at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, United States
Job Description
Job Opening Id: 50736
Department: Office of Budget and Planning
Salary/Grade: EXS/16
A well-qualified candidate within this department or unit has been identified and will be considered for the position alongside other qualified candidates identified through a competitive recruitment process. The University reserves its right to give priority consideration to internal qualified candidates.
Job Summary
The Executive Director is an integral and collaborative member of the University’s financial leadership team and serves as the second in command for leadership within the Office of Budget and Planning (OBP). The primary role of the Executive Director is to carry out the goals of the Senior Associate Vice President through day-to-day responsibilities.
These responsibilities include managing and leading members of the OBP team including the Senior Manager of Capital, Resource Allocation, and Analysis, the Budget Systems and Tools Lead, Senior Budget Analysts, and Budget Analysts. Through this leadership, the Executive Director is responsible for overseeing long-range financial plan execution and alignment, annual operating and capital budget development, quarterly financial forecasting, comprehensive financial modeling, implementation of new initiatives, and ad hoc financial analysis.
As a key member of the University’s financial leadership team, the Executive Director participates in planning and budget meetings with University leadership to ensure alignment with long-range financial plan goals, develops and communicates budget targets and financial issues, and summarizes forecasting information and analysis. In addition, the role is responsible for the development and coordination of materials for Board of Trustees meetings and other leadership presentations and reporting.
Additionally, the Executive Director manages the development, preparation, and maintenance of financial tools to measure budget performance and fund balances across all schools and areas. Assisting in the University’s budget planning and allocation process is a key responsibility, which includes reviewing and analyzing unit strategic plans, resource allocation issues, and assessing and reporting on financial performance for all University areas. Monitoring national and state economic forecasts to determine their impact on the University is also crucial.
The Executive Director meets with and presents to financial and non-financial stakeholders across the University to collaborate on new initiatives, share and collect information, and implement budget policies or initiatives.
The Executive Director for Budget and Planning reports to the Senior Associate Vice President. This hybrid role is aligned with current university workforce strategies.
Specific Responsibilities:
- Responsible for implementing the goals of the Senior Associate Vice President. This pivotal role includes developing, leading, and managing departmental staff in budget planning, financial reporting, ad hoc analysis tools and systems development, and other initiatives. The Executive Director is responsible for fostering a team-based culture in order to solve problems, ensure transparency, and meet financial goals.
- Responsible for development and management of the annual operating and capital budgets for the University in alignment with long-range financial plan goals. Supports the development and review of financial models for Professional and Appropriated Schools, Institutional and Academic Support areas. Oversees the process for developing, building, and communicating budget targets and other resource decisions.
- Accountable for leading the quarterly forecast process with Schools and Administrative units. The positi
