Assistant Dean for Operations & Finance

Position Summary:

The Chief Business Officer (CBO) is responsible for the financial and business operations of Vanderbilt Law School (VLS), including daily business processes, budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, financial modeling and analysis, strategic planning, human capital management, sponsored project administration, policy development and implementation, compliance and internal controls, and capital planning and budgeting.

Reporting jointly to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Finance and to the Dean of the Vanderbilt Law School, the CBO is a key advisor to the Dean on strategic, financial, human resource, and operational topics.  The CBO is an effective leader, natural collaborator, and skilled communicator who builds trusting relationships across VLS and the University.  The ideal candidate will have a strategic, decision-enabling mindset and keen financial and business acumen that will allow them to effectively advise the Dean, associate deans, administrators, and other key stakeholders.

The CBO serves as the primary point of contact relative to financial and business operations for VLS, working to accomplish the priorities of the School and of the broader University by leading and facilitating interactions with and between many of the core University offices that support the various schools, including Finance, People Culture and Belonging, General Counsel, Risk Management, Facilities, Development and Alumni Relations, and Vanderbilt University IT.

About the Work Unit:

Among the nation’s leading law schools, Vanderbilt stands out for its distinguished faculty; highly talented students; collegial and collaborative school culture; graduates’ top-tier employment outcomes; and global alumni network. Vanderbilt Law School's national reputation has its basis in our rigorous academic program, which is developed and delivered by our faculty of top legal scholars. The Finance & Operations Administration team in the Law School is responsible for the management of all operations, finance, accounting, grants administration, and other business services. This team works to ensure compliance across the Law School relative to university policies and procedures as well as federal and state laws, or sponsor guidelines. The Law School has 60 resident faculty members, 130 affiliated faculty members, 80 staff employees, and a student enrollment of approximately 600 students. 

Key Functions and Expected Performance:

Financial Oversight 

• Develop and manage the annual operating budget, monthly forecasts, and management reporting for the School, including quarterly budget variance analysis.
• Analyze financial data to support budgeting and decision-making, providing clear, actionable insights.
• Support capital planning by developing the annual capital budget, planning for capital project financing, and monitoring capital expenditures.
• Ensure effective utilization of gift and endowment funding while complying with donor restrictions.  Report to Finance and Development and Alumni Relations periodically on gift and endowment utilization.
• Collaborate with Development and Alumni Relations on donor agreements, gift and endowment accounting, and project management.
• Oversee contract and grant administration, including grant expenditures, effort certification, cost-sharing, cost transfers, and grant closeout. Collaborate with Research Finance on grant accounting, reporting, and compliance matters.
• Plan, oversee, and manage various programmatic revenue sources. Review and approve general accounts receivable and deposit transactions.
• Oversee monthly, quarterly, and year-end accounting activities, ensuring accurate accounting and classification of transactions and year-end accruals.
• Implement and monitor effective internal controls for the processing of financial transactions, including segregation of duties, access controls, and monitoring and evaluating financial results and budget variances.

Operational Oversight

• Develop, implement, and improve operational policies, procedures, and business practices.

• Train and coach administrators on financial and operational systems and procedures.

• Proactively drive organizational change and process improvements with an eye toward optimizing effectiveness and maximizing efficiency.

• Anticipate the needs of faculty and administrators, act as an advisor and thought partner to them, and identify and facilitate potential solutions to emerging or novel issues.

• Review and approve procurement requests, employee expense reports, personnel transactions, retroactive cost transfers, and other transactions as appropriate.

• Act as project manager for VLS faculty funds, managing project setup, processing funding entries, and making necessary adjustments to faculty fund projects.

• In coordination with Finance, oversee the One Card (payment card) program, including setting spending limits, enforcing payment card policy, and approving transactions as appropriate. 

• In collaboration with Purchasing, General Counsel, and the Provost’s Office (as appropriate), coordinate, review, and execute contracts, agreements, and memoranda of understanding on behalf of the School.

Human Capital Management Oversight

• Collaborate with Assistant Dean for Personnel Services to recruit, develop, and retain high-performing business and administrative professionals who display creative problem solving, resourcefulness, and a strong service orientation.

• Cultivate a culture of collaboration, accountability, stewardship, compliance, and effective communication.

• Review and approve job postings, salary quotes, promotions, reclassifications, and various other personnel transactions, ensuring personnel headcount and funding remains consistent with School budget objectives.

• Collaborate with the Dean on faculty recruitment, promotion, retention, and compensation. Oversee implementation of promotions, annual salary increases, retention adjustments, and other faculty compensation adjustments as needed. Calculate and oversee implementation of faculty administrative salary supplements.

• Oversee the annual merit increase processes for faculty and staff, in collaboration with the Dean, the Provost’s Office, Finance, and People Culture and Belonging.

• Oversee complex personnel transactions and maintain compliance with numerous statutory and Vanderbilt policies, including federal effort certification, wage and hour laws, federal income tax reporting, FMLA/TMLA, ADAAA, etc.

• Collaborate with the Assistant Dean for Personnel Services and Office of People Culture and Belonging to administer staff performance management and/or disciplinary actions as appropriate. 

• Collaborate with Assistant Dean for Personnel Services and the Office of People Culture and Belonging and the Protection of Minors Office on background clearance policy and compliance matters.

• Collaborate with Assistant Dean for Personnel Services and the University Conflicts Office on the conflict-of-interest disclosure process and conflict management plans.

Supervisory Relationships:

This position has supervisory responsibility over the School’s finance and administrative team, as well as functional oversight of Personnel Services. The position reports administratively to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Finance and functionally to the Dean of Vanderbilt Law School.

Education and Certifications

• A bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, or related field from an accredited institution of higher education is required; master’s degree preferred.

• A degree or certification in accounting, finance, business administration or similar is strongly preferred.

Experience and Skills:

• 10+ years of experience in strategic finance or operational leadership, ideally in a higher education environment, is required.
• Experience with sponsored project administration and familiarity with all phases of the grant award cycle, from pre-award to post-award and closeout, especially in a higher education environment, is preferred.
• Strong financial acumen and analytical skills; experience with budgeting, planning, and financial management is necessary.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills; ability to influence and lead across all levels is necessary.
• High emotional intelligence and discretion; ability to calmly navigate sensitive business and personnel matters in high-stakes situations with the utmost discretion is necessary.
• Advanced proficiency with standard office software as well as enterprise resource management platforms (such as Oracle or Workday) is necessary.
• Ability to think strategically and manage multiple accounts with evolving priorities and strict deadlines in a rapidly changing environment is necessary. 
• Ability to proactively identify administrative and financial issues of importance and adjust rapidly and effectively to resolve these issues is necessary.
• Ability to analyze information and to draw conclusions, perform complex tasks and to prioritize multiple projects, and make financial decisions is necessary.
• Ability to drive change and implement process improvements is necessary.
• Ability to form productive alliances effectively and persuasively with financial and non-financial administrators at all levels of the organization is necessary.
• Exceptional ability to bridge gaps and problem-solve to reach solutions that meet the needs of stakeholders is necessary.
• Proven ability to build relationships, and work effectively, with all levels of academic, professional, and support staff is necessary.
• A curiosity and aptitude for identifying, leveraging, and analyzing data to support decision-making is necessary.

Key Characteristics of a Successful Team Member in this Work Unit:

• Problem Solver.
• Timely and Responsive.
• Dependable and Trustworthy.
• Servant Leader.
• Collaborative Team Player.