Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer

Bucknell University invites nominations and applications for the position of Vice President for Finance & Administration and Chief Financial Officer (VPFA/CFO). The position offers an exciting opportunity to lead the financial direction of a nationally recognized liberal arts college with a strong and stable enrollment history, a healthy endowment and university budget, and stable senior leadership. If you are an experienced and forward-thinking finance executive who is looking to lead change and transformation in a dynamic environment while balancing competing demands and prioritizing resources, then you are encouraged to apply to Bucknell University.

Reporting directly to President John Bravman, the VPFA/CFO will be a dynamic and visionary leader who works with senior executives and financial stakeholders to facilitate the University’s strategic, financial, and operational vision and goals. The VPFA/CFO will play an influential role in developing and implementing financial strategy through leadership and oversight of diverse functional areas including: finance, investment and endowment operations, procurement, business services, facilities and campus sustainability. 

The ideal candidate will have the background and imagination to establish a clear, financial vision for Bucknell, and the tenacity and commitment to develop and motivate others to achieve desired outcomes both within the finance and operations teams and with other shared governance stakeholders. The VPFA/CFO will have overall leadership and management responsibility for:

• University Controller: financial accounting, financial reporting, external audit, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll,  fixed asset & gift accounting and operating & capital budgets
• Treasurer’s Office: cash management, debt, treasury operations
• Endowments and Investments, in direct partnership with the Board of Trustees’ Investment Committee
• Procurement Services: purchasing, negotiation and administration of contracts, supplier relations, strategic sourcing
• Real Estate: purchase and sale of real estate, including management of University-owned properties
• Facilities: planning, design and construction, utility services, grounds keeping, buildings maintenance and projects, warehouse, fleet supervision, trades
• Business Services: events and conference services, transportation services, auxiliary contract management (Bucknell Golf Course, Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Campus Theater, Dining), University box office
• Campus Sustainability

Established in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, Bucknell is supported by over 1,200 full-time employees (roughly 400 faculty and nearly 900 staff) and has a dedicated network of more than 57,000 alumni. 3,846 undergraduates and 46 graduate students, representing most U.S. states and 57 countries, are enrolled across Bucknell’s three colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the Kenneth W. Freeman College of Management. For fiscal year 2023-24, Bucknell has an operating budget of $273 million and an endowment that surpassed $1 billion for the first time in fiscal year 2021. Most students live on campus all four years, fostering a vibrant, close-knit living and learning community. Bucknell’s campus, located in Lewisburg, PA, is among the most attractive in the country. 

Bucknell is committed to cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where every member of the campus community can thrive. Bucknell leads with academic excellence and believes that diversity in the classroom and across the campus improves intellectual engagement, self-motivation, citizenship, cultural engagement, and skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and writing. The VPFA/CFO will share the University’s mission to create and sustain a campus community that welcomes, understands, supports, and celebrates diversity of all kinds.

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $325,000-375,000 with a strong benefits package, including tuition remission and generous paid time off.

Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. For full consideration, please submit your CV and cover letter, electronically and in confidence, at the following link: https://talent-profile.diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/v2/20599

Confidential nominations or referrals should be directed to [email protected].