Working/Functional Title

RHS Associate Director of Finance

Position Summary

The Division of Residential and Hospitality Services is where Spartans Eat, Live, Play, and Discover. The $325 million division is responsible for Michigan State University’s on-campus dining program, residential housing, and the Auxiliary Sports Group.

The RHS Associate Director of Finance will provide direction for budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis for the Division of Residential and Hospitality Services. The position will also contribute to the evaluation of internal controls to ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and university policies and procedures. The role will also influence RHS’s of financial reporting to MSU to achieve adherence with GAAP. This will include oversight of the operational and financial analysis of the division’s four operating business units, which we refer to as ‘communities of practice.’

The position reports to the RHS Chief Financial Officer, and will serve alongside a senior leadership team in providing strategic, operational, and tactical direction for Business and Financial Services, a team of 30 staff which is lead by the RHS CFO. Business and Financial Operations provides operational oversight for business operations and systems for the units providing retail, dining, housing, hotel, apartments, bakery, food stores, and other services to our customers as well as the various electronic accounting systems needed to maintain operations.

All positions in RHS are designated as critical status. In the event of a university closure, modification, or suspension of operations due to snow or other emergency conditions, you will be expected to make all reasonable attempts to report to work as scheduled for the duration of the closure/suspension. If you have an approved remote work agreement to work a portion of your normally scheduled work hours remotely, you may be called upon to work on-site to serve the MSU community. If you have a permanent, on-going, and/or pervasive condition that may impede your ability to work on-site, please contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) at rcpd.msu.edu/get-started.

Minimum Requirements

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Business Administration, Accounting, Management or a related field; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in accounting or finance; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have 10-15 years of progressively responsible leadership roles in both private-sector and non-profit organizations, including responsibility for the financial statement and audit process, or a significant contribution thereto. The candidate will have a strong understanding of internal control as defined and described by the COSO Framework. Additionally, the candidate should have comfort in the communication of financial forecasting, with an ability to emphasize significant variables, and findings from ongoing evaluation and stress testing.

Academic qualifications demonstrated through an MBA or a graduate degree in Accounting or Finance

Professional credentialing, such as Certified Public Accountant

Nonprofit experience earned in Higher Education or the philanthropic sector may be especially helpful but is not required. Preference will be given for combinations of education and experience that encompass the broadest range of accounting and finance.

Desired Personal Attributes:

The ideal candidate will have worked in positions that require principled commitment in mission-driven environments and will exhibit strength and confidence in making or informing decisions that optimize the constant imbalance between total need and available resources.

The candidate will be deeply committed to a strong and healthy organizational culture and will espouse and embody meaningful work-life integration.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Application Materials

Resume, cover letter, three (3) professional references

Work Hours

Standard Monday-Friday 8am-5pm; may require occasional evenings and weekends.

Website

careers.msu.edu

Bidding eligibility ends May 5, 2026 at 11:55 P.M.

About Michigan State University

Spartans work every day to advance the common good in uncommon ways.Together, we tackle some of the world?s toughest problems to find solutions that make life better?from alternative energy to better food safety to breakthrough medical and environmental applications achieved through rare isotope research.We teach. We explore and we discover. We collaborate and lead. We innovate, inspire, and empower. We achieve our potential and create circumstances that help our students and others achieve theirs.We're good at it, and we've been at it for more than 150 years.The nation?s pioneer land-grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. The revolutionary concept became a model for the nation.Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world?on one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the nation. Home to nationally ranked and recognized academic, residential college, and service-learning programs, we?re a diverse community of dedicated students and scholars, athletes and artists, scientists and leaders.In ways both practical and profound, we work to create a stronger, more sustainable, and more hopeful future for all.

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