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Manager of Finance and Business Operations

Requisition Number:

63670

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City

Boulder

State

Colorado

Employment Type:

University Staff

Schedule:

Full-Time

Posting Close Date:

05-May-2025

Date Posted:

21-Apr-2025
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Job Summary

The Anthropology Department with the College of Arts and Sciences at CU Boulder is actively accepting applications for a Manager of Finance and Operations! This position reports directly to the department Chair and will provide high-level budgetary, financial, policy, and administrative support. This role is primarily responsible for oversight and policy related to department operations, including, finance and human resources. Additionally, they will engage in long-term strategic projects, planning in consultation with the Chair and Associate Chairs as well as supervising business office staff. This position will resolve problems, answer questions and interpret principles, rules, regulations, policies, precedents, and other guidelines specific to the College of Arts and Sciences, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the State of Colorado.
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The College of Arts and Sciences at CU Boulder is the intellectual core of the university, conducting research, scholarship, creative work, and education in more than 60 fields. Our research generates new knowledge, solving some of the world’s most critical problems.

The college leads nationally in undergraduate and graduate education in the natural sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities, bringing extraordinary research and scholarship to our students, both in and out of the classroom.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Faculty Personnel Management:
  • Serve as the administrative manager responsible for, but not limited to, organizing and implementing new faculty orientation, faculty recruitment, faculty promotion, reappointment, tenure, and faculty merit.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for new faculty with respect to university and departmental policies; general payroll questions; in-house travel and research grants; travel authorization and reimbursement; start-up funds; research accounts; faculty computer purchase program; and office space.
  • Schedule meetings and compile information for the departmental Salary Committee for annual merit evaluation of faculty.
  • Supervise and coordinate academic appointments, re-appointments, promotions, tenure, retention activities, and grievance procedures for department faculty.
  • Compile and organize information for faculty and senior instructor reappointment, tenure, and promotion.
  • Keep current records of faculty eligibility for sabbatical, reappointment, tenure, and post-tenure review.
  • Maintain and disseminate current and accurate versions of departmental faculty rules.
  • Conduct faculty elections for reappointment/tenure promotion; hiring; administrative positions; committee positions; and departmental faculty rule changes. Ensure that all eligible faculty members are advised of balloting procedures and deadlines. Assures security and secrecy of the balloting process as appropriate.
  • Monitor faculty progress on submitting Faculty Report of Professional Activities; remind faculty to submit reports; provide reports and other databases and information as requested to the Salary Committee.
  • Serve as liaison for faculty to ensure they are provided the appropriate employment-related offices including the College, Faculty Affairs, Graduate School, HR Service Center, and Employee Services.
Staff Personnel Management and Supervision:
  • Manage and supervise the department's Business and Academic support staff ensuring all operational needs are satisfied.
  • Responsible for hiring decisions, training, leave approval, performance management, evaluations, and disciplinary actions involving employees.
  • Organize the daily activities of the work unit by prioritizing and monitoring workflow.
  • Oversees and is aware of the status of projects/tasks that directly relate to the activities of the work unit.
  • Reviews work for accuracy as needed and ensures deadlines are met.
Financial Management:
Fiscal Oversight:
  • Supervises the financial operations of the department and maintains: general fund accounts, auxiliary accounts, grant accounts, sponsored projects, and gift accounts.
  • Collaborate and advise the Chair with monthly and yearly budget planning to align spending, and provide ad hoc reports from PeopleSoft, Cognos, etc. when requested.
  • Evaluate and forecast departmental accounts on an ongoing basis to monitor the resources available for operations and special projects
  • Analyze business operations for programmatic and fiscal efficacy and implement changes.
Budget:
  • Ensure compliance with approved budgets and policies, procedures, rules, and regulations.
  • Review and forecast budgets for all accounts to include:
    • Working with the chair and associate chairs to plan and forecast funding for instruction
    • Working with faculty to plan and forecast income and expenses for research grants and auxiliary operations such as conferences
    • Providing status reports to Principal Investigators on all projects held by the individual investigator.
    • Manage faculty startup accounts ensuring that they are funded according to the terms of their agreements.
    • Monitor gift funds and donor contact, and analyzes and makes projections regarding endowment earnings/losses and spending practices. This position will inform the chair of when deciding if and when to turn off the reinvestment option.
    • Exert expenditure control and enforce ethical standards for expenditure of funds; and make budgetary decisions in the chair’s absence.
  • Analyze demand and prepare budget projections for the department instructional fund and manage the related budget.
  • Determine actions to protect budgets, resolve deficits, and provide for unexpected or unique expenses. Ensure Department commitments are processed.
  • Determine when to open or close new or unused speed types (ST), decides what ST is most appropriate for unusual and unexpected expenses, decides when to transfer budgets, revenues, and expenses to best support the needs of the department.
Expenditures:
  • Provide revenue and expense tracking, and analysis, and make recommendations for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs on a regular basis to monitor the resources available for ongoing operations and special projects.
  • Provide oversight for all accounting, purchasing, and payroll functions to ensure compliance with approved budgets and policies, procedures, rules, and regulations.
  • Authorize expenditures. Responsible for purchasing, procurement, and buying and contracting. Maintains budget files so that they are accessible and explicable in case of examination or audit by university officials.
  • Initiate payroll corrections, manages salary deficits, and runs reports in HRMS and A&S portal as needed.
Relationship Management:
  • Liaise with related budget offices including the College’s Budget Office, Office of Contract and Grants, HR Service Center Bursars, etc.
  • Compile information requested by the campus budget office or others.
  • Review monthly and yearend statements, authorize accounts payable vouchers, purchase orders, transfer of funds forms, etc., for the Financial Service Center (FSC)
  • Work with the FSC, authorize and conduct financial transfers between departmental accounts, and into and out of the department.
Administrative Management:
  • Advise the chair on departmental procedures and provides background information to departmental administrators and departmental committees that report to the chair.
  • Supervise a collective procedural, policy, and judgment record/resource in order to provide department continuity.
  • Ensure operational needs are met by assessing the strengths and development needs of staff
  • Analyze department resources to align with department goals and vision.
  • Continually analyze processes, workflow, and operations to improve efficiency, compliance, and outcomes.
  • Create an effective operation by promoting collaboration and cross-training among the staff.
  • Conduct regular staff meetings and engage staff in collaborative problem-solving.
  • Mentor, coach, and ensure professional development opportunities.
  • Manage and delegate additional duties as needed to meet department needs.
  • Comment on and contribute to university-wide and campus policy as appropriate.
  • Collaborate and coordinate with other administrative offices as needed to manage the implementation of new systems or ensure compliance with new policies.

