Vice President of Finance and Administration

Job Summary

Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the President's Executive Leadership Team, the Vice President of Finance and Administration provides executive leadership for the College's financial services, procurement, facilities and capital planning, public safety, auxiliary services, and administrative operations. The Vice President serves as the College's chief financial strategist, ensuring sound fiscal stewardship, long‑term financial sustainability, operational excellence, and responsible management of institutional resources. The Vice President collaborates with executive leadership to align financial planning, resource allocation, facilities investments, and administrative services with the College's strategic priorities, enrollment goals, student success initiatives, and institutional effectiveness objectives. The Vice President promotes a culture of accountability, transparency, innovation, shared governance, continuous improvement, and data‑informed decision‑making while strengthening the College's capacity to fulfill its mission in an evolving higher education environment. The position directly supervises the Controller, Director of Facilities and Projects, Director of Public Safety, and Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Finance and Administration. The Vice President is responsible for the oversight and leadership of ancillary third‑party vendors, including college bookstore operations, ensuring compliance, service quality, and contract performance. This position requires in‑person presence with eligibility for telework.

Executive Leadership & Strategic Planning

• Serve as a member of the President's Executive Leadership Team, providing strategic leadership and counsel on fiscal stewardship, administrative operations, institutional sustainability, and long‑range planning.
• Lead the development and implementation of long‑term financial and administrative strategies that advance the College's mission, Strategic Plan, Master Plan, enrollment objectives, student success initiatives, and institutional effectiveness goals.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, transparency, customer service, and continuous improvement throughout the division.
• Lead divisional strategic planning, establish measurable performance objectives, and evaluate organizational effectiveness through data‑informed decision‑making and continuous assessment.
• Ensure that related Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation are exemplary as required by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

Financial Leadership & Resource Stewardship

• Provide executive leadership for all financial operations, including budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, treasury management, procurement, payroll, accounts payable, debt management, investments, and long‑range financial planning.
• Lead the development of the College's annual operating and capital budgets through an integrated, governance‑based planning process that aligns financial resources with institutional priorities and strategic initiatives.
• Advise the President and Board of Trustees on financial strategy, fiscal sustainability, budget development, capital investments, and emerging financial risks affecting the institution.
• Utilize institutional analytics, financial modeling, scenario planning, and predictive forecasting to support executive decision‑making and long‑term financial sustainability.
• Establish and maintain strong internal controls, financial policies, and business practices that ensure responsible stewardship of College resources.

Procurement, Contracts & Business Services

• Provide executive leadership for the College's strategic sourcing, procurement governance, contract administration, and vendor performance management to ensure fiscal stewardship, regulatory compliance, transparency, and value‑based purchasing.
• Review, negotiate, approve, and monitor contracts and agreements within the division and other institutional contracts as assigned by the President.
• Oversee procurement, purchasing, accounts payable, payroll, mail services, print services, bookstore operations, and other auxiliary business services to ensure efficient, customer‑focused operations.
• Ensure all purchasing and contracting activities comply with applicable federal, state, local, and Board policies.

Facilities, Capital Planning & Administrative Operations

• Provide strategic leadership for facilities management, capital construction, deferred maintenance, campus master planning, sustainability initiatives, environmental health and safety, and stewardship of the College's physical assets.
• Lead the development of long‑range facilities and capital investment strategies that support enrollment growth, student success, academic excellence, and operational effectiveness.
• Forecast capital requirements and develop financing strategies that support institutional priorities and long‑term fiscal sustainability.
• Oversee auxiliary operations and contracted service providers, including bookstore operations and other third‑party partnerships, ensuring contract compliance and high‑quality service delivery.

Public Safety, Emergency Management & Enterprise Risk

• Provide executive leadership for Public Safety, Emergency Management, Business Continuity, Continuity of Operations, Crisis Management, and Environmental Health and Safety programs to maintain a safe, secure, and resilient working and learning environment.
• Coordinate the College's Enterprise Risk Management program in collaboration with executive leadership, identifying institutional risks and developing mitigation strategies that protect the College's people, assets, operations, and reputation.
• Oversee the College's insurance programs, including cyber security, liability, casualty, property, workers' compensation, and other risk management coverages.
• Collaborate with executive leadership on institutional emergency preparedness, disaster recovery, operational resilience, and continuity planning.

