Senior Director Planning, Budget and Finance

Position Summary:

The Katz School is seeking a strategic and experienced finance leader to serve as Senior Director for Planning, Budget, and Finance. This is a pivotal role that provides school-wide financial direction to ensure long-term sustainability, operational excellence, and alignment with the School's academic mission and growth goals.

As a senior member of the School's leadership team, the Senior Director oversees budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and financial analysis for a dynamic and growing academic enterprise serving over 1,300 graduate students across 12 programs and five campuses. The position reports directly to the Dean and serves as the primary liaison to the University's Office of Finance and Budget.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in financial strategy, a collaborative mindset, and a commitment to using data to support academic innovation and effective resource management.

Position Responsibilities:

Strategic Financial Leadership:

• Serve as a core member of the School's leadership team and lead all aspects of financial strategy, planning, and forecasting.
• Act as the primary liaison to the University's Office of Finance and Budget.
• Develop and implement multi-year financial plans, annual budgets, and quarterly financial reviews.
• Conduct financial projections, position-level modeling, and variance analyses to ensure long-term fiscal health.
• Provide activity-based cost analysis by program and function to support operational efficiency and growth.
• Build fluency in the School's revenue streams, cost structures, and market dynamics to inform decision-making.
• Forecast short- and long-term enrollments in collaboration with academic leadership.

Budget Development and Execution

• Lead the School's annual and multi-year budget planning process, including timeline development, allocation guidance, and divisional reviews.
• Manage budget operations such as transfers, position budget adjustments, and inter-fund transactions.
• Maintain and optimize the chart of accounts, fund usage, and reporting structures to ensure clarity and accuracy.
• Work closely with program directors and administrative unit leaders to implement and manage their budgets throughout the fiscal year, providing guidance, training, and support to promote sound fiscal stewardship.
• Monitor unit-level expenditures and partner with staff to align budget use with academic and operational priorities.

Cross-Unit and University Collaboration

• Align enrollment targets and academic planning with revenue projections and multi-year forecasts.
• Collaborate with the Office of Sponsored Programs to integrate grant funding into the School's financial plans and ensure compliant tracking and reporting.
• Coordinate with central university offices, including Finance, Procurement, and Tax, to support school-level alignment and compliance.
• Build cross-functional relationships that support financial transparency and data-informed planning across the School.

Operations and Team Oversight

• Supervise staff responsible for faculty and staff appointments, purchasing, procurement, and facilities coordination.
• Oversee part-time, casual, and student workers to support operational and administrative functions.
• Develop and maintain financial protocols, tools, and training resources to promote compliance and consistency across all departments and programs.

Executive Reporting and Decision Support

• Prepare financial reports, briefings, and analyses for use by the Dean and University executive leadership.
• Translate complex financial data into clear, actionable insights to inform school-wide planning, program development, and high-level decision-making.

Experience & Educational Background:

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis.
• Demonstrated success managing complex budgets and leading financial planning in higher education, nonprofit, or public-sector settings.
• Experience supervising professional staff and collaborating with central offices on finance, procurement, and administrative processes.

Financial Analysis & Modeling Skills

• Excel (Advanced): Proficient in pivot tables, INDEX/MATCH, scenario modeling, conditional formulas, and executive-ready charts.
• Financial Modeling: Skilled in multiyear forecasting, scenario analysis, break-even models, and enrollment-based revenue projections.
• Variance Analysis: Experience preparing budget-to-actual reports with explanatory narratives for leadership.
• Activity-Based Costing: Ability to allocate and analyze program- or unit-level costs tied to operational activities.
• Position Budgeting: Competent in building and managing salary/fringe models at the individual position level.

Skills & Competencies:

Required

• Outstanding communication skills-written, verbal, and visual-with the ability to engage diverse audiences and explain complex concepts clearly.
• Strategic and analytical thinking with a data-informed approach to planning and decision-making.
• Proven project management skills and the ability to lead complex, multi-phase initiatives from planning through execution.
• Strong interpersonal skills, collaborative mindset, and ability to build trust across departments and hierarchical levels.
• High attention to detail and the ability to synthesize complex financial and operational data for executive use.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining high performance standards.

Preferred

• Experience with systems development, process improvement, or operational scaling in academic or mission-driven settings.
• Familiarity with education technology, data tools, or emerging AI platforms.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a proactive, solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving.
• Demonstrated interest in innovation and continuous improvement in support of academic and administrative excellence.

Salary Range:

$150,000 - $175,000

About Us:

ABOUT THE KATZ SCHOOL:

The Katz School of Science and Health, with 1300 master's and doctoral students, is now the largest graduate school at Yeshiva University. Located in the heart of New York City, Yeshiva University is a US News and World Report Top 100 University.

We are research scientists, tech builders and entrepreneurs, and patient-centered clinicians working on problems that matter. We focus on industry sectors that are central to the modern economy: Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Digital Media, and Fintech, as well as Physician Assistant Studies, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and Speech-Language Pathology.

Katz School faculty take an interdisciplinary approach to research and education, fostering the creativity, collaborative thinking and builder mindset required to take on today's toughest problems. Over the last five years, we have launched ten master's and doctoral programs with 92% graduation rates, 100% licensure pass rates, 95% post-graduation employment in high-paying careers, and students and alumni from over 30 countries.

The Katz School is a close-knit community with a big network, nestled in the heart of a big city. We are global in reach, with faculty and students from across the United States and around the world-and also deeply embedded in New York City's rich professional and social fabric. With a vibrant campus life and city at our fingertips, the Katz School is where bold, purpose-driven people come to create, connect, and explore. Read aboutprojectsat Katz.

ABOUT YESHIVA UNIVERSITY:

The mission of Yeshiva University - the world's flagship Jewish university - is to educate, empower, and inspire our students to become the next generation of leaders, guided at all times by our core values. We do this through a transformative, world-class, and interdisciplinary education that is deep and broad and that cultivates in our students a sense of meaning, purpose, and drive to make the world a better place - for themselves and for future generations.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Yeshiva University is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunities to all employees and candidates without regard to race, color, age, sex, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.