What We Can Offer

The annual salary for this full-time position is $64,300-$72,800.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder.

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Be creative. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a field of study related to the work assignment. Additional appropriate experience will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.
  • 3 years of professional experience in an occupational field related to the work assigned to the position.

What You Will Need

  • Excellent customer service.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving and interpersonal problem-solving skills.
  • High degree of professionalism and ability to maintain confidentiality.
  • Ability to work effectively in a working environment with multiple interruptions.
  • Ability to establish and maintain positive and cooperative working relationships.
  • Ability to work independently on self-directed projects and as a member of a team.
  • Organizational skills and ability to manage multiple complex priorities.
  • Proficiency using Microsoft Suite, Word and Excel.
  • Demonstrated ability to proactively analyze issues in such a way as to foresee possible problems or concerns that may arise and to develop possible solutions and initiate related action with little close supervision.

What We Would Like You to Have

  • 2 years of experience as a direct staff supervisor.
  • 2 years of experience managing complex budgets with multiple funding sources.
  • Solid understanding of human resources information and management systems in a regulatory framework.
  • Demonstrated track record of communicating effectively and building and maintaining relationships at all levels of organization.
  • Strong administrative background and proven experience in business administration, fiscal and personnel management.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:
  • A current resume.
  • A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.
We may request references at a later time.

Please apply by 5/5/2025 for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources

Posting Contact Email: Recruiting@colorado.edu