Governance, Compliance & Institutional Effectiveness

• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, local, accreditation, grant, accounting, and regulatory requirements governing financial and administrative operations.
• Provide executive leadership for audit activities, financial compliance, and internal control processes, leveraging audit findings to strengthen institutional performance and accountability.
• Recommend, develop, and implement financial and administrative policies that support sound governance, regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to align financial planning, capital investments, and administrative services with institutional effectiveness, accreditation, enrollment strategy, and student success priorities.
• Participate in institutional governance of the College's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) environment, institutional data governance, and artificial intelligence governance initiatives.
• Ensure timely compilation and submittal of required reports to state and local agencies.

Board Relations & Executive Communication

• Prepare and present financial reports, budget recommendations, capital planning initiatives, and administrative updates to the President, Board of Trustees, and Board committees.
• Support the Board's fiduciary responsibilities through timely financial reporting, strategic analyses, and recommendations regarding fiscal and administrative matters.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to develop reports, analyses, and communications that support informed institutional decision‑making.

Organizational Leadership

• Provide leadership, coaching, mentoring, and performance management for direct reports while developing a highly engaged, customer‑focused, and high‑performing administrative organization.
• Promote collaboration across divisions to improve institutional efficiency, enhance administrative services, and strengthen organizational effectiveness.
• Represent the College on internal and external committees, professional organizations, and community partnerships as assigned by the President.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the President.

Minimum Requirements to Perform Work

• Master's degree required.
• CPA certification preferred.
• Experience working in education required, with a preference for individuals with higher education experience.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in increasingly responsible positions in financial systems and operations, including successful fiscal, administrative leadership, and managerial experience. Preference for experience with strategic and long‑term planning.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent Microsoft Office Software skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Familiarity with online Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
• Specific knowledge and experience in budget development, purchasing, accounting, accounts payable and receivable, investment of funds, state and federal funds, grants, cost studies, travel, revenues, expenditures, financial statements, insurance, auditing and related operational functions of the institution. Preferred knowledge of risk management practices related to fiscal and administrative functions, including public safety, emergency preparedness, facilities management, maintenance operations, and regulatory compliance. Familiarity with audit functions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, leadership, problem‑solving, and interpersonal skills. Ability to multi‑task, work independently, pay attention to detail, think critically, analyze data, adapt to changing priorities, and maintain confidentiality.
• Demonstrated ability to implement change, build consensus, establish and maintain cooperative working relationships, and gain confidence and cooperation within the College community.
• Proven ability to analyze complex data, develop financial reports for financial analysis, forecasting, trending, and results analysis.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.

Physical Demands

• Position requires the ability to make daily walking inspections of campus operations.
• Periods of light work may be required; lifting to approximately 35 lbs. occasionally.
• Visual acuity appropriate for an administrative position, ability to perceive or detect surroundings.
• Hear/talk/communicate – Must be able to exchange information and communicate.
• Mental acuity – Able to focus, concentrate, understand, and convey subject matter.
• Repetitive motion (i.e., keyboarding), fingering, grasping, pushing, pulling, lifting, reaching.
• Stand/sit/walk/able to move or traverse from one area to another.

Scheduling Requirements

• The position requires a flexible work schedule during critical periods, inclement weather, and special events that may require evening, Saturday, and Sunday work hours.
• Periodic travel between college locations and state and other external meetings.

Work Environment

Work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as office or meeting and training rooms, e.g., use of safe workplace practices with office equipment, avoidance of trips and falls, and observance of fire and building safety regulations, and traffic signals when driving.

General Benefits

Cecil College offers full-time employees a comprehensive benefit package offering medical, dental and vision coverage for employee and eligible dependents; generous annual, sick and personal leave; 19 paid holidays; tuition assistance and tuition waiver based on eligibility guidelines; opportunity to enroll in retirement accounts (403B or Maryland State Retirement System based on eligibility guidelines); voluntary retirement account with TIAA or Fidelity, employee paid short term disability, employer provided basic life insurance and accidental death insurance, and employee paid voluntary life insurance, access to Fitness Center, and library.

Salary

This is an exempt position (not overtime eligible); Grade 129 (pay scale: $129,572–$207,315). Based on the budget, the salary for the position will be $165,000–$175,000. Applicants' initial salary placement is based on internal and external equity.

• We are committed to ensuring equal opportunity and non‑discrimination in all hiring and employment practices. Cecil College will not discriminate against any individual by reason of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic status, genetic information, veteran status or any other status protected by federal, state or local laws.