Budget Director | Illinois Institute of Technology - Military Veterans

General Description: The Budget Director initiates, leads, and manages the annual operating and capital budget process, long-range financial plans and reports on financial performance to the CFO and senior leadership. This position plans and directs the creation of analytical tools and internal and external reporting that contribute to IIT's ability to maintain its fiscal discipline. Reporting to the CFO , the Director of Budget and Finance contributes to IIT's ability to develop and manage its $300 million annual operating budget by maintaining the budget model, developing financial and managerial reports and supporting university budget managers. The Director of Budget and Finance will serve as the primary point of contact between the Budget Office and academic and administrative departments by disseminating and collecting annual budget development workbooks, responding to data requests, providing training and automated reports to units, analyzing budget versus actual variances, and troubleshooting end-user budgeting issues. This position must work as part of the university academic and fiscal administration team to provide a comprehensive picture of university financial performance and recommend resource allocation. As often as necessary in the fiscal year, the Budget Director coordinates mid-year projections by interpreting and communicating financial results to measure against institutional goals. A strong interest in and ability to develop informative and relevant financial reports for a variety of constituencies is required. The university will also be implementing a new budgeting tool, for which this position will have an integral role in developing and implementing the software. Department: Finance and CFO Office Position Category: Full Time Education & Experience: A Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance/Accounting, Public Administration, or related field is required, with a minimum requirement of five (5) years of progressive finance/budget management experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience with fund accounting at a research university is preferred. Knowledge & Skills: Experience with fund accounting at a research university is preferred. Technical experience in the use of financial software to develop and maintain financial models and automated financial reports is required. Knowledge of/experience using database query tools is also very strongly preferred. Must be proficient in Microsoft Office programs including Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint. Demonstrated proficiency in troubleshooting the above programs. Experience with Ellucian Banner and Cognos report writer preferred. Working knowledge of accounting and finance is required, and knowledge of fund accounting in a research university environment is strongly preferred. Demonstrated analytical ability. Requires the ability to work independently with minimal supervision and to maintain positive working relationships with other employees. This includes the ability to independently seek out, research, and learn new skills related to the technical use of financial software tools. Requires strong attention to detail, especially in data validation and accuracy, process documentation, and report preparation and formatting. Requires a high level of integrity and honesty, including a demonstrated maturity to responsibility handle sensitive and confidential information. Excellent writing and oral communication skills are required, including the preparation of reports and materials for senior leadership and board committees. Requires the ability to master financial reporting and budget management tools and, in turn, requires the ability to, and comfort with, presenting, mentoring and teaching others how to interpret and develop financial reports, use budget tools, and comply with related university business processes and policies.