Vice President for Financial Strategy & Resources

MARYVILLE COLLEGE STAFF POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Vice President for Financial Strategy & Resources

Department: Business Office

Title of Immediate Supervisor: President

Funded Term / Work Cycle: 12 Months/Full-Time

Expected Daily Work Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Expected Weekly Work Schedule: Monday – Friday; evening and weekend responsibilities as necessary to fulfill executive leadership responsibilities.

Pay Grade: 16S

Starting Salary Expectations:  $143,648 - $183,151, with starting salary determined based on relevant experience, qualifications, and demonstrated competencies.

Application Instructions: Application materials including resumes and cover letters submitted by October 19, 2026 will be reviewed.

About Maryville College:

Maryville College is a nationally ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years, we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders to study everything so that they are prepared for anything. Our graduates are equipped to address complex problems, engage with diverse communities, and launch meaningful careers.

Nestled in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, our campus combines the beauty of a rural setting with the advantages of an urban center. With a wide range of academic programs and a strong tradition of career preparation, our alumni live “strong of mind and brave of heart,” carrying forward our Presbyterian founder’s charge to do good on the largest possible scale.

Mission

At Maryville College, we offer more than a mission—we offer support. Our employees receive a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage; a generous paid time off program; a retirement plan with an employer match of up to 5%; tuition benefits for employees, spouses, and dependents; and the opportunity to grow in a collaborative community that values professional excellence and personal well-being.

“Maryville College prepares students for lives of citizenship and leadership as we challenge each one to search for truth, grow in wisdom, work for justice and dedicate a life of creativity and service to the peoples of the world.”

Values:

• Scholarship: We commit ourselves to lifelong curiosity and learning, to the search for knowledge, and to intellectual creativity.
• Respect: We commit ourselves to honor the worth, dignity, and freedom of ourselves and all creation, and to treat others as we wish to be treated.
• Integrity: We commit ourselves to truth, honesty, dependability, and responsibility in all our actions and relationships.

Position Purpose

The Vice President for Financial Strategy & Resources serves as the College's chief financial officer and strategic advisor to the President, providing executive leadership for the institution's financial strategy, long-term fiscal sustainability, and stewardship of institutional resources. As a member of the President's Cabinet, the Vice President leads enterprise financial planning, resource allocation, capital strategy, and financial policy while partnering with the Board of Directors, Cabinet, and campus leaders to advance the College's mission and strategic priorities. Maryville is ultimately seeking a strategic, entrepreneurial, collaborative, and creative thinker and leader who balances risk-taking with pragmatism. The successful candidate will foster innovation, sound financial stewardship, and collaborative leadership, to position the College for long-term success.

SUMMARY

Reporting directly to the President, the Vice President for Financial Strategy & Resources provides strategic leadership for the College's financial enterprise, including long-range financial planning, investments, debt management, enterprise risk, capital planning, and institutional resource strategy. The Vice President serves as the President's principal advisor on financial matters and as liaison to the Board of Directors' Finance Committee, ensuring financial resources are aligned with the College's mission and strategic priorities. The position provides executive leadership for the Business Office and represents the College with financial institutions, governmental agencies, auditors, donors, and other external partners.

Education and Experience required to ensure success in this position:

Education Required

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Higher Education Administration, or a closely related field required.
• Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Finance, Accounting, Public Administration, Higher Education Administration, or related field required.

Professional Certification

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or other relevant executive financial credential preferred.

Experience Required

• Minimum of eight to ten (8 to 10) years of progressively responsible executive leadership experience in finance, business administration, or institutional operations.
• Demonstrated success leading strategic financial planning, multi-year forecasting, and institutional resource allocation.
• Experience advising executive leadership, governing boards, or comparable governing bodies.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing investments, debt management, banking relationships, capital planning, and enterprise financial strategy.
• Experience leading organizational transformation, strategic initiatives, and institutional change.
• Experience supervising mid-level leaders and building high-performing teams.
• Experience aligning financial planning with enrollment management, fundraising, and institutional strategic planning.
• Demonstrated success in presenting complex financial information to diverse audiences, including boards, executive leadership, faculty, and external stakeholders.
• Higher education leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Experience working within nonprofit organizations or mission-driven institutions preferred.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Leadership & Collaboration

• Serves as a member of the President's Cabinet, contributing to institutional leadership, strategic planning, and organizational decision-making.
• Advises the President and Board of Directors on financial strategy, institutional sustainability, enterprise risk, and resource stewardship.
• Provides executive leadership for the College's financial enterprise by establishing a shared vision that supports the mission and strategic priorities of the institution.
• Provides executive leadership for the Business Office and Bookstore. Jointly supervises Dining Services and Risk Management functions.
• Fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement across the Finance division.
• Builds and maintains collaborative partnerships with Cabinet members, faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, community leaders, and external organizations.
• Develops, mentors, and retains high-performing leaders while promoting succession planning and professional development throughout the division.
• Represents the College in financial, governmental, professional, and community organizations as assigned by the President.

Data, Technology & Compliance

• Establishes institutional financial policies, governance practices, and accountability measures that support effective decision-making and responsible stewardship.
• Ensures the College maintains appropriate financial controls, enterprise risk management practices, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, accreditation standards, and Board policies.
• Provides executive oversight of financial reporting systems, business intelligence tools, and institutional financial analytics.
• Promotes the strategic use of technology and data analytics to improve operational effectiveness and institutional decision-making.
• Ensures financial reporting systems provide timely, accurate, and meaningful information for executive leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Oversees institutional banking relationships, investment management, debt compliance, insurance programs, and treasury functions.
• Serves as the College’s Risk Manager by overseeing plans to assess and mitigate risk, and protecting people, information and physical assets through appropriate communication, training and proactive relationships with third party providers.

