Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer

The University of Maryland, College Park 

Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer

 

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD), the flagship, land-grant university of the state of Maryland and one of the nation’s most powerful engines of learning and discovery, seeks a visionary, strategic and inclusive leader to serve as Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). This position – which has been newly elevated as a direct report to UMD President Darryll Pines – is the University’s principal hands-on financial, business, and accounting executive, and plays a critical role in maintaining the University’s overall financial strength. 

UMD is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU) and is designated by the Carnegie Classification as a doctoral institution of Very High Research Activity (Research One). It is responsible for more than $3 billion in annual economic impact for the state of Maryland through its distinguished faculty, talented and engaged student body, dedicated and excellent staff, generative and translational research, and deep partnerships throughout Prince George’s County, the state of Maryland, and the broader National Capital region. 

The University of Maryland is part of the 12-institution University System of Maryland (USM). UMD’s annual operating budget exceeds $2.2 billion. The College Park campus’ annual research expenditures stand at $550 million, and—in a newly-formalized, strategic partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore and its professional schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, law and social work—the total output of UMD as classified by the National Science Foundation is over $1 billion annually, ranking as one of the top 10 public universities in research expenditures. 

UMD is home to the University of Maryland Extension, more than 41,000 students, and nearly 4,000 full- and part-time faculty who study and serve in 12 schools and colleges spanning agriculture, business, engineering, public health, natural sciences, the arts and humanities, journalism, architecture, education, behavioral and social sciences, public policy, and international affairs. It has among the most diverse funding profiles of any public institution in the nation and long-standing partnerships with major federal funding agencies including NIST, USDA, DARPA, NASA, NOAA, and many others. Its students are deeply engaged through innovative pedagogy and technology-enabled learning across disciplines. UMD is a member of the Big Ten Conference and Academic Alliance and shares best practices with other major public research universities. 

UMD seeks a collaborative and strategic leader with a record of professional accomplishment in the area of finance. The successful candidate will have outstanding administrative leadership capacity, excellent communication skills, a track record of collaboration, and commitment to a diverse university. Applicants should have experience as a senior financial officer in a higher education, health system, government or business organization of relevant size and complexity. Higher education experience is highly preferred. 

Applicants must be familiar with a wide variety of financing techniques and have a record of significant leadership and accomplishment in planning and implementing major business and financial systems. Knowledge of trends in enterprise resource management systems is required, as is experience in dealing with local, state, and federal legislative and regulatory issues as they affect public universities. Additional information, including a leadership profile can be found at www.wittkieffer.com.

UMD's new CFO will join one of the nation's most accomplished universities at a moment when new leadership and a new strategic plan combine to provide the opportunity for significant continued forward progress for the institution. Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal.

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to:

John K. Thornburgh

Kim Brettschneider

UMarylandCFO@wittkieffer.com

 

The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.