At Frederick Community College (FCC), our aim is transformation through education. The skills, training, competencies, and education we provide ensure that our graduates are able to equitably participate in our society, our economy and our democracy. The BIG goal is to help students live the lives they want to lead. The impact we make is profound and extends beyond the individuals we serve, reaching families, the larger community, the state, and the world. And it all starts with having the right people, in the right positions, with the right skills and abilities, doing the right things right.

The Vice President for Finance and Administration (VPFA), reporting directly to the President, is the College’s senior financial officer, oversees the daily administrative operations of the College and serves as a strategic thought partner to the President. The VPFA is a contributing member of the College’s senior leadership team and effectively works within a highly-collaborative, interdependent, matrix organization. The VPFA oversees an annual operating budget in excess of $60 million.

The VPFA embodies principles of ethical and accountable leadership, strategic decision making, and collaboration with campus constituents to ensure the institution is positioned to meet its financial and operational goals. For this critical position, FCC is seeking a strategic leader who has the vision to anticipate, and respond to, the challenges and opportunities in higher education in general, and community college education in particular. The new VPFA will understand the importance of integrating FCC goals throughout all reporting units and will have a track record of evincing positive outcomes. The new VPFA will be a values-aligned leader who is excited by the holistic, student-centered mission of the College and understands how to leverage institutional resources, practices, and policies in service of its strategic directions.

This position requires a systems thinker who can assess current policies and processes to ensure FCC is modeling best practices and find innovative uses of resources and technology to strengthen essential College administrative functions, and advance strategies for campus maintenance, improvement, and space utilization. 

They must have the communication and leadership skills to successfully connect with a wide range of highly engaged stakeholders and cultivate relationships based on mutual trust and respect to help shape the College's future through strong fiscal stewardship as FCC enters the next exciting phase of its history. The VPFA will keep abreast of new developments and maintain a creative and receptive attitude toward change, while supporting continuous improvement of operations and services consistent with the College’s commitment to student success.

As the leader of a large team, the VPFA will be a strong and supportive manager, modeling a culture of accountability, openness, high-quality service, and transparency, while establishing processes and structures that best utilize and support the expertise of their strong leadership team. They will focus on developing a high-performance culture by using all the planning and performance management processes of 
the College—strategy development, annual budgeting, resource allocation, and periodic performance reviews—as opportunities to set and reinforce behaviors consistent with the College’s stated strategy and performance expectations. The VPFA sets a tone of transparency and candor, forming trusting relationships in all directions: with the President, department/team leaders, other functional leaders, regulators, and the Board of Trustees.

The VPFA is responsible for providing direct leadership, management, and supervision of the following functional teams:

• Auxiliaries (Food Services, Bookstore, Children’s Center)
• Finance
• FCC Foundation (Accounting)
• Information Technology
• Public Safety
• Plant Operations
• Procurement
• Capital Planning

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, INVESTMENT AND BUDGETARY CONTROL

• Serves as the principal advisor to the President on matters of finance and general operations of the College and operating policies and procedures
• Exercises operational authority relative to all budget/financial matters and ensures the financial and administrative stability of the College
• Oversees the development and implementation of operational plans within the unit consistent with the strategic plan of the College
• Directs and coordinates the preparation of the College’s annual budget, the annual financial audit, multi-year financial planning/modeling, and capital improvement planning
• Maintains appropriate internal controls to protect the College’s assets
• Works closely with the President, key members of the College’s Senior Leadership Team, and the Director of Grants to secure and direct external funding in support of the College’s mission
• Understands the College’s revenue and expense trends and how these will impact the future of the College; determines areas where the College should expand or trim for future growth and further expansion
• Provides information and analysis regarding all strategic decisions, disadvantages of proposed solutions and alternatives based on interpretation of pronouncements and regulations from Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standards, Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) and other county, state, and federal regulations or laws
• Develops industry-specific (for example, Composite Financial Index) and College-specific metrics that better orient behavior toward customer/student value, link the business planning cycle to College priority setting, and encourage the prudent use of assets and other resources
• Develops long term cost-effective and financial strategies, analyzes data to make sound decisions, recommends operational efficiencies, forecasts revenue projections, determines
• the fiscal impact of state and county budget allocations to support budgeting and planning, and to ensure the financial stability of the College
• Reviews and approves monthly, quarterly, annual financial reports and grant-related financial reports. Prepares and presents reports to the Board of Trustees, County, State, and Federal Governments, as well as the College community and internal and external agencies as required
• Oversees the College’s cash management, investing, and banking relations
• Coordinates and manages the process to develop and submit the annual operating budget and annual capital budget for approval to the appropriate entities

