California State University

Senior Associate Vice President of Administration & Finance

California State University$280K — $315K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Master's degree in Business or Finance required.
  • 10 years of progressively responsible experience, including 2+ years in a managerial role.
  • Working knowledge of CSU and State budgeting standards as they relate to Cal Poly.
  • Proven leadership ability through coaching and facilitating team environments.
  • Excellent communication skills for conveying complex financial information clearly.

Responsibilities

  • Provide strategic financial leadership and governance across administrative portfolios.
  • Supervise senior leaders in Financial Services, Strategic Business Services, and Audit and Consulting Services.
  • Ensure alignment of financial management and operational activities with institutional and regulatory requirements.
  • Drive a culture of continuous improvement, transparency, and collaboration within the team.
  • Act as a central integrator of financial strategy and operational execution.

Benefits

  • Best-in-class health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Participation in the Public Employees' Retirement System retirement plan.
  • Educational benefits for eligible employees.
Full Job Description
Job Summary

The Senior Associate Vice President (Sr. AVP) of Administration and Finance Services is a senior executive leader and key advisor to the Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance. Reporting directly to the Senior VP, the Sr. AVP provides enterprise-level financial, operational, and governance leadership across major administrative portfolios.

The Sr. AVP supports the division of Administration and Finance's mission by delivering efficient, effective, and high-quality services across financial management, business operations, facilities, audit, compliance, and resource planning. This position assists in ensuring fiscal stewardship, institutional accountability, and operational alignment while advancing a culture of continuous improvement, transparency, and collaboration.

The Sr. AVP has direct supervisory responsibility for the following senior leaders and their full areas of responsibility:
  • Associate Vice President of Financial Services, including all units and functions under Financial Services
  • Assistant Vice President of Strategic Business Services, including all units and functions under Strategic Business Services
  • Assistant Vice President of Audit and Consulting Services, including all audit, compliance, and consulting functions

The Sr. AVP ensures that financial management, business operations, and audit activities are aligned with institutional priorities, CSU policy, and regulatory requirements. The position operates with significant delegated authority and executive discretion and serves as a central integrator of financial strategy, operational execution, and accountability.

Key Qualifications
  • Working knowledge of the CSU and State budgeting and reporting standards and structures. as they relate to the Cal Poly.
  • Demonstrated ability to provide leadership and management through coaching, enabling and facilitating employees working in a team environment.
  • Ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere in and outside the University with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds.
  • Excellent communication skills; ability to effectively communicate complex financial information in a clear and understandable manner, both verbally and in writing.
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills with the ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines.

Education and Experience
  • Master's degree from an accredited institution in Business or Finance.
  • Ten years of progressively responsible experience, with a minimum of two (2) years of which have been at a managerial level, including a working knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles.
  • Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

Salary and Benefits

The anticipated hiring range for this role is $280,000 - $315,000. Note that the offer is calculated based on the background and relevant years of experience of the individual selected.

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Anticipated Hiring Range referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Classification Range may be broader than what the University anticipates paying for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).

Cal Poly offers a best-in-class benefits program, including health, dental and vision insurance, retirement participation in the Public Employees' Retirement System, and educational benefits for eligible employees. See our benefits website for additional information.

Advertised: Jul 06 2026 Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close:

About California State University

The California State University (CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 484,300 students with 26,858 faculty and 25,305 staff, CSU is the largest four-year public university system in the United States. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, with the other two being the University of California system and the California Community Colleges System. The CSU System is incorporated as The Trustees of the California State University. The California State University system headquarters are at 401 Golden Shore in Long Beach, California.
Learn more about California State University
Size
50,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1947

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