University of Vermont
Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation
🇺🇸
Hybrid - Burlington, VT
🕑
Full-Time
💰
$160K - $195K
💻
Finance
🗓️
June 9th, 2026
Edtech.com's Summary
The University of Vermont is hiring an Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation. This role leads the development and recommendation of financial strategies by conducting advanced financial modeling, interpreting complex institutional data, and providing actionable insights to senior leadership to support resource allocation, revenue generation, and long-term financial sustainability.
Highlights
- Lead advanced financial modeling and institutional data analysis to shape financial strategy.
- Partner with academic and administrative units to inform resource allocation and operational efficiency.
- Provide enterprise-level financial insight and advisory support, excluding transactional finance and budgeting execution.
- Translate complex financial and operational data into strategic recommendations for senior leaders.
- Require a Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field; Master’s preferred.
- Need seven or more years of progressively responsible experience in higher education finance or related financial leadership roles.
- Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain advanced financial models and to work with large, complex financial datasets.
- Strong skills in engaging senior executives and influencing financial decisions in complex, decentralized environments.
- Excellent communication skills to convey complex financial concepts to non-financial audiences.
- Salary range: $160,000 to $195,000 annually.
Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation Full Description
Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation
Please carefully review the details of this position below. To apply for the position, please click the Apply for this Job button (or see the Special Instructions below if no button appears).
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The University of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category legally protected by federal or state law.
For information on safety and security at the University of Vermont, see the annual security report by clicking on the Clery Act button in the sidebar menu.
Finalists for positions at UVM may be subject to a criminal background check.
For classified staff positions, actual hiring pay dependent on current competitor market conditions, comparable campus peer(s) at time of hire, and candidate’s experience level and length.
Be sure to carefully review and update your application information before submitting an application!
Position Details
Advertising/Posting Title | Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation
Posting Summary | The Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation reports to the Vice President for Finance, Administration & Human Resources (VPFAHR) and serves as a senior leader responsible for shaping institutional financial strategy through advanced financial modeling and analysis and interpretation of complex institutional data.
Working in partnership with academic and administrative units across campus, the Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation develops and recommends financial strategies that inform resource allocation, revenue generation, operational efficiency, and long-term financial sustainability. This role translates complex financial and operational data into actionable insights for executive leadership and plays a key role in analyzing institutional financial performance, auxiliary operations, academic unit financial structures, and emerging financial risks.
The position operates in a highly complex environment where financial problems are often undefined, cross-functional, and require careful navigation of competing institutional priorities. The Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation is responsible for building credible scenarios, stress-testing assumptions, evaluating tradeoffs, identifying financial risks, and developing data-informed recommendations that directly support senior leadership decision-making.
This role does not manage transactional finance, accounting operations, or budget execution functions. Instead, it provides enterprise-level financial insight, modeling, and advisory support to advance institutional priorities and financial sustainability.
The position operates with a high degree of autonomy and regularly engages with senior leadership across academic and administrative units to influence financial decision-making and institutional planning.
Minimum Qualifications (or equivalent combination of education and experience)
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a closely related field; master’s degree preferred.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible experience in higher education finance, institutional budgeting, financial planning and analysis, strategic finance, or related financial leadership roles.
• Demonstrated experience developing, maintaining, and applying advanced financial models to support institutional or enterprise-level planning and decision-making.
• Significant experience interpreting complex financial, operational, and organizational data and translating analysis into strategic recommendations for senior leadership.
• Deep understanding of higher education financial structures, including resource allocation models, responsibility-centered management or incentive-based budget models, and major revenue and expenditure drivers.
• Experience working with large, complex financial datasets and budget systems to support forecasting, scenario analysis, and financial decision-making.
• Proven ability to engage effectively with senior executives and influence financial decision-making in a complex, decentralized organization.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous and evolving financial environments.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex financial concepts clearly and credibly to non-financial executive audiences.
Desirable Qualifications
Anticipated Pay Range | $160,000-195,000
Other Information |
Special Conditions | A probationary period may be required, This position is eligible for a hybrid schedule with an option to split time between campus and elsewhere, in accordance with the university telecommuting policy, Background Check required for this position
FLSA | Exempt
Union Position | No
Posting Summary | The Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation reports to the Vice President for Finance, Administration & Human Resources (VPFAHR) and serves as a senior leader responsible for shaping institutional financial strategy through advanced financial modeling and analysis and interpretation of complex institutional data.
