Finance & Operations Consultant

 

Position: Senior Finance & Operations Consultant
Location: Washington, DC (Hybrid – 1 day onsite per week)
Employment Type: Contract
Duration: 6–8 weeks
Pay Rate: $120–$130/hour W2
Hours: Approximately 20 hours per week (140–160 total hours)

• If someone wants to come in and do more hours in the beginning and then scale and back that is also an option

Start Date: ASAP

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Finance & Operations Consultant to assess an organization's current operations and financial processes, identify gaps, and recommend improvements as a longtime Director of Operations transitions out of the role.

This consultant will evaluate workflows, staffing needs, financial oversight, and opportunities to leverage university shared services or external support. The goal is to deliver a clear, actionable plan for a more efficient and sustainable operating structure.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Assessment & Operational Strategy

• Conduct an assessment of current operational and financial processes, workflows, staffing, and organizational responsibilities.

• Identify operational gaps, inefficiencies, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

• Evaluate which responsibilities should remain internal, transition to university shared services, or be outsourced.

• Recommend a future-state organizational structure, including staffing needs, role responsibilities, and reporting relationships.

• Assess existing technology and operational systems and recommend improvements where appropriate.

Financial Management & Oversight

• Evaluate budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and financial oversight processes.

• Assess grant-related financial management, funder reporting, expense tracking, and internal controls.

• Identify gaps in financial ownership, accountability, reporting, and reconciliation processes.

• Recommend financial management workflows, reporting structures, and oversight procedures.

• Evaluate the costs and benefits of various staffing and shared-service models.

Leadership Transition & Knowledge Transfer

• Partner with leadership and key stakeholders to document responsibilities currently managed by the departing Director of Operations.

• Identify critical institutional knowledge, operational dependencies, and immediate continuity risks.

• Document key workflows, approval processes, and responsibilities to support a smooth transition.

• Recommend interim ownership and longer-term accountability for essential functions.

Project Management & Stakeholder Engagement

• Independently lead and manage the 6–8-week consulting engagement, including timelines, stakeholder meetings, and deliverables.

• Collaborate with executive leadership, finance teams, university departments, and centralized service providers.

• Navigate sensitive organizational discussions and competing stakeholder priorities with professionalism and discretion.

• Maintain regular communication with leadership regarding findings, risks, and recommendations.

• Develop and present a comprehensive final assessment with actionable recommendations, staffing considerations, and an implementation roadmap.

Required Qualifications

• 10 years of progressive experience in operations, finance, organizational management, or management consulting.

• Demonstrated experience conducting organizational assessments, operational gap analyses, process improvements, or operating model redesigns.

• Strong financial management expertise, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, variance analysis, and internal controls.

• Experience evaluating staffing structures, workflows, shared services, and division of responsibilities across teams.

• Proven ability to independently manage short-term, deliverable-driven consulting projects from discovery through final recommendations.

• Experience developing executive-level reports, organizational recommendations, and implementation plans.

• Strong project management, stakeholder engagement, and relationship management skills.

• Excellent communication skills, executive presence, emotional intelligence, and sound judgment.

• Ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, and deliver practical recommendations within tight timelines.

• Availability to start quickly and attend scheduled onsite meetings in Washington, DC.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience consulting within higher education, universities, research institutions, or nonprofit organizations.

• Familiarity with university financial systems, administrative processes, and centralized shared-service models.

• Experience supporting grant-funded or philanthropically funded organizations.

• Background in organizational transitions, leadership succession, or institutional knowledge transfer.

• Experience evaluating outsourcing opportunities, staffing models, and operational technology solutions.

• Familiarity with CRM systems, including Salesforce or comparable platforms.

• MBA, MPA, CPA, or a comparable advanced credential.

Key Deliverables

• Current-State Assessment: Inventory of operational and financial responsibilities, existing workflows, critical dependencies, and immediate risks.

• Gap Analysis & Responsibility Mapping: Evaluation of current ownership and recommendations for internal, shared-service, or outsourced responsibilities.

• Future-State Operating Model: Recommended staffing structure, financial oversight processes, technology considerations, and estimated costs.

• Final Recommendations & Implementation Roadmap: Executive-level report outlining priorities, accountable owners, and a phased 90-day implementation plan.