Finance & Operations Director, Student Life

Cornell University; Ithaca (MI); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 184,000; Full time

Job summary

Cornell University in Ithaca, NY seeks an Administrator VI to serve as chief business partner and financial administrator for the Division of Student and Campus Life, overseeing an operating budget of about $130 million and coordinating with HR, IT, Facilities, and Accounting.

The role reports to the Sr. Director of Divisional Finance and Administrative Business Operations, offering strategic financial guidance, planning, and analytics to support unit leaders and campus priorities.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in business administration, financial management, operations management, personnel management or related field; 5+ years of professional experience or equivalent.
• Experience in strategic financial planning and/or sales analysis in a fast-paced enterprise, business, or university setting.
• Experience navigating, implementing, and leveraging complex financial databases to review and report on performance.
• Customer service skills and ability to communicate with a broad range of clients and stakeholders.
• Strong organizational, time management, and attention to detail.
• Analytical, problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Teamwork mindset and ability to motivate staff in a fast-paced environment and foster inclusion.
• Ability to work under pressure and balance conflicting priorities with sound judgment.
• Experience implementing new systems, policies, and change management tactics.
• Proven experience connecting inclusion, belonging and wellbeing practices to business goals.

Responsibilities

• Analyze business trends, behaviors, data, processes, and policies and connect to financial impacts and opportunities.
• Provide leadership and communication in a complex, high-volume environment to ensure timely delivery of reporting.
• Partner with directors to create and evaluate forward-thinking business strategies aligning with the unit’s mission.
• Develop relationships with divisional service providers (HR, IT, Facilities, etc.) to ensure support for units and adherence to processes.
• Ensure staffing, budgeting, and facilities plans are aligned with divisional objectives and guidelines.
• Advocate for alignment between university and divisional systems with unit needs and opportunities.

Education

MBA (Preferred)

CPA (Preferred)

Additional educational certification

Job description

Cornell University in Ithaca, NY seeks an Administrator VI to serve as chief business partner and financial administrator for the Division of Student and Campus Life, overseeing an operating budget of about $130 million and coordinating with HR, IT, Facilities, and Accounting.

The role reports to the Sr. Director of Divisional Finance and Administrative Business Operations, offering strategic financial guidance, planning, and analytics to support unit leaders and campus priorities.