Finance Director for Academic Arts & Operations

The Regents of the University of California on behalf of their Los Angeles Campus; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

The UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture seeks a Director of Finance to lead financial administration for a $68 million annual budget. You will translate strategy into budgets, forecasts, controls, and systems, while guiding purchasing, reporting, and system implementations.

Ideal candidates have advanced fund accounting knowledge, proven leadership of business offices, and strong analytical, supervisory, and policy-implementation skills in higher education.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading budget planning, forecasting, financial analysis, and financial control for a complex, multi-fund organization.
• Advanced knowledge of fund accounting, internal controls, financial reporting, restricted funds, sponsored activity, purchasing, and audit support.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a Business Office and lead budget and purchasing teams, including setting priorities, service standards, controls, and performance expectations.
• Demonstrated supervisory experience, including staff development, workload management, performance evaluation, change leadership, and creation of effective and efficient support systems.
• Skill in analyzing complex information, identifying patterns and risks, developing alternatives, and presenting objective conclusions and actionable recommendations to senior leaders.
• Financial modeling and forecasting skills sufficient to evaluate current-year costs, multi-year commitments, structural balance, revenue trends, and alternative resource-allocation scenarios.
• Advanced proficiency with spreadsheet, database, reporting, and financial-management systems; ability to design reliable models, dashboards, controls, and repeatable processes.
• Ability to interpret and apply complex University policies and external requirements and to establish practical procedures that support compliance and effective service delivery.
• Excellent written, verbal, consultation, and interpersonal skills to work effectively and tactfully with administrators, faculty, staff, students, vendors, and campus partners.
• Ability to exercise a high degree of independent judgment, initiative, discretion, and confidentiality while managing competing priorities and time-sensitive work.
• Experience in higher education and knowledge of contracts and grants, gifts and endowments, sales and service funds, permanent budgets, and staffing reconciliation.
• Working knowledge of UCLA or University of California financial, budget, payroll, procurement, grants, and reporting policies and systems, including ASCEND, UCPath, and successor tools.

Responsibilities

• Translate the COO/CFO's financial strategy and resource-allocation priorities into effective budgets, forecasts, controls, reporting, systems, and business services.
• Lead the annual budget and multi-year forecasting processes; oversee financial performance, budget and staffing controls, fund management, and fiscal close.
• Provide analyses and recommendations to support School leadership decisions and ensure transactions comply with policy and donor restrictions.
• Direct the Business Office and supervise teams responsible for budget, purchasing, and related finance and administrative functions.
• Establish service standards, operating procedures, internal controls, and training expectations; coordinate financial practices across the School.

Skills

Budget planning

Forecasting

Financial analysis

Internal controls

Fund accounting

Staff management

Communication

Policy interpretation

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree (preferred)

Tools

ASCEND

UCPath

Excel

Financial systems

Job description

The UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture seeks a Director of Finance to lead financial administration for a $68 million annual budget. You will translate strategy into budgets, forecasts, controls, and systems, while guiding purchasing, reporting, and system implementations.

Ideal candidates have advanced fund accounting knowledge, proven leadership of business offices, and strong analytical, supervisory, and policy-implementation skills in higher education.