 

PHYSICAL PLANT MANAGEMENT

• Provides leadership and oversight of College facilities that provide learner-centered environments that are innovative, engaging and safe
• Provides leadership for the policies and practices related to the securing, maintaining and inventory control of all capital assets
• Advises the President on all matters related to the physical plant operations of the College
• Manages the facilities management operating unit and thereby ensures the continued exemplary maintenance and aesthetic beauty of the campus
• Assists with the research, development and planning for short- and long-range campus projects
• Assists with the space planning for ongoing educational, programmatic and other needs of the College
• Guides and supports the development and implementation of the College Educational Facilities Master Plan for submission through the President to the Board of Trustees, Frederick County and the State of Maryland
• Ensures a safe environment for students and employees through development and oversight of a comprehensive public safety and security program
• Provides leadership for the development of an emergency operation plan for submission through the President to the Board of Trustees

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

• Provides leadership and oversight of College information technology platforms and services that foster innovation, creativity, and support for the College community
• Ensures information architecture, policies, standards, practices, and training are in place to secure and protect College assets, information, and data
• Provides leadership for the development and implementation of the Information Technology Strategic Plan for submission through the President to the Board of Trustees
• Oversees the development, implementation and assessment of the strategic objectives of the Information Technology Strategic Plan in alignment with the College’s strategic priorities
• Develops multi-year plans for technological improvements, including purchasing, implementation, training, ongoing support and maintenance

 

RISK MANAGEMENT

• Establishes and maintains an enterprise risk management program designed to minimize potential losses, and serves as the responsible party for risk management matters, including College safety and security considerations, auditing, insurance, and procurement
• Oversees the annual financial audit and other internal audits and represents the College at Frederick County Interagency Internal Audit Agency (IIAA) meetings
• Coordinates the review of proposed contracts and agreements on behalf of the College
• Provides advice and counsel to the President and senior staff on matters related to risk management
• Ensures campus leadership has appropriate knowledge and background for decisions to implement budgets and manage finances to facilitate academic, support services and operational goals to achieve the strategic plan of the College

 

AUXILIARY SERVICES

• Oversees all auxiliary service operations to ensure appropriate vendor-College relations and to achieve profitability and sustainability targets in support of the College mission
• Establishes annual metrics, financial and otherwise, for vendors and assesses performance on an annual basis
• Actively identifies opportunities for increased efficiencies and service by seeking out additional vendor relationships and/ or reviewing and rebidding established relationships on a regular basis

 

ADMINISTRATIVE

• Ensures institutional compliance with College policies and procedures as well as with all federal, state and local laws and regulations and reporting requirements
• Serves as the liaison with outside counsel on legal matters
• Partners with the Vice President of Talent and Culture to develop a College-wide compensation strategy to attract and retain a diverse and talented workforce, address pay equity issues, compensation levels, and workforce efficiencies to engage and retain critical talent
• Participates in all College administrative processes including strategic planning; identifies external trends and benchmarks that inform strategic goals and actions

In addition to the roles and responsibilities highlighted above, the Vice President for Finance and Administration will have the opportunity to lead the College in addressing the following challenges and opportunities:

