Senior Director (Finance Leader), Financial Management Reporting Strategy and Reporting Center of Excellence

Indiana University

$150K — $175K *
Finance & Insurance
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field (data analytics, information systems) required; Master's degree preferred.
  • 5 years of relevant financial experience required; 10 years preferred in finance planning and analysis or financial reporting.
  • Experience managing large initiatives from inception to execution is essential.
  • Higher education or public sector experience is strongly preferred, along with a deep understanding of fund accounting and responsibility center management budgeting.
  • Ability to analyze and interpret complex financial data with accuracy.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the modernization of the financial management reporting strategy and implement advanced technology solutions.
  • Support Project Horizon to transform Indiana University's financial operations and establish a culture of fiscal responsibility.
  • Create a comprehensive financial management reporting framework with standardized metrics and report cadences.
  • Evaluate existing reporting tools and establish KPIs for decision-making across campuses.
  • Collaborate with UITS and vendors to implement business intelligence tools and leverage AI for financial analysis.
  • Define enterprise data governance policies to ensure reporting integrity across the institution.
  • Launch and lead a Financial Reporting Center of Excellence, consolidating reporting functions and managing enterprise report portfolios.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical and dental insurance.
  • Health savings account with generous IU contributions.
  • Paid time off plans and 10 paid holidays, including a winter break.
  • Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses.
  • Employee assistance program (EAP) to support personal and professional well-being.
Full Job Description
The Senior Director of Financial Management Reporting Strategy and Reporting Center of Excellence is a transformative leadership role designed for a visionary financial professional who thrives at the intersection of data, technology, and institutional strategy. This position is housed within the VPCFO organization and reports directly to the Associate Vice President of Financial Enterprise Engagement.

Department-Specific Responsibilities
  • Initially, this position serves as the architect and project leader responsible for modernizing our financial management reporting strategy, evaluating our current capabilities, and implementing the cutting-edge technology required to elevate our financial intelligence. Upon the successful deployment of this framework, this position establishes, scales, and leads a permanent Finance Reporting Center of Excellence (CoE), serving as a critical strategic partner to academic and administrative leaders across the institution.
  • Supports the Associate Vice President Financial Enterprise Engagement in leading and implementing Project Horizon, the Indiana University Financial Transformation Initiative. Project Horizon is the initiative to modernize IU's overall financial operations and systems to align them with the needs of a multi-billion dollar, public higher education institution with multiple R1 campuses. The goal of the initiative is to create a culture of fiscal responsibility and accountability to ensure the financial health and strength of IU now and in the future.
  • Establish an institution-wide financial management reporting framework that defines core metrics, standardizes report cadences, and creates a clear reconciliation crosswalk between accounting results and management reporting results.
  • Evaluates existing reporting tools, data structures, processes, and team capabilities across all campuses to identify gaps and establish future-state KPIs for academic and administrative decision-making.
  • Partners with UITS and external vendors to assess, select, and implement middle-layer reporting and business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) and leverage AI solutions for advanced financial analysis.
  • Defines enterprise data governance policies, establishing clear boundaries between technical tool ownership and functional content ownership to ensure reporting integrity.
  • Launches and leads a permanent Financial Reporting Center of Excellence that consolidates reporting functions, manages a governed enterprise report portfolio, and reduces reliance on ad-hoc, unit-built solutions.
  • Develops and maintains standardized executive reporting packages and performance scorecards, providing senior leadership and campuses with unified financial views for results summary, trend analysis and strategic planning.
  • Structures, recruits, and mentors a high-performing team of data analysts and BI specialists, fostering a customer-centric service model for central and campus partners.
  • Oversees university-wide training, adoption, and change management strategies to empower fiscal officers, deans, and executives to effectively navigate and utilize new financial tools.
  • Acts as the primary financial liaison across campuses to translate complex data into actionable insights, while introducing predictive analytics, rolling forecasts, and scenario modeling to institutional leadership.
General Responsibilities
  • Oversees the analysis of financial performance in university units.
  • Prepares and presents financial analyses and recommendations to top-level university management.
  • Creates financial models and analyses of financial and operational metrics to evaluate and direct business performance.
Qualifications

Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.

EDUCATION

Required
  • Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field (data analytics, information systems)
Preferred
  • Master's degree (MBA, or related discipline)
WORK EXPERIENCE

Required
  • 5 years in finance, financial administration, accounting, or related field
Preferred
  • 10 years experience in finance planning and analysis (FPandA), financial reporting, financial systems management or related experience
  • Proven excellence in managing large initiatives from inception to executing day-to-day operations
  • Higher education, public sector, or governmental organization experience strongly preferred
  • Deep understanding of fund accounting, responsibility center management (RCM) budgeting, and the unique financial ecosystem of higher education
SKILLS

Required
  • Ability to analyze and interpret financial data
  • Demonstrated analytical skills
  • Excellent interpretation of complex statistical data
  • Demonstrated written communication skills
  • Articulate and responsive to colleagues
  • Develops and delivers effective presentations
  • Excellent collaboration and team building skills
  • Ability to lead/manage others
  • Instills commitment to organizational goals
  • Assumes personal responsibility for actions
  • Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure
  • Ability to work within tight time frames and meet strict deadlines
Preferred
  • Demonstrated experience managing cross-functional projects and leading high-performing technical or financial teams
  • Demonstrated time management and priority setting skills
  • Demonstrates a high commitment to quality
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Effectively coaches and delivers constructive feedback
  • Demonstrates excellent judgment and decision-making skills
  • Effective conflict management skills
  • Understanding of technology initiatives and the coordination necessary with IT to successfully implement
  • Ability to drive multiple projects to successful completion
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals at all organizational levels, including executive leadership, staff, and external partners
  • Diplomacy and sound judgment in managing sensitive and confidential information
  • Proven track record of leading successful implementations of financial reporting systems, (e.g., BI platforms - Tableau, Power BI)
  • Proven success managing large-scale, multi-disciplinary projects in dynamic, complex environments
  • Experience utilizing AI in reporting and analysis
  • Excellent facilitation, collaboration, and negotiation abilities
Working Conditions / Demands

This role requires the ability to effectively communicate and to operate a computer and other standard office productivity equipment. The position involves sedentary work as well as periods of time moving around an office environment and the campus. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.

Work Location

Bloomington, Indiana or Indianapolis, Indiana

Advertised Salary

$150,000 - $175,000 annually, depending upon qualifications

Benefits Overview

For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:
  • Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
  • Health savings account with generous IU contributions
  • Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
  • Basic group life insurance paid by IU
  • Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
  • Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
  • Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
  • Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
  • 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
  • Generous paid time off plans
  • Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
  • Employee assistance program (EAP)
Learn more about our benefits by reviewing the IU Benefit Programs Brochure .

Job Classification

Career Level: Strategic

FLSA: Exempt

Job Function: Finance

Job Family: Financial Analysis

Click here to learn more about Indiana University's Job Framework.

Posting Disclaimer

This posting is scheduled to close at 11:59 pm EST on the advertised Close Date. This posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University, but will remain open for a minimum of 5 business days. To guarantee full consideration, please submit your application within 5 business days of the Posted Date.

If you wish to include a cover letter, you may include it with your resume when uploading attachments.

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