the client is seeking a highly accomplished strategic financial leader for the role of Vice Chancellor for Finance and Chief Financial Officer (VCF&CFO). This senior executive serves as a central financial leader at a leading private research university during a period of momentum, investment, and growth, helping translate institutional vision into durable financial strategy. The VCF&CFO provides enterprise-level leadership and will be expected to pair bold, entrepreneurial thinking with rigorous financial discipline and sound judgment in complex administrative and financial matters.
Reporting to the chancellor, the VCF&CFO serves as a trusted partner to university leadership, including the provost, board of trustees, and other campus leaders, providing strategic counsel across the university’s financial and enterprise priorities. The role leads a large, experienced team of more than 100 staff and oversees capital and operating budgets; overall financial affairs and reporting; procurement; debt and treasury management; and commercial transactions for a multi-billion-dollar operating enterprise. The VCF&CFO also partners closely with the corresponding finance leader at the university medical center to help align research strategy and shared institutional goals.
The successful candidate will lead with clarity, cohesion, and high standards, fostering a culture that supports complex adaptive budgeting—flexible, iterative, evidence-based financial frameworks aligned with institutional priorities. The role requires transparent, collaborative engagement with diverse stakeholders, convening the right voices quickly, and communicating clearly about critical financial issues. Qualifications will include demonstrated experience providing strategic financial leadership at an enterprise level, with the ability to manage complex priorities, reduce administrative friction that slows decisions, and translate ambitious institutional goals into actionable financial and operational models.