Executive Director of Administration and Finance, Division of Student Affairs

Job ID: 53808

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Department: Division Operations & Services

Salary/Grade: EXS/15

About Student Affairs: Nearly 30 departments make up the Division of Student Affairs, from housing to food services, career services to counseling, the student center to student org advising, and so much more. Student Affairs enriches the Northwestern experience outside of the classroom. This division engages students in activities and culture in both the campus and surrounding community. Student Affairs offers support to students in need and creates an environment that makes Northwestern students Wildcats for life. Learn more about the Division of Student Affairs here: https://www.northwestern.edu/studentaffairs/

Job Summary: Reporting to the Vice President of Student Affairs, the Executive Director of Administration & Finance is responsible for overall financial modeling, risk analysis, and staffing strategy for the Division of Student Affairs. The position will take the lead in creating and implementing a long-term financial and human resources plan, integrating the University and Division's priorities and will oversee and facilitate financial planning, including budget and staffing, modeling, monitoring, analysis and reporting activities. The Executive Director will manage a team of finance and human resources professionals, providing support to the Vice President and Student Affairs Leadership Team. The candidate and their staff will provide financial and human resource guidance and consultation to business managers in Student Affairs departments, performing financial and staffing assessments as directed by the Vice President and Associate Vice President of Operations and Services. The Executive Director will coordinate activities and work closely with the VP leadership team and other schools/departments across campus as needed on administrative policies, practices and procedures.

Pay: The pay range for this Executive Director position is $185,000 - $198,790, depending on experience, skills, and internal equity.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Finance 50%
  • Oversee and coordinate all financial planning and budgeting for the division and support rigorous strategic financial planning for Student Affairs.
  • Provide sophisticated leadership to the senior staff and budget administrators to make informed financial decisions that protect the resources of the institution and achieve maximum efficiency of all Student Affairs departments
  • Prepare detailed reports, models, presentations, and financial studies of key variables in the unit's financial model.
  • Develop and utilize predictive models and activity-based financial analyses to provide insight into the unit's operations and business plans.
  • Work closely with the Vice President and senior staff to develop tools and systems to provide critical financial and operational information to the Vice President and senior staff to make actionable recommendations on both strategy and operations.
  • Develop detailed, strategic action plans to address significant variances to any financial plan.
  • Oversee accounting functions to ensure compliance with statutes, regulations and policies and to appropriately manage risk.
  • Ensure adequate internal controls are in place for all key business processes to assure reliability of financial reporting and efficiency and effectiveness of operations
  • Regularly review, update, and implement processes specifically related to student club finances
  • Oversee financial planning for auxiliary units (e.g., dining, housing) that operate on self-generated revenue, in addition to teams that use appropriated, gift, and endowment funds.
  • Other duties and responsibilities will include: developing long-term cost-effective financing strategies to support unit initiatives; forecasting revenue; determining the fiscal impact of budget allocations; and representing the unit's financial interests to the various internal and external constituent groups.
• Human Resources 30%
  • Oversee human resources strategy that enables Student Affairs to recruit, develop, engage, and retain a talented workforce
  • Align staff-related resources, including salary budgets, professional development budgets, and merit process, with the division's strategic plan
  • Regularly review compensation practices and design strategies to promote competitive, equitable pay
  • Promote efficient, streamlined workflows for HR processes, such as position vacancies and recruitment
  • Ensure fair recruitment and selection strategies
• Strategic Leadership 20%
  • Supervises finance, human resources, and Student Organization Finance Office (SOFO) teams
  • Work in partnership with the VP and leadership team to provide ongoing assessments of effectiveness and efficiency, assuring alignment with the mission and goals of the unit and compliance with university policies and requirements; analyze data to support sound business decision making; recommend operational efficiencies.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master's degree in business administration (MBA) or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience. Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible administration, human resources or financial management experience, preferably in higher education.
• Significant and demonstrated strategic planning and financial analysis experience as well as strong analytical, organization and planning skills for complex business modeling.

Competencies:

• Demonstrated understanding of the needs of the various departments within a complex, decentralized, and large division like the Division of Student Affairs in order to evaluate and manage risk and effectively negotiate and structure complex deals.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate groups and individuals.
• Able to think creatively and strategically to successfully mediate and negotiate with individuals and groups internally and externally.
• Able to overcome obstacles to cooperation and to foster harmonious relations.
• Strong project management skills. Able to balance competing priorities, complex situations, and tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills-both upwards and downwards and outside the unit. Ability to lead and communicate orally, in written documents, and in formal presentations is required. Possess a high degree of intellectual curiosity, and the ability to engage with others in addressing complex business issues.
• Extensive experience with Microsoft applications

Benefits: At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness: Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth and Development: Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Posted 2026-05-27