• The next VPFA will have the opportunity to introduce and model best practices in maintaining comprehensive and up-to-date indices and metrics of the College’s financial health above and beyond revenues and expenses. Relatedly, the VPFA will also have the opportunity to enhance the visibility and transparency of the institution's financial health to the College’s senior leadership and governing bodies.
• Recently the State of Maryland passed the Blueprint for Maryland’s future, statewide legislation aimed at transforming public education in Maryland into a world-class education system, along with other laws affecting higher education. Pursuant to these legislations, the next VPFA will have the opportunity to evaluate their financial impacts, including a new and more deeply integrated partnership with Frederick County Public Schools related to K-12 teacher preparation, college or career readiness, and technical education pathways for students.
• The College’s dual credit enrollment program is thriving and will soon surpass 30 percent of all credits offered and is projected to increase even further. The next VPFA will have the opportunity to assess the financial impact of increased dual credit enrollment relative to state support and FTE tuition. Additionally, the increase in dual credit enrollment has space utilization implications that the VPFA will also need to consider.
• The next VPFA will have the opportunity to assess the finances of the College’s auxiliaries. Establishing the key cost drivers and identifying ways to support or mitigate those cost drivers will be critical.
• FCC recently completed a compensation study. A related long-term analysis that aligns with the College’s compensation philosophy will need to be done.
• The next VPFA will have the opportunity to review the current budget development process, with an eye to creating a more open, transparent, and inclusive process. At the same time, the budget process needs to be strategic, forward-looking, and financially sound. This process should also include additional professional development for budget managers, as well as stronger monitoring and controls.
• FCC has large and robust continuing education and workforce development programs. The VPFA will have the opportunity to support these programs with key financial analyses
• that informs sustained growth strategies and integrates them into a holistic picture of the College’s finances.

REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1. A bachelor’s degree (a master’s degree is preferred) in an appropriate discipline (e.g., business administration, public administration, accounting, finance) from a regionally accredited college or university.
2. Five or more years of demonstrated progressive senior management experience in leading effective finance and administrative operations in a complex organization.

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. At least five (5) years of successful experience in financial and operational management, including overseeing an organization’s overall financial health; configuring and managing financial systems and business processes; ensuring compliance and ethical practices; guiding strategic planning; and providing financial forecasting, modeling, and reporting.
2. Proven ability to (a) provide sound financial counsel to executive leadership through thorough knowledge of financial best practices and legal requirements and (b) form trusting relationships with the President, the College community, regulators, community partners, and the Board of Trustees through integrity, transparency, and candor.
3. Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively as a high-performing senior leadership team member in a fast-paced, excellence-oriented, student-dedicated environment.
4. Evidence of systems thinking applied to College policies and processes to ensure they model best practices and incorporate resources and technology effectively to strengthen essential functions and advance strategies for ongoing process improvements.
5. Experience managing effective functional teams responsible for information technology; budget and accounting; purchasing; auxiliary services; grants, contracts, external funds; public safety; plant operations and maintenance; and capital planning.
6. Evidence of a leadership style characterized by openness, transparency, and high-quality service, with the proven ability to empower and coach employees to work effectively and efficiently with high levels of engagement and accomplishment.
7. Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills with the capability to convey complex budget information to a wide range of constituencies in a concise and easily understood manner.
8. Demonstrated cross-cultural skills and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
9. Advanced industry-related credentials in such areas as Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Certified Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis Professional (FPAC), and prior experience working with Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standards.

The anticipated start date for this position is July 1, 2023. Applications should include a substantive cover letter, a CV, and a list of five professional references with full contact information. (No references will be contacted without the explicit permission of the candidate.)

Applications, nominations, and expressions of interest may be submitted electronically and confidentially to [email protected] The position is open until filled, but only applications received by April 24, 2023, will be assured full consideration.

Academic Search is assisting the College. Confidential discussions about this opportunity may be arranged by contacting Senior Consultant Eric Richtmyer at [email protected] or Jean Floten at [email protected] or by phone at 202.332.4049. Further information about Frederick Community College is available at www.frederick.edu.

 

Academic Search is assisting Frederick Community College in this work. For more than four decades, Academic Search has offered executive search services to higher education institutions, associations, and related organizations.

Academic Search was founded by higher education leaders on the principle that we provide the most value to partner institutions by combining best practices with our deep knowledge and experience.

Our mission today is to enhance institutional capacity by providing outstanding executive recruitment services, executive coaching, and transition support, in partnership with our parent organization, the American Academic Leadership Institute. 

For more information, visit www.academicsearch.org.

 

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