s in Accounting/MBA

Tools

Workday

Enterprise financial systems

Job description

Deputy Chief Financial Officer

Location: Colorado

Engineering a world of possibilities

Reporting to the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer, the Deputy Chief Financial Officer (Deputy CFO) is a strategic leader responsible for advancing the University's financial sustainability, operational effectiveness, and administration capabilities. The role provides leadership for financial planning, resource stewardship, business process improvement, risk management, and organizational performance, ensuring financial and administrative operations align with institutional priorities and support the University's academic, research, and growth objectives.

The areas of oversight for the Deputy CFO are Accounting, Research Administration, Procure to Pay, Financial Planning and Analysis, Treasury, and the Business Systems Functional Team. Specific to those areas, the functions are financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management and reserve levels, debt capacity, student accounts, purchasing and payments, and administrative systems.

Strategic Financial Leadership

The Deputy CFO serves as a strategic partner to the CFO and executive leadership team, providing leadership and guidance on matters affecting the University's financial health, sustainability, and growth. The Deputy CFO helps develop and implement financial strategies that align resources with institutional priorities, support academic and research excellence, and ensure the University's continued ability to achieve its mission. The position also evaluates the financial impact of new initiatives, enrollment trends, legislative changes, and economic conditions, while ensuring compliance with applicable policies and regulations.

The Deputy CFO is responsible for monitoring and assessing the University's overall financial condition, including operating performance, liquidity, reserves, debt capacity, and long-term financial forecasts. The position develops recommendations and strategies to maintain fiscal strength, financial resilience, and an appropriate balance between current operational needs and future investment opportunities.

The Deputy CFO will also represent the institution externally, partnering closely with business and financial leaders to incorporate best practices in all areas reporting to the Deputy CFO, working with outside higher education research companies, relevant trade organizations, the State of Colorado on funding and compliance, and interfacing with other university or industry partners.

Operational Excellence

The Deputy CFO will lead financial, administrative, and research operations, ensuring that key University business processes are streamlined, effective, efficient, stable, and mature. The position is responsible for advancing a culture of continuous improvement through business process re-engineering initiatives that simplify workflows, eliminate redundancies, strengthen internal controls, improve service delivery, and optimize the use of technology. The Deputy CFO will ensure that operational processes are scalable, sustainable, and aligned with institutional goals while providing the leadership and resources necessary to support organizational success.

Data Analytics, Financial Modeling, and Decision Support

The Deputy CFO will establish and advance financial analytics, forecasting, and modeling capabilities that support strategic and operational decision-making across the University. The position ensures leaders have access to timely, accurate, and actionable information to evaluate opportunities, assess risks, allocate resources, and measure performance against institutional objectives.

Risk Management and Compliance

The Deputy CFO partners with university leadership to identify, assess, and mitigate financial and operational risks that may impact the institution's ability to achieve its strategic objectives. The position ensures compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and sponsor requirements while promoting a strong culture of accountability, transparency, and stewardship.

Service Excellence and Stakeholder Partnership

The Deputy CFO partners closely with academic and administrative departments to understand their needs and provide responsive, value-added financial, administrative, and research administration services. The position fosters a culture of customer service excellence, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement, ensuring that financial and operational processes effectively support the University's teaching, research, and public service missions.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university in accounting, finance, or business
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license OR a Master's Degree in Accounting, Master's Degree in Business Administration or related degree
• At least 15 years experience in financial operations and progressive leadership across a complex and broad portfolio that must have included at least:

• 12 years of experience leading multi-portfolio teams
• 10 years accounting, financial planning and analysis, treasury management experience and financial systems
• Documented experience managing complex financial positions, $500 million or greater

Demonstrated track record of success building relationships and collaborating broad range of stakeholders both internally and externally

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience higher education
• Experience in an R1 research setting is highly preferred
• CPA license and Master's Degree in Accounting, or MBA preferred
• Prior experience working in Workday, or similar complex enterprise level system
• Previous experience collaborating with state, local and Federal partners highly desired

Competencies

• Visionary leadership with the ability to drive institutional change
• Deep understanding of higher education operations and governance
• Strong financial, analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to balance strategic priorities with day-to-day operational demands
• Demonstrated experience effectively communicating mission, vision and strategy at all organizational levels

Total Rewards

Salary: Rate of $240,000.00 - $280,000 annually

Mines takes into consideration a combination of candidate's education, training and experience as well as the position's scope and complexity, the discretion and latitude required in the role, work location, and external market and internal value when determining a salary level for potential new employees.

Benefits

• Flexible health and dental care options
• Generous sick/vacation time: 13 paid holidays per year - including a week-long winter break for the entire campus.
• Fully vested retirement plan on first day of employment, with generous employer contribution
• Tuition benefits (6 credits per year for employees, 50 percent discount for dependents)
• Free RTD Ecopass

All Mines employees also have access to discount programs through the State of Colorado and free tickets for Mines Athletics home games, as well as access to the state-of-the-art Recreation Center (fitness classes and training, swimming pool and more) and equipment rentals through the Outdoor Rec Center. We are proud to have recently opened an on-campus daycare center. For more details about benefits at Mines, visit mines.edu/human-resources/benefits.

Conditions of Employment

Successful completion of a background investigation, including a credit check is required for this position.

Additional Information and Reasonable Accommodation Requests

It is the intent of Mines to comply with the applicable requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, and their implementation rules and regulations, in support of equal opportunities for qualified applicants with disabilities. To meet this goal, Mines will make reasonable accommodations during the employment selection process and within our working environment.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job openings or apply for a job on our site as a result of your disability. You can request a reasonable accommodation by contacting our Human Resources team at [e-mail] or 303.273.3250 for assistance.

Successful completion of a background investigation is required for this position.

Equal Opportunity

Colorado School of Mines is committed to equal opportunity for all persons. Mines does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), ancestry, creed, marital status, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status or current military service. Further, Mines does not retaliate against community members for filing complaints regarding or implicating any of these protected statuses.

Mines' commitment to nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and equal access is reflected in the administration of its policies, procedures, programs and activities and in its efforts to achieve a talented student body and workforce.

Through its policies, procedures and resources, Mines complies with federal law, Colorado state law, administrative regulations, executive orders and other legal requirements to prevent discrimination (including harassment or retaliation) within the Mines campus community and to address potential allegations of inequality or concerns for safety.

Colorado's premier engineering and applied science university for 150 years and counting