Senior Director Financial Planning and Analytics

The Office of Planning and Budget (OPB) is seeking a dynamic individual to join our team. OPB serves as a steward of resources and trusted advisor to university leadership to support decision-making and enable strategy. Reporting to the Vice President for Budget Planning and Management, the Senior Director, Financial Planning and Analytics, (“Senior Director”) will lead projects and initiatives designed to inform strategic and operational decisions by leadership in the areas of resource planning, allocation, and management. The Senior Director uses a collaborative and consultative approach to work effectively across stakeholder groups to address financial opportunities and challenges for the University.

Essential Duties:

• Assesses the economic viability of proposed programs or projects.
• Performs funds flow analysis and econometric modeling.
• Facilitates contingency planning for financial downturn scenarios.
• Creates and maintains standard reports of financial and HR data for review by senior leadership on a periodic basis.
• Analyzes the financial impact of workforce trends and/or human resources policy changes; makes recommendations based on findings.
• Supports the development and operation of a long-range all-funds financial forecast tool to guide university-wide strategic decisions and investments.
• Facilitates the development of mid and long-range predictive space, staffing, and financial models that support strategic planning efforts and executive decision-making.
• Develops unit-level planning tools (e.g., tool for department chair to assess the financial impact of a new academic program) in collaboration with the Provost’s Office.
• Develops, modifies, and/or evaluates directly, or in conjunction with others, complex data analyses from a variety of sources (e.g., personnel, payroll, space, student, general ledger) that support resource and financial planning.
• Gathers information; identifies analysis methodologies; prepares, develops, and submits written and graphic results of the evaluation of data.
• Resolves issues related to recommendations based on research, analysis, and evaluation of data pertaining to specific projects, conditions, or proposals.
• Assists in analyzing progress towards university-wide strategic initiatives, goals, and objectives; offers suggestions on ways to overcome barriers or challenges.
• Supports analysis of complex proposals led by senior departmental staff.
• Participates in periodic upgrades and restructuring of enterprise systems, supporting definition and development of reporting requirements.
• Supervises and oversees work teams and/or staff; coaches and provides feedback to develop knowledge, skills, and abilities of staff engaging in data analysis.
• Deliver leadership for operating and maintaining ASU’s central budget planning model.
• Lead rate-setting activities, including fringe benefits rate; employee merit; Administrative Services Assessment; and support for living wage, RA/TA stipends and tuition remission.
• Provide support for external reporting, including reporting to the Arizona Board of Regents and the Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting.
• Provide insight and recommendations based on common financial practices of higher education organizations.
• Performs other duties upon request.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and seven (7) years of experience in financial or budget analysis or strategic planning; OR any equivalent combination of experience and/or education from which comparable knowledge, skills, and abilities have been achieved.

Desired Qualifications:

• Evidence of a master's degree in related field, such as Public Policy/Administration, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Business Analytics, Data Science, or Higher Education Administration.
• Ten (10) or more years of relevant work experience, preferably in higher education.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the principles, concepts, and practices in budgeting, strategic planning, information analysis, forecasting, reporting, and evaluation.
• Knowledge of strategic and financial planning/modeling principles, methods, and practices.
• Ability to develop forecast and tracking models that integrate disparate statistical and financial information.
• Ability to perform analysis of financial forecasts and budgets, and of the factors/items therein.
• Ability to evaluate a variety of fiscal policy, economic, or political factors affecting strategic planning and budgeting needs, problems, and plans.
• Ability to effectively synthesize large amounts of complex detailed materials and data, and then to present insights and recommendations from that information to varying audiences.
• Ability to identify appropriate data sources, and to extract and manipulate data from multiple and diverse database sources by designing, refining, and running complex data queries.
• Experience in using effective interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, including the ability to speak and write with clarity and precision to obtain and convey information related to job responsibilities; comfortable in regular interactions with mid- level to senior-level administrators of the university.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word as well as project management software (e.g., Notion).
• Cultural competency skills to effectively engage with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Intermediate to advanced planning and organizational skills, including the ability to successfully manage multiple, complex projects on deadline, often working with interruptions, a changing workflow, and potentially competing priorities.
• Knowledge of decision tools for budgetary analysis, such as weighted score tables, cost-benefit analysis, activity-based costing, and sensitivity analysis.
• Ability to work independently on routine tasks and with limited, but appropriate, direction on more complex matters.
• Ability to research, analyze, interpret, explain, and apply policies, rules, and procedures appropriately; ability to determine compliance with existing policies and established guidelines.
• Ability to take initiative, demonstrate resourcefulness, and display a sense of urgency in fulfilling commitments.
• Experience in taking personal accountability for achieving results.
• Experience in promoting innovative thinking by bringing different perspectives and approaches together, combining them in creative ways to solve problems.
• Experience in delivering a high-quality work product, free of material error, by showing concern for all aspects of the job with a high attention to detail.
• Ability to build effective working relationships and build trust by communicating in an open manner and following through on commitments.
• Experience in handling conflict and difficult situations in a professional way, working toward consensus.
• Continuous improvement mindset, seeking incremental improvements in analysis and processes.
• Experience in accurately following established procedures for completing work tasks.
• Ability to offer customer service by actively listening and validating others’ viewpoints.
• Ability to respect the confidentiality of others.