Working/Functional Title Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Position Summary Reporting directly to the President, the University’s inaugural SVP/CFO will be responsible for overseeing, maintaining, and enhancing the University’s overall financial health and aligning the allocation of resources with the University’s strategic priorities. The University’s mission is to provide outstanding educational opportunities, to conduct research of the highest caliber, and to advance outreach and economic development efforts to lead to a better quality of life for individuals in their communities and the world. Now in his second year as President, Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr. is providing visionary leadership for the University, and the SVP/CFO will play an integral leadership role in finalizing and implementing a comprehensive strategic plan for the institution, as well as complementary strategic plans for diversity, equity, and inclusion and relationship violence and sexual misconduct. The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the value and need for world-class research universities, like Michigan State, with the size, scope, and resources necessary to tackle society’s greatest challenges. The SVP/CFO will be entering the University at an exciting time under new leadership, robust strategic planning efforts, and a renewed commitment to the great opportunity and impact universities like MSU can have. This newly created position will provide leadership, guidance, direction, and oversight to the University’s complex financial and business functions including: accounting; budgeting; debt, cash and loan management; non-endowment investments; payroll; post-award contract and grant administration; receivables; risk management and insurance; and travel. In the role of SVP/CFO, the individual selected will be responsible for identifying trends that might impact the University’s fiscal standing and for developing and implementing strategies to prevent, manage, and mitigate these issues. The SVP/CFO will have the opportunity to strategically assess and re-structure (if necessary) the existing finance and business units responsible for the functions identified above. MSU’s all funds budget for fiscal year 2021 is $2.7 billion, and its pooled endowment value as of fiscal year-end 2020 was $3.1 billion. The SVP/CFO will bring a proven track record of successful and progressively responsible senior leadership in finance and budget within a large, complex organization. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in the identification and analysis of complex financial issues and the formulation of creative and innovative institutional strategies to manage and mitigate those issues, and they will be able to effectively lead and implement a change agenda. They will possess broad-based experience in many of the following: developing complex financial strategies; financial and investment management; debt financing and management; cash flow management; and budgeting and governmental, fund and grant accounting. Candidates will demonstrate a successful history of collaborative working relationships with both internal and external constituencies, exemplary verbal and written communications skills, expertise in presenting complex issues to groups, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability or protected veteran status. Required Degree Bachelors Desired Degree Masters -MBA or other advanced degree in the fiel Minimum Requirements A baccalaureate degree plus 10 years of relevant financial leadership and management experience is required. Desired Qualifications An advanced degree such as an MBA or other advanced degree in the fields of accounting, business, economics, finance, or management is preferred. Required Application Materials CV and Cover Letter Special Instructions For best consideration, please send all nominations and applications to: Shelly Weiss Storbeck, Managing Partner, Storbeck Beth Schaefer, Managing Director, Koya Carly Rose DiGiovanni, Associate MSUCFO@storbecksearch.com Review of Applications Begins On 02/05/2021 Department Statement MSU is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse community and promotes the full participation and inclusion of all its members. Grounded in the belief that diversity challenges assumptions, opens minds, and unlocks our collective potential to solve any problem, the University continually strives to create a campus community that welcomes, understands, and celebrates diversity of all kinds, including race and ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, regional and national origin, socioeconomic status, veteran status, different learning styles and abilities, and more. The SVP/CFO will be able to speak to values-based strategies and ideas for advancing DEI at MSU. MSU Statement Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges. |