Stakeholder & Institutional Support

• Serves as the President's principal advisor on institutional financial matters.
• Acts as staff liaison to the Board of Directors’ Finance Committee and regularly presents financial reports, forecasts, and strategic recommendations.
• Collaborates with Cabinet leaders to align financial resources with institutional priorities, enrollment goals, academic initiatives, fundraising efforts, and operational objectives.
• Partners with Enrollment Management and Student Financial Services regarding tuition pricing, financial aid strategy, enrollment modeling, discount rate management, and net tuition revenue planning.
• Collaborates with Institutional Advancement to ensure responsible stewardship of restricted funds, endowed gifts, and scholarship resources.
• Builds productive relationships with auditors, financial institutions, rating agencies, governmental organizations, consultants, and external partners.
• Communicates complex financial information effectively to audiences with varying levels of financial expertise.

Operations & Technical Oversight

• Provides executive oversight of Business Office operations.
• Oversees institutional accounting, audit, budgeting, grants administration, procurement, student financial services, investments, treasury management, and financial reporting through subordinate leadership.
• Ensures appropriate organizational structure, staffing, and operational effectiveness across the Finance division.
• Evaluates organizational performance and recommends improvements that strengthen operational efficiency, service delivery, and institutional effectiveness.
• Supports implementation of enterprise technologies and business process improvements that enhance financial operations and decision-making.
• Ensures appropriate coordination among Finance, Human Resources, Enrollment Management, Institutional Advancement, Information Technology, and other administrative divisions.
• Oversees all aspects of the College’s dining services (in conjunction with the VP/Dean of Students) and bookstore contracts.

Fiscal Oversight

• Develops and advances the College's long-range financial strategy in support of institutional priorities and financial sustainability.
• Leads development of multi-year financial plans aligned with enrollment, fundraising, capital, and strategic planning initiatives.
• Provides executive oversight for institutional budgeting, financial forecasting, investments, debt management, cash management, capital financing, and enterprise resource allocation.
• Advises the President and Board regarding financial risks, opportunities, market conditions, and emerging trends affecting higher education.
• Evaluates financial performance, enrollment trends, demographic changes, and economic conditions to guide strategic decision-making.
• Develops innovative approaches to revenue diversification, resource optimization, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Oversees auxiliary enterprise financial performance and recommends strategies to strengthen institutional resources.
• Ensures responsible stewardship of College assets and financial resources.

Strategic Planning & Sustainability

• Provides strategic leadership for the College's financial future through innovative planning and responsible fiscal stewardship.
• Partners with the President and Cabinet to develop and implement institutional strategic initiatives.
• Identifies opportunities to strengthen institutional resilience through new revenue streams, operational efficiencies, partnerships, and entrepreneurial initiatives.
• Develops financial strategies that support enrollment growth, academic excellence, student success, and institutional sustainability.
• Monitors higher education trends, financial markets, legislation, and economic conditions to anticipate future opportunities and challenges.
• Leads enterprise risk management initiatives that balance innovation with sound financial judgment.
• Promotes a culture of strategic thinking, creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement throughout the institution.
• Ensures financial planning supports the College's mission while preserving flexibility to respond to future opportunities and challenges.

Other:

• Performs other duties, responsibilities, and special projects as assigned to support the mission, strategic priorities, and operational effectiveness of Maryville College while contributing to a positive, respectful, and collaborative learning and working environment.

NOTE: Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist the College in the attainment of the goals set forth and the enhancement of a positive, respectful learning environment for all staff, faculty, and students.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Comprehensive knowledge of higher education finance, strategic financial planning, capital planning, debt management, investments, enterprise risk management, and institutional budgeting.
• Demonstrated ability to develop innovative financial strategies that advance institutional priorities while ensuring long-term fiscal sustainability.
• Strong understanding of enrollment-driven financial models, tuition discounting, auxiliary operations, endowment management, and nonprofit finance.
• Exceptional executive leadership, organizational development, and talent management skills.
• Ability to analyze complex financial and organizational information and translate findings into strategic recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change while fostering collaboration, trust, and accountability.
• Outstanding business acumen, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate complex financial concepts to audiences with varying levels of financial expertise.
• Demonstrated political acumen and emotional intelligence when working with governing boards, executive leadership, faculty, staff, donors, and community partners.
• Ability to build strategic partnerships that strengthen institutional effectiveness and financial sustainability.
• Commitment to innovation, continuous improvement, ethical leadership, and responsible stewardship of institutional resources.
• Demonstrated commitment to the mission of Maryville College and the value of a liberal arts education.

License, Certification, or Registration Necessary:

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or other relevant executive financial credential preferred.
• Valid driver's license with the ability to travel locally, regionally, and nationally as required.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Ability to travel between campus buildings and off-campus locations as necessary.
• Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Frequent attendance at evening and weekend meetings, Board of Directors meetings, College events, conferences, and community functions.
• Periodic regional and national travel representing the College with professional organizations, financial institutions, governmental agencies, and other external partners.

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:

• Standard office equipment including computers, printers, telephones, calculators, and presentation technology.
• College vehicle or personal vehicle for business travel as necessary.

 “The College may, at its discretion, sponsor employment-based immigration petitions (such as H-1B or permanent residency) on behalf of employees when permitted by law and aligned with institutional priorities and budget.

Sponsorship is contingent on satisfactory continued employment, compliance with applicable federal regulations, availability of institutional resources, and the College’s sole determination of fiscal feasibility.

 The College cannot guarantee sponsorship in any case, particularly where newly introduced federal filing fees or wage obligations create financial burdens inconsistent with institutional budget stewardship. The College always reserves the right to defer or decline sponsorship.”