Chief Officer for Strategic Finance and Operations

Chief Officer for Strategic Finance and Operations

Forsyth Technical Community College is entering the next chapter of its transformation. Vision 2030: Forsyth Tech 3.0 — Future-Ready by Design calls the college to lead with agility in an environment of accelerating change, aligning strategy, evidence, and resources so that every decision advances student success and institutional sustainability.

The Chief Officer for Strategic Finance and Operations is the senior institutional leader responsible for the financial health, operational integrity, and strategic resource alignment of the college. This cabinet-level executive unifies financial leadership, procurement and contracting, facilities management, and the college’s adaptive planning and strategic finance framework into a single, coherent division in service of Vision 2030 strategies and institutional sustainability goals.

This is a finance-led role with genuine operational scope. The Chief Officer is the college’s primary financial steward, responsible for accounting operations, official financial reporting, fiscal controls, cash management, and compliance with all financial regulations and audit requirements – while also leading the strategic finance and adaptive planning model that informs the President and Cabinet’s most consequential resource allocation decisions.

For full consideration, application materials should be received by 08/07/2026. The search committee will begin reviewing applications on that date. The position will remain open until filled.

Core Areas of Responsibility

• Financial stewardship and official reporting, including full responsibility for accounting operations, cash management, fiscal controls, official financial statements, external audit coordination, and compliance with all applicable financial regulations, GASB standards, and State of North Carolina reporting requirements.
• Strategic finance and adaptive planning, including multi-year financial planning, scenario analysis, forecast routines, and strategic resource allocation modeling – along with leadership of Cabinet financial strategy discussions and support for divisional budget review processes.
• Procurement and contracting, including institutional purchasing strategy, vendor relationship management, contract compliance, and oversight of auxiliary services to ensure fiscal accountability and operational efficiency.
• Facilities and operational management, including oversight of campus facilities, capital improvement projects, preventive maintenance systems, utilities, and space utilization planning in support of enrollment and program delivery goals.
• Budget and position alignment, in partnership with the CHEO and the HR function, to reconcile institutional budgets and position control, support executive decision-making on staffing and resource allocations, and ensure that financial plans reflect the college’s strategic and workforce priorities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise Finance and Business Services, Purchasing and Contracts, and Facilities and Maintenance, ensuring each division operates with excellence, accountability, and alignment to institutional priorities.
• Serve as the college’s primary financial officer, responsible for the integrity of all accounting operations, financial reporting, cash management, fiscal controls, and year-end financial statement preparation.
• Lead and coordinate the external audit process, serving as the primary institutional contact for auditors and ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant submission of all required financial statements and disclosures.
• Design and implement the college’s adaptive planning model, linking strategy, enrollment, student success outcomes, financial capacity, and workforce plans to annual and multi-year resource allocation decisions.
• Facilitate strategic finance conversations with the President and Cabinet, including regular sessions on financial outlook, emerging risks, investment options, reallocation opportunities, and long-range planning scenarios.
• Lead the institution’s annual budget development process, including planning assumptions, allocation models, forecast updates, and strategic recommendations for the President and Cabinet.
• Develop and maintain executive financial dashboards and decision-support tools that help leadership monitor fiscal performance, identify risks, assess trade-offs, and evaluate investment opportunities.
• Oversee institutional procurement strategy, contracting processes, and vendor relationships to ensure compliance, value, and alignment with institutional purchasing policies and state regulations.
• Provide executive oversight of campus facilities, capital projects, and maintenance operations, ensuring that the physical campus supports the college’s enrollment, program, and student experience goals.
• Partner closely with the Chief Human Experience Officer and HR leadership to align position control, staffing plans, compensation assumptions, and budget reconciliation across the institution.
• Advise the President and Cabinet on the strategic use of institutional resources, including investment priorities, efficiency opportunities, reserve management, and long-range financial sustainability.
• Build cross-functional planning routines that connect finance, HR, facilities, procurement, and academic planning into a coherent enterprise resource management system.
• Represent the college in financial matters with the State Board of Community Colleges, the North Carolina Community College System Office, and other regulatory and oversight bodies as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher with ten or more years of progressively responsible senior leadership experience in finance, business operations, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading financial operations, accounting, and official financial reporting in a complex public or mission-driven institution.
• Experience managing external audits and producing GAAP - or GASB - compliant financial statements.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional operations including procurement, contracting, or facilities management.
• Experience working with executive leaders, governing boards, and enterprise decision-making processes in complex institutions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead strategic finance and adaptive planning work that connects financial data, performance measures, and organizational priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or higher.
• CPA designation or equivalent advanced credential in finance, accounting, or public administration.
• Experience in the North Carolina Community College System or other public higher education.
• Experience implementing adaptive planning, enterprise performance management (EPM), forecasting, or financial dashboarding tools.
• Experience leading major change initiatives, organizational redesign, or strategic transformation efforts.
• Experience facilitating cabinet-level or executive strategic planning and financial review processes.
• Demonstrated experience managing capital projects, facilities operations, or real estate in an institutional setting.

Reporting Structure

The Chief Officer reports directly to the President. The Chief Officer serves as a full member of the President’s Cabinet and participates in all cabinet-level decision-making. Key partnerships include the Chief Human Experience Officer for position control and HR alignment, the Chief of Staff for planning governance and institutional research coordination, and the Provost for academic financial planning.

Organizational Scope and Direct Reports

• Finance and Business Services (FBS): Accounting operations, official financial reporting, cash management, payroll, fiscal controls, year-end financial statement preparation, and audit support.
• Purchasing and Contracts (PC): Institutional procurement, vendor contracts, purchasing compliance, and auxiliary services.
• Facilities and Maintenance (FM): Campus facilities, capital projects, preventive maintenance, utilities management, and space planning.

The Chief Officer also directly leads the college’s Strategic Finance and Adaptive Planning function —a cross-divisional enterprise planning capability that connects strategy, enrollment, financial capacity, and resource allocation across the institution.

Physical Demands

Regular use of computers, phones, and other electronic equipment; frequent communication; ability to move around office and campus, lift up to 25 pounds; reach, stoop, kneel, or crouch to adjust or collect equipment; required vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, and focus adjustment.

EOE.