Job No. 155511
- Job Title:
- Associate Dean & Chief Financial Officer, School of Law
- Employer:
-
New York University
- Location:
-
New York , NY
- Posting Date:
- 20-May-2025
- Description:
-
Position Summary
Reporting to the Dean and serving as a member of the Law School’s senior leadership team, the Associate Dean & Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is responsible for leading a customer-focused support organization that delivers efficient and effective resource planning, management, and reporting to advance the teaching, research, and service missions of the School and to sustain and enhance the School’s eminence in its field.
The CFO directs the planning and management of financial, budgetary, and investment activities for the School, serves as the Treasurer (and an officer) of the School of Law Foundation, and oversees the School’s facilities and housing operations as well as financial aid. As the leader of the School’s Office of Financial Management, Office of Student Financial Services, and Facilities Management and Hospitality Services, the CFO oversees a staff of 33 and collaborates with colleagues in many of the administrative areas of the Law School as well as with counterparts in the University’s central Finance function and its Investments Office.
Using a zero-base budget model, the School establishes an annual operating budget in the context of a multi-year financial framework. The budget takes into account tuition strategies, endowment performance and performance expectations, program income, financial-aid commitments, and borrowing activities; with approval from the Foundation’s Budget Committee approval, it goes to the Foundation Board and then to the University for approval. The School addresses its capital needs via letters of credit negotiated with the University. The School of Law’s operating budget is approximately $200M. Its current capital budget is approximately $30M.
The CFO is responsible for the broad array of strategic and operational activities that comprise the work of the Offices of Financial Management, Student Financial Services, Housing, and Facilities Management & Hospitality Services.
Budget and Planning
Develop and implement short- and long-term budgets for the School and present them for approval to the Foundation’s Budget Committee
Identify opportunities to improve the fiscal and budgetary operations of the School and to help managers across the School fully utilize budgeting and reporting systems and best practices
Develop analytics to guide decision-making and to provide a strategic view of department, center, and institute budgets and of the School’s financial position
In consultation with the School’s academic leadership, develop policy related to faculty salaries, research, housing, and recruitment programs as well as staffing models to ensure that the School is competing effectively against its peer institutions
Work closely with the Chief Information Officer and the Assistant Dean for Facilities Management and Hospitality Services to strategize, develop policy, and implement changes across areas requiring a synergistic approach to student housing, event planning and catering, capital projects, and other endeavors
Develop policy decisions for financial-aid offerings, working in partnership with the JD and LLM admissions office
Foundation & School Committees
Staff key committees of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees including the Budget Committee and the Investment Committee
Serve as appointed member to faculty/student groups that focus on areas of particular concern to faculty and students, including the Budget Advisory and Financial Aid committees
Housing and Space
Sustain the development of a multi-year plan for faculty housing with analysis that supports rent levels, renovation expenses and other total-cost-of-ownership dimensions, and a multi-year budget to support optimal levels of investment, acquisition, and disposition
Oversee financial aspects of student housing including pricing and marketing strategies for both academic year and summer leasing as well as capital projects
Endowment
Support the Foundation’s Investment Committee in the execution of multi-year investment plans for the School’s endowment in collaboration with the University’s Investments Office, contributing guidance on short- and longer-term funding needs related to programs, housing, financial aid, and other aspects of the School’s operation
In concert with staff in the University’s Finance and Investments offices, oversee operational aspects of the School’s investment program
Student Financial Services and Financial Aid
Develop the planning and analytical framework for, and contribute to the management of, the School’s financial-aid budget and its broader set of programs to achieve optimal admission and matriculation levels
Continue to develop sophisticated tools to enable School admissions staff to fine-tune aid packages relative to the target composition of classes
School Operations
Working with academic and administrative leaders, develop both business plans for new centers and institutes as they emerge and continue to refine guidelines and best advance their financial sustainability
In areas such as events management and catering, identify and assess opportunities to enhance efficiency, customer experience, and other variables relative to costs and impacts on staff, faculty, students, and resources so as to sustain a level of quality and choice within sensible budget parameters
Reporting and Controls
Enhance and make available to senior staff a set of management reporting tools to enable the effective management of the School’s programs and administrative areas
Evaluate the fiscal responsiveness of programs and policies and adjust to ensure they are providing maximum value to staff
Establish control processes, systems, and policies to maintain compliance with the School’s and the University’s fiscal responsibilities to internal and external entities
Coordinate reviews to ensure compliance with School and University standards and to identify opportunities for further gains in efficiency
Supervise production and release of information in response to external requests for Law School statistical information about areas such as admissions, enrollment, financial aid, budget, etc. from organizations including the American Bar Association and US News & World Report
Stewardship
With colleagues in Development and Alumni Relations, develop fundraising objectives, construct solicitation proposals, and enhance the effectiveness of the School’s systems and processes to steward gifts and other charitable support in order to ensure donors and sponsors are informed about and satisfied with the School’s management of these commitments
Contact
The School of Law has engaged Opus Partners (www.opuspartners.net) to support the recruitment of the Assistant Dean & CFO. Craig Smith, Senior Partner, and Jeff Stafford, Senior Associate, are leading the search. Candidates should send their resume and an introductory letter of interest addressing the qualifications established for the position to Jeffrey.stafford@opuspartners.net. Nominations, recommendations, and inquiries should go to the same address. Every effort will be made to ensure candidate confidentiality.
Qualifications
Required Education
Master's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, or another relevant field
Required Experience
10+ years of progressively responsible experience managing the financial operations of a complex organization and includes at least 5 years of experience managing professional staff. Demonstrated experience with budget oversight and operations at a management or executive level. Experience reporting to a board and staffing board-level committees, or comparable experience with governance entities.