Chief Business Officer - University Business Operations

Discover Your Career at Emory University

Emory University is a leading research university that fosters excellence and attracts world-class talent to innovate today and prepare leaders for the future. We welcome candidates who can contribute to the excellence of our academic community.

Description

The Chief Business Officer (CBO) for Business Operations is responsible for driving operational excellence, financial stewardship, organizational effectiveness, and strategic business support across a diverse portfolio of university administrative and support departments. This role serves as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, providing strategic oversight, operational leadership, and university business expertise that enables institutional priorities through a central service center.

The CBO oversees a high-performing shared services organization providing visible and effective leadership to department staff that deliver comprehensive budget, finance, procurement, HR, administrative, and operational support to a broad group of departments within the service center. The CBO fosters a culture of service, innovation, accountability, continuous improvement, and data-informed decision making while ensuring exceptional customer experiences and operational efficiency.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Provides leadership for the university's shared services and business operations functions.
• Serves as a key advisor to senior leaders on financial, budgeting, purchasing, workforce, and administrative activities.
• Oversees the implementation of appropriate business processes and internal controls, develops strong and collaborative relationships with service center stakeholders and university leaders, and promotes a positive and trustworthy reputation of the Central Service Center.
• Communicates effectively with stakeholders at all levels, managing expectations and ensuring transparency regarding priorities, performance, and organizational changes.
• Oversees the day-to-day operations of the central service center and associated business functions ensuring the delivery of responsive, customer-focused, high quality services across supported departments.
• Establishes and maintains service standards, manages customer concerns and expectations, and develops and implements strategies and plans for growth, service enhancements, cost reductions, and sustained continuous improvements for the service center.
• Ensures business processes are documented, compliant, efficient, and aligned with institutional objectives.
• Fosters a culture of continuous improvement, professional development, accountability, and service excellence.
• Develops and maintains appropriate department metrics, goals, and overall customer service levels.
• Serves as a senior-level financial management professional with oversight of financial planning, budget development, forecasting, reporting, and resource allocation activities.
• Leads annual budget process for customers in the service center and collaborate with university leadership to align financial resources with strategic priorities.
• Delivers sophisticated financial analysis, business intelligence, and decision-support reporting.
• Monitors financial performance, identifies emerging risks and opportunities, and recommends appropriate actions.
• Ensures strong fiscal controls, stewardship of university resources, and compliance with applicable policies.
• Supports leadership with strategic financial modeling, scenario planning, and long-range financial analysis to support strategic discussions.
• Manages fiscal close for organizations in the service center, collaborating with business officers across the organization as needed to ensure timely and accurate fiscal close activities.
• Serves as a strategic partner to central Human Resources and departmental leadership to support workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, talent development, employee engagement, and change management initiatives.
• Provides oversight of business-related human resources transactions and administrative processes for supported organizations while ensuring alignment with university policies and procedures.
• Collaborates with central HR to address workforce needs, organizational design considerations, employee relations matters, and implementation of university-wide initiatives.
• Promotes an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing culture across the organization.
• Partners closely with the university's Procurement organization to support the purchasing, contracting, sourcing, and business service needs of departments served by the Service Center.
• Serves as a trusted advisor to departmental leaders, helping navigate procurement processes, policy requirements, and supplier engagement.
• Ensures procurement and HR related transactions and activities within supported departments are conducted in accordance with university policies, regulatory requirements, internal controls, and audit standards.
• Provides oversight for administrative support services delivered through the service center, ensuring consistent, efficient, and customer-focused support across departments served.
• Establishes service standards, performance metrics, and accountability measures to ensure high-quality, responsive support services.
• Develops scalable service models that support organization growth, changing priorities, and future expansion of the service center portfolio.
• Fosters a culture of professionalism, collaboration, continuous improvement, and exceptional customer service withing administrative support teams.
• Successfully leads cross-functional teams through periods of change, organizational realignment, and operational expansion.
• Performs related responsibilities as required. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in Business Administration or Accounting, and 10 years of business management or related experience.
• MBA preferred.
• A good understanding of business operations on a college campus and experience working with budgets on a college campus preferred.
• Establishes a financial chain of authority that respects separation of duties and conflict of interest.
• A strong financial aptitude to engage in strategic financial analytics.
• Experience managing and motivating staff with an excellent customer service focus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

NOTE: Position tasks are generally required to be performed in-person at an Emory University location.  Remote work from home day options may be granted at department discretion. Emory reserves the right to change remote work status with notice to employee.

Additional Details

Emory is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law. Emory University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in university programs and in the use of facilities without such discrimination. Emory University complies with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act, and applicable executive orders, federal and state regulations regarding nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action (for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities). Inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Department of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Building, Atlanta, GA 30322. Telephone: 404-727-9867 (V) | 404-712-2049 (TDD).

Emory University is committed to ensuring equal access and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to seek a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Department of Accessibility Services at [email protected] or call 404-727-9877 (Voice) | 404-712-2049 (TDD). We kindly ask that requests be made at least seven business days in advance to allow adequate time for coordination.