Working in partnership with academic and administrative units across campus, the Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation develops and recommends financial strategies that inform resource allocation, revenue generation, operational efficiency, and long-term financial sustainability. This role translates complex financial and operational data into actionable insights for executive leadership and plays a key role in analyzing institutional financial performance, auxiliary operations, academic unit financial structures, and emerging financial risks.
The position operates in a highly complex environment where financial problems are often undefined, cross-functional, and require careful navigation of competing institutional priorities. The Executive Director for Financial Strategy and Innovation is responsible for building credible scenarios, stress-testing assumptions, evaluating tradeoffs, identifying financial risks, and developing data-informed recommendations that directly support senior leadership decision-making.
This role does not manage transactional finance, accounting operations, or budget execution functions. Instead, it provides enterprise-level financial insight, modeling, and advisory support to advance institutional priorities and financial sustainability.
The position operates with a high degree of autonomy and regularly engages with senior leadership across academic and administrative units to influence financial decision-making and institutional planning.
Minimum Qualifications (or equivalent combination of education and experience)
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a closely related field; master’s degree preferred.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible experience in higher education finance, institutional budgeting, financial planning and analysis, strategic finance, or related financial leadership roles.
• Demonstrated experience developing, maintaining, and applying advanced financial models to support institutional or enterprise-level planning and decision-making.
• Significant experience interpreting complex financial, operational, and organizational data and translating analysis into strategic recommendations for senior leadership.
• Deep understanding of higher education financial structures, including resource allocation models, responsibility-centered management or incentive-based budget models, and major revenue and expenditure drivers.
• Experience working with large, complex financial datasets and budget systems to support forecasting, scenario analysis, and financial decision-making.
• Proven ability to engage effectively with senior executives and influence financial decision-making in a complex, decentralized organization.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous and evolving financial environments.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex financial concepts clearly and credibly to non-financial executive audiences.
Desirable Qualifications
Anticipated Pay Range | $160,000-195,000
Other Information |
Special Conditions | A probationary period may be required, This position is eligible for a hybrid schedule with an option to split time between campus and elsewhere, in accordance with the university telecommuting policy, Background Check required for this position
FLSA | Exempt
Union Position | No
Posting Details
Position will be posted for a minimum of one week, after which it is subject to removal without notice.
Position will be posted for a minimum of one week, after which it is subject to removal without notice.
Job Location | Burlington, Vermont, United States
Job Open Date | 06/08/2026
Job Close Date (Jobs close at 11:59 PM EST.) |
Open Until Filled | No
Job Open Date | 06/08/2026
Job Close Date (Jobs close at 11:59 PM EST.) |
Open Until Filled | No
Our Common Ground Statement
The University of Vermont is a welcoming, educationally purposeful community committed to creating an inclusive environment that embraces intellectual diversity and global perspectives. We seek to prepare students to be accountable leaders who will bring to their work a grasp of complexity, effective problem-solving and communication skills, and an enduring commitment to learning and ethical conduct. Members of the University of Vermont community embrace and advance the values of Our Common Ground: Respect, Integrity, Innovation, Openness, Justice, and Responsibility. Staff play a critical role in this effort and the successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to UVM’s mission and advancing Our Common Ground values through the execution of their job duties.
The University of Vermont is a welcoming, educationally purposeful community committed to creating an inclusive environment that embraces intellectual diversity and global perspectives. We seek to prepare students to be accountable leaders who will bring to their work a grasp of complexity, effective problem-solving and communication skills, and an enduring commitment to learning and ethical conduct. Members of the University of Vermont community embrace and advance the values of Our Common Ground: Respect, Integrity, Innovation, Openness, Justice, and Responsibility. Staff play a critical role in this effort and the successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to UVM’s mission and advancing Our Common Ground values through the execution of their job duties.
Position Information
Position Title | Fiscal Ops & Bus Mgmt PC5 X
Posting Number | S6142PO
Department | VP Finance & Administration/11000
Position Number | 00027890
Percent of Full-Time | 1.0
Standard Hours at 1.0 FTE | 37.5
Term (months per year) | 12
Posting Number | S6142PO
Department | VP Finance & Administration/11000
Position Number | 00027890
Percent of Full-Time | 1.0
Standard Hours at 1.0 FTE | 37.5
Term (months per year) | 12
Supplemental Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Documents Needed to Apply
Required Documents
- Resume
- Cover Letter/Letter of Application
Optional Documents
©2019 The University of Vermont – Burlington, VT 05405 – (802) 656-3131
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