Senior Financial Analyst Strategic Initiatives and Technology Advancements

Overview

This role serves as a strategic finance partner to university leaders, providing advanced financial analysis, modeling, business case development, and data-driven decision support for strategic and operational priorities. Responsibilities include challenging assumptions when appropriate, communicating complex financial information clearly, and translating quantitative and qualitative information into recommendations that support informed decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary strategic finance partner supporting AI initiatives, technology advancements, enterprise transformation, operational excellence programs, and strategic projects.
• Support strategic planning, financial planning, and forecasting by connecting business drivers, operating assumptions, workforce plans, and strategic priorities to financial outlooks and institutional objectives.
• Lead complex financial analysis and modeling, including analysis related to technology platforms, software, automation, licensing, implementation, and other technology-enabled investments.
• Evaluate strategic initiatives and business opportunities by developing financial models that measure implementation costs, technology expenses, staffing impacts, organizational requirements, productivity improvements, operational savings, and long-term financial benefits.
• Analyze financial and operational performance against budget, forecast, and prior-period results; identify trends, risks, opportunities, and key business drivers; and provide recommendations to support disciplined decision-making.
• Translate complex financial and operational data into insights by supporting the financial evaluation of AI-enabled solutions, technology investments, automation opportunities, digital transformation initiatives, and technology modernization efforts.
• Improve financial and analytical capabilities by identifying opportunities to streamline processes, automate analysis, improve reporting and data integration, strengthen modeling methodologies, and enhance the use of data in financial and operational decision-making.
• Measure investment and initiative performance and benefit realization by monitoring actual results against approved business cases, financial plans, and expected outcomes, and identifying opportunities for corrective action or improved returns.
• Provide financial leadership throughout the project lifecycle—from opportunity assessment and business case development through implementation and post-implementation evaluation—establishing financial assumptions, success measures, and expected outcomes.
• Support evaluation of contracts, vendors, and business partnerships by partnering with Procurement to model financial implications, assess costs and benefits, evaluate key financial terms, and identify financial risks and opportunities.
• Promote consistent financial discipline and best practices in business case development, investment evaluation, forecasting, performance measurement, and strategic finance business partnering, while supporting cross-functional initiatives and other priorities as assigned.
• Perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements

• 5+ years of progressive experience in strategic finance, financial analysis, corporate FP&A, management consulting, business transformation, operational finance, or related analytical roles.
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, Data Analytics, or related discipline.
• Advanced financial analysis and modeling skills, including the ability to develop and interpret complex financial models, business cases, scenario analyses, investment evaluations, and forecasts.
• Demonstrated experience supporting AI implementation initiatives, digital transformation programs, enterprise technology investments, automation initiatives, or technology modernization efforts.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing complex financial and operational information, identifying key business drivers, assessing risks and opportunities, and developing actionable recommendations.
• Strong strategic thinking and business acumen, with the ability to connect financial analysis to operational and organizational objectives.
• Demonstrated experience influencing management decision-making through objective financial analysis, modeling, and strategic insight.
• Experience turning complex, ambiguous, or incomplete information into clear financial conclusions and recommendations.
• Experience partnering with executive, operational, technology, and cross-functional leaders.
• Ability to work autonomously, exercise independent judgment, and manage complex analyses and strategic initiatives with competing priorities.
• Must be committed to maintaining a strong culture of customer service, communication, and business partnering with all members of the organization.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation

• Annual pay range: $85,563.00 - $136,928.00
• Target hiring range: $94,548.00 - $127,918.00
• Actual offer will be based on skills, qualifications, experience and internal equity, in addition to relevant business considerations.

Benefits (full-time employees)

• High-quality, low-deductible medical insurance
• Low to no-cost dental and vision plans
• 5 weeks of paid time off (plus almost a dozen paid holidays)
• Employer-funded retirement
• Free tuition program
• Parental leave
• Mental health and wellbeing resources

Location

This position offers the option to work remotely in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Remote employees must have access to a reliable internet connection and a dedicated, properly equipped workspace free of distractions, and must reside in, and work from, one of the approved states listed above.