Vice President for Operations & Chief Financial Officer

Westminster College, a small comprehensive university in Salt Lake City, seeks to appoint an experienced, innovative, and strategic finance and operations leader to serve as its next Vice President for Operations and Chief Financial Officer (VPO-CFO).

Reporting to President Bethami (Beth) Dobkin and serving as a key member of her Cabinet, the VPO-CFO will join a collegial team that is leading Westminster at a time of significant change, energy, and realignment, including as the campus works to transition from Westminster College to Westminster University in the next few years. As the College’s chief business officer, the VPO-CFO establishes and assesses priorities involving the College’s financial, human, and physical resources and helps to craft them into a comprehensive strategic plan, ensuring that action and resources are properly aligned to allow for those goals to be met, and then motivates the staff to achieve them.

Vice President for Operations & Chief Financial Officer

Serving as partner and counselor first and foremost, the VPO-CFO will play a broad, multi-faceted role in ensuring the success of the College, and the development and stewarding of its resources. The VPO-CFO will also play a key leadership role in prioritizing and implementing the recommendations expected to emerge from current comprehensive campus planning efforts.

The newly configured Vice President position entails a range of high-impact activities and responsibilities:

  • Serve as a senior advisor to the President, Provost, Cabinet, and Board on a broad range of financial, operational, and strategic decisions and investments;
  • Increase the College’s financial acumen and capacity by developing new approaches to and tools for financial planning, analysis, and reporting and by improving overall College operations and services;
  • In partnership with the Provost, lead the College’s annual budget process, resource allocation, alignment of resources with key priorities, and a multi-year financial plan; convene colleagues in Enrollment Management, Development, and Student Affairs in developing financial projections; develop plans to expand revenues, contain costs, and create a sustainable financial model for the College;
  • Join the President in working with the Board of Trustees to advance the College, staffing the Board’s Operations and Finance Committee, Investment Committee, and Audit Committee;
  • Provide open and transparent communications and effective counsel about the College’s financial position and strategy for a range of stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the Board;
  • On behalf of the President, lead negotiations, build relationships, and manage the work of external service providers and business partners, maintaining a visible, approachable, and trusted presence in Salt Lake City business and government communities;
  • Along with the President and Provost, engage campus constituent groups on issues related to finance, operations, and strategic initiatives;
  • Build and sustain productive working relationships with Deans, Department Chairs, and Program Directors.

Qualifications (required or preferred)

The VPO-CFO will bring financial acumen, broad administrative competency, and a track record of successful innovation to Westminster as well as:

  • At least 10 years of experience, including several years in a senior-level strategic finance position at an institution of higher education or other complex, mission-driven organization, with a track record of leadership in strategic financial management, forecasting, and innovative revenue generation;
  • A bachelor’s degree with a track record of continuing education and professional development in the contemporary issues faced by a chief business officer in an educational or other relevant nonprofit setting is required (master’s or other advanced degree preferred);
  • Evidence of continuing education and networking through participation in relevant national and regional higher education associations such as NACUBO and WACUBO;  
  • Demonstrated results in promoting and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment;
  • Demonstrated experience in effectively working in a collaborative/team environment with an array of stakeholders such as executive leadership and governance boards, direct reports, faculty, staff, students, and alumni;
  • Ability to effect change while respecting and working within institutional norms and history;
  • A high level of experience with strategic planning as well as the prioritization and integration of strategic planning initiatives into cash flow, debt management, operating budget, and capital budget projections;
  • Experience in the use of enterprise resource management systems (ERP’s); with an emphasis on the effective use of these systems to generate useful and understandable information that facilitates financial and institutional decision-making based on data; experience with Colleague by Ellucian preferred;
  • Expertise in cash-flow management and projections as well as debt management, including policy development, debt covenant negotiation, and compliance, and the strategic use of various forms of short- and long-term debt;
  • Demonstrated experience with short- and long-term investing of operating, capital, and endowment funds, including policy development, investment management models, and investment monitoring, benchmarking, and reporting;
  • Experience overseeing facilities (capital projects and physical-plant operations) and human-resources services (preferred);
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively communicate complex budget and financial matters to a variety of constituents;
  • Integrity, empathy, resilience, and flexibility.

Westminster College is committed to a diversified workforce, equal opportunity, and nondiscrimination. To this end, Westminster prohibits any form of discrimination or harassment based on race or ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, disabilities, genetic information, status as a veteran, or any other category or classification protected by applicable federal, state, or city laws.

Westminster College has retained Opus Partners (www.opuspartners.net) to support this recruitment. Craig Smith, Partner, and Abigail Maynard, Associate are leading the search. Please email inquiries, expressions of interest, and nominations to Abigail Maynard (abigail.maynard@opuspartners.net). Westminster College and Opus Partners will make every effort to sustain the confidentiality of the search process.