Senior Business Manager for Schools

The Catholic University of America; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 92,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC seeks a Senior Business Manager for Schools to lead budgeting and operations in collaboration with academic leaders. This role reports to the Associate Vice Provost for Financial Planning and Academic Budgets and emphasizes prudent fiscal controls and transparent reporting.

The role oversees annual operating budgets across multiple schools, performs financial analysis and forecasting, and supports hiring and recruiting processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with at least five years of financial experience, with preference for higher education.
• Experience in financial analysis, budgeting, and developing/monitoring annual operating budgets.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze large data sets, forecast, and model; proficient with Excel/Word/PowerPoint.
• Strong written and verbal communication, and ability to meet multiple deadlines under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Manage and monitor the annual operating budget for all schools and departments to prevent deficits.
• Prepare financial reports and analyses for senior leadership and external agencies.
• Provide analytical support and alternatives for resource allocation decisions for Deans and academic units.
• Maintain budget policies and procedures to ensure efficiency and compliance.
• Support annual budgeting across operating, endowment, and capital funds; collaborate with department heads.
• Coordinate with General Accounting, Payroll, and HR to streamline policies and processes.
• Assist hiring and recruiting processes for faculty and staff in coordination with AVP.
• Other budgetary and business services responsibilities as assigned.

Skills

Financial analysis

Forecasting

Modeling

Data manipulation

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Databases

Communication skills

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Reports to the Associate Vice Provost for Financial Planning and Academic Budgets and serves as a key budget and operations leader. The Senior Business Manager for Schools works closely with the schools and colleges’ financial leadership to provide financial and budgeting services, while maintaining prudent fiscal controls through adherence to university policies and practices.

The projected salary range for this position, which represents the full range of anticipated compensation is $91,500 to $110,000.

Budget Management

Manages and monitors the fiscal health of the annual operating budget for all schools and departments, ensuring zero spending deficits through rigorous commitment and balance tracking.

Manages ongoing budget allocations and spending, conducts mid-year reviews, and prepares financial reports and analyses for senior leadership and external agencies.

Serves as the primary academic contact and subject matter expert for the Deans and individual academic units for all budgetary matters by providing analytical support and alternatives for resource allocation decisions.

Maintains budget policies and procedures to ensure efficiency and compliance with relevant regulations.

Budget Planning

Supports the annual process of planning, development, assessment, compiling, and maintenance of the academic area’s operating, endowment, and capital budgets across multiple funds and accounts including designated and endowment funds.

Collaborates with department heads to build and align departmental budgets with multiyear organizational goals.

Business Services

Serve as the primary academic contact and subject matter expert for the Deans and individual academic units for all business services.

Collaborate and support university areas of General Accounting, Payroll, and Human Resources to streamline policies and processes.

Work with the Associate Vice Provost for Financial Planning and Academic Budgets to streamline, maintain, and control faculty and staff hiring and recruiting processes.

Other budgetary and business services responsibilities as assigned by the Associate Vice Provost for Financial Planning and Academic Budgets

Bachelor's degree with at least five (5) years of financial experience, with a preference for two (2) years of higher education experience. Of the five (5) years of experience, you must have experience in an individual contributor role with relevant experience in financial analysis and developing and monitoring annual operating budgets.

Demonstrated skills in financial analysis, forecasting and modeling. Ability to manipulate large amounts of data. Excellent computer skills using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Experience with databases preferred. Highly motivated, self-starter with strong financial and analytical skills. Strong problem-solving skills coupled with strong verbal and written communication skills. Ability to work independently and the ability to meet multiple deadlines and work under pressure. High level of discretion.