Associate Vice President, Financial & Support Services

Key Responsibilities

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Ensure the University complies with CSU executive orders on financial management, including grant administration, reporting, and financial recordkeeping.
• Identify and resolve issues, develop solutions, and implement them.
• Maintain accurate financial records and reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with CSU policies, regulations, and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
• Oversee financial operations, including procurement, asset management, and mail services, while improving efficiency and leveraging technology.
• Manage the Financial Services budget, set annual goals, and provide leadership to staff. Work with the Vice President for Business & Finance on contracts and proposals.
• Lead Auxiliary and Business Services (ABS) operations, ensuring compliance with CSU and state requirements
• Develop and implement ABS policies, manage budgets, and monitor commercial operations to ensure self-supporting and cost-effective services.
• Serve as the main liaison between ABS contractors and University constituents, ensuring alignment with the University’s mission.
• Monitor financial health across auxiliaries and self-support operations, resolving issues and presenting recommendations to the Vice President.
• Act as a liaison to ensure compliance with regulations and sound business practices.
• Serve on committees, review documents, and handle delegated responsibilities in the absence of the Vice President.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualification & Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: A baccalaureate or master’s degree in accounting, finance, public administration or related field is required.
• Experience: At least 8 years of successful experience in managing a university’s or public entity’s financial and accounting operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA certification.
• Business and financial management experience at a public university.
• Experience successfully managing the financial operations of a public university such as one of the California State University campuses, or the CSU Chancellor’s Office.
• Experience in an environment utilizing a customer-oriented and service-centered attitude.
• Applicable experience with the University of California or California State University systems.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience must demonstrate success in appropriately applying the principles and practices of ethical financial management, fund accounting, operational administration, and personnel management for unionized and non-unionized employees.
• As a key fiscal manager and leader of the administrative staff, the AVPFSS must possess and project the utmost integrity and highest standards of professional conduct, and must be an individual marked by accomplishment and experience to exercise the leadership of a qualified, collegial, and engaged professional community.
• A proven track record of success in finance and accounting.
• The following personal traits are extremely desirable: unquestioned integrity, a passion for excellence, creativity, an entrepreneurial spirit, political astuteness, and diplomacy coupled with the ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality.
• Ability to assess current finance/budgeting systems, recommend appropriate solutions, drive change, and achieve results.
• Must have the vision and courage to break new ground, while ensuring and advancing the financial health and stability of the University.
• Ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, and productive work atmosphere in and outside the University, with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population.
• An inherent willingness to find solutions to complex problems and answers to unconventional questions with a strong commitment to Stanislaus State’s vision, core values, and strategic priorities.
• Must be able to articulate and explain complex financial issues to staff, faculty, and all other stakeholders in a clear, understandable, non-technical manner, both verbally and in writing.
• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communications skills, blended with the ability to be an effective, engaged, and interested listener.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret, communicate, and apply policies and procedures. Working knowledge of or ability to quickly learn University infrastructure, policies, and procedures.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the ability to set own priorities to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines.
• An adaptable multi-tasker, with the ability to control and move forward on several priorities simultaneously. This includes switching priorities as required without losing momentum.
• A visible, accessible, decisive, and compassionate leader who possesses superb management skills.
• Must be able to train, mentor/develop, and motivate staff.
• Demonstrated ability to manage all critical stakeholder relationships.
• The successful candidate will be a highly energetic, forward thinking, solutions-focused individual with a strong work ethic as well as an enthusiastic and passionate approach to work.

Criminal Background Clearance Notice

• Satisfactory completion of a background check (which includes checks of employment records, education records, criminal records, civil records; and may include motor vehicle records, professional licenses, and sex offender registries, as position requires) is required for employment.
• CSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information
• Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current CSU employee who was conditionally offered the position.

Benefits

Commensurate with qualifications and experience. As a member of the 23-campus CSU System, we offer an extremely competitive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to:

• Outstanding vacation
• Health, dental, and vision plans
• A fee waiver education program
• Membership in the California Public Employees Retirement System (PERS); and
• 15 paid holidays a year.