Director of Finance

The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York is hiring a Director of Finance to manage budgets, disbursements, personnel, accounting, and financial reporting.

The Colin Powell School is the division of social sciences at CCNY as well as home to most of the College’s core public service, business, and leadership development programs. The school has grown rapidly over the past five years; it is now the largest student division of CCNY, with almost 4,000 students, and graduates the most students annually. Alongside five academic departments and more than a dozen academic programs, the Colin Powell School is home to a new CUNY institute—Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice—and a new center—The Moynihan Center at City College. In addition, the Colin Powell School is home to the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute and supports a new and fast-growing Office of Student Success, which supports scores of students each year with fellowships, stipends, and paid internship opportunities. Overall, the School supports a staff of almost 100 and a faculty of more than 250 tenure, tenure-track, and adjunct professors dedicated to the highest standards of research and to the university’s democratic and public obligations. The School is committed to disseminating research in usable forms, especially that which furthers equality, prosperity, stability, and peace for all people—in Harlem, in New York, and around the world. The School’s annual budget is $20 million.

Reporting to the Dean of the Colin Powell School, the Director of Finance oversees all financial, budgeting, and business management functions of the School, including the processing and tracking of: personnel appointments, philanthropic donations, disbursement requests, and other miscellaneous expenses. The Director of Finance serves as the primary liaison between the Colin Powell School and the College’s central tax-levy (state tax-funds) and non-tax levy (philanthropy) finance offices, as well as the College’s central human resources and purchasing units. In addition to finance management, this role is responsible for coordinating with the College’s human resource offices to facilitate efficient staff onboarding and maintain compliance with the University’s HR policies and procedures.

The Colin Powell School’s Office of Finance consists of three full-time and two part-time staff. It is a fast-paced environment, and we seek candidates who are experienced managers capable of fostering workflows that are responsive, transparent, and customer-service oriented. The ideal candidate will be proactive in improving processes and procedures and will excel at managing time and relationships effectively.

Core Responsibilities:

Finance & Budget Management

Work with the Dean, Chief Administrative Officer, and senior staff to develop annual budgets aligned with funding streams for all programs.

Oversee financial transactions and documentation, ensuring completeness, accuracy, and compliance.

Maintain and improve sustainable, scalable, cost-efficient financial systems to ensure accurate and timely processing of reporting, invoicing, and vendor payments.

Generate and communicate timely, accurate, and insightful financial management reports for internal and external stakeholders.

Work closely with the Director of Development and External Relations to track and process philanthropic funds from donors.

Oversee all p-card administration, processing, and replenishment of funds.

Personnel & Office Management

Manage a team of three full-time and two part-time administrative support staff, fostering a collegial, productive, and mission-driven environment.

Develop, and implement financial and personnel management policies and procedures across the School, in accordance with City College/CUNY HR policies and procedures.

Serve as the primary coordinator for personnel onboarding, ensuring all hiring processes align with College HR policies and facilitating a seamless experience for faculty and staff.

Manage the enrollment and processing of all adjunct, temp service, and non-tax levy personnel appointments.

Respond to transactional inquiries from faculty and staff across the Colin Powell School.

Participate in the School’s new initiatives as needed.

Maintain finance and HR departmental files, desktop procedures, and process documents to ensure compliance with College and University policies, as well as federal regulations and requirements.

Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of relevant work experience, including management responsibility.
• Excellent communications skill and attention to detail.
• Customer-focused experience; passion for delivering excellent customer service
• Experience preparing financial reports for various audiences (e.g., program staff, director, funders, etc.)
• Master’s degree with a focus in accounting, finance, business management or a related field, preferred.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Proven ability to analyze financial circumstances and provide financial recommendations to operations team leadership.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced organization and handle multiple accounts simultaneously.
• Ability to interact effectively and cooperatively with colleagues and partners at all levels.
• High level of proficiency in MS Excel.
• Experience working with Raiser’s Edge and Financial Edge is preferred.
• Experience working in higher education or in the nonprofit sector is preferred.

Commitment to Equity and Inclusion

CCNY is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We are committed to equity and inclusion and strongly value the experiences of historically marginalized people and encourage them to apply. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Salary, Compensation, and Location

The Director of Finance position offers a competitive salary of between $115,000 and $135,000. The Director will be expected to work full-time in-person on CCNY’s campus in New York City and will be an employee of the CUNY Research Foundation, which provides a generous and comprehensive benefits package.

Application Deadline: Friday, April 25, 2025.

Please direct any questions about the position to Bobby Derival, Chief Administrative Officer at rderival@ccny.cuny.edu.