Senior Financial Manager

Senior Financial Manager

The University of Michigan School of Public Health (SPH) is seeking a Senior Financial Manager to lead financial operations, promote rigorous fiscal stewardship, and support the School's strategic priorities. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and translate complex financial and operational information into clear insights for decision-making. You will also oversee SPH's business intelligence function.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Financial Leadership
  • Provide financial leadership and decision support to academic departments and Dean's Office units, promoting SPH's financial health, compliance, and responsible stewardship of resources.
  • Partner with the COO to develop the annual budget, quarterly projections, scenario analyses, and five-year forecasts, and serve as liaison with the Office of Budget and Planning.
  • Advise leaders on the financial implications of strategic and operational decisions, translating complex information into clear insights and fostering transparency and accountability.
• Budgeting, Forecasting, and Reporting
  • Develop and manage comprehensive budgets, forecasts, and financial models involving multiple funding sources.
  • Integrate and analyze financial and operational data to conduct variance and trend analyses and develop reports, dashboards, and other decision-support tools.
  • Streamline, document, and automate financial processes and manage the school's accounting structures.
• Financial Operations and Internal Controls
  • Lead internal-control processes and develop procedures that ensure compliance with University policies and sound financial practices.
  • Ensure appropriate review of financial transactions and documentation, resolve complex financial and systems issues, and provide guidance to staff and unit partners.
• Team and Business Intelligence Leadership
  • Supervise and support the Business Intelligence Analyst by establishing priorities, providing coaching and feedback, evaluating performance, and supporting professional development.
  • Provide strategic direction for the business intelligence function, partnering with stakeholders to develop analytical tools and automated solutions that strengthen planning, decision-making, and operational continuity.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible experience in budgeting, financial analysis, and reporting in a complex organization.
• Experience developing and managing budgets and forecasts involving multiple funding sources.
• Demonstrated knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles, internal controls, financial reporting, and reconciliation.
• Advanced proficiency with financial systems, spreadsheets, reporting tools, and data-analysis applications.
• Demonstrated ability to ask the right questions, determine what data are needed, evaluate data quality and assumptions, and use business intelligence tools to produce accurate, useful insights for decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data, advise decision-makers, and communicate complex financial information to varied audiences.
• Demonstrated leadership through project or functional leadership, training, mentoring, process improvement, or cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience building productive relationships and working effectively across organizational units and levels.

Desired Qualifications

• Master's degree in finance, accounting, business analytics, or a related field.
• Financial-management or analytical experience in higher education, including sponsored funding, faculty salary or effort modeling, or other complex academic financial processes.
• Experience developing dashboards, automated reports, workflows, or other technology-enabled financial solutions.

Why Work at Michigan?

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family, and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.