Position Description

The Director of Finance and Accounting for Harvard Business School (HBS) Executive Education manages the finance and accounting activities for a $250 million business that serves more than 12,000 participants each year. The Director manages a high-performing, eight-person team. This position works closely with colleagues across Executive Education as well as in central finance and accounting at HBS and Harvard University.

• Oversee Executive Education finance activities, including participant/client invoicing and payments, accounting GL close, budgeting and forecasting, and financial operations (e.g., vendor invoicing and payments, employee expense reimbursements, contingent labor, and faculty compensation).
• Manage monthly and year-end accounting closes, including reviewing general ledger journal entries to ensure completeness and accuracy.
• Prepare monthly revenue and quarterly revenue and expense forecasts. Conduct advanced modeling for revenue and expense forecasting.
• Create financial models and planning scenarios for the leadership team to aid decision making.
• Develop program-level P&Ls and pro-forma P&Ls, including allocating indirect costs using activity-based costing methodology.
• Manage Executive Education?s annual budget process. Track actual performance against budget. Analyze and report on variances.
• Prepare reports on Executive Education metrics. Lead Executive Education?s contribution to the Financial Office Report to the Dean (FORD).
• Assess business proposals to determine financial feasibility and business impacts.
• Develop and gather materials for monthly dashboard meetings, where the leadership team discusses business performance against key metrics.
• Review contracts, working closely with managers in the department and with attorneys from Harvard University?s Office of the General Counsel and Strategic Procurement. Prepare DOE Section 117 reports.
• Cross-train staff to ensure all critical finance and accounting functions are covered and have appropriate backups.
• Direct the finance team?s improvement of Salesforce/FinancialForce to support business operations.
• Improve business processes and tools to support Executive Education staff with expense management (invoice processing, expense accruals, etc.).
• Maintain the Executive Education Finance website.
• Develop and implement improvements to finance-related training for Executive Education staff.
• Serve as a business operations designate for Executive Education.
• This role is responsible for other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor?s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 8 years? relevant work experience
• Supervisory experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills

Other Required Qualifications:

• MBA, Master of Finance, or CPA preferred with 10+ years of related experience and at least five years in a supervisory role.
• Strong management skills and the ability to set priorities and provide clear direction.
• Superior financial, analytical, and strategic thinking skills.
• Strong customer service orientation with both external and internal customers.
• Ability to design efficient business processes and adjust them as business needs change.
• Organized, flexible, and able to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Motivated self-starter.
• High quality standards and keen attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Collaborative working style and the ability to build strong relationships with colleagues.
• Proven ability to handle sensitive data with discretion.
• Advanced user of Excel and PowerPoint. Comfortable with learning new technologies.

Additional/Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with Harvard University accounting systems and tools (e.g., Oracle Business Intelligence (OBI), the Harvard University Budget System (HUBS), Buy2Pay (B2P), and Concur).
• Experience with Salesforce CRM and FinancialForce ERP.

Please note: Candidates with fewer years of direct experience may be considered at a lower salary grade.

Additional Information

This is a hybrid position which we consider to be a combination of remote and on site work at our Boston, MA based campus. HBS expects all staff to be onsite 3 days per week and departments provide onsite coverage Monday - Friday. Please note that for the first 90 days of employment, you will be expected to be onsite 5 days/week. Specific hours and days onsite will be determined by business needs and are subject to change with appropriate advanced notice.

We may conduct candidate interviews virtually (phone and/or via Zoom) and/or in-person for this role.

A cover letter is required to be considered for this opportunity.

Harvard Business School will not offer visa sponsorship for this opportunity.

Culture of Inclusion: The work and well-being of HBS is profoundly strengthened by the diversity of our network and our differences in background, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and life experiences. Explore more about HBS work culture here https://www.hbs.edu/employment.

Benefits

We invite you to visit Harvard's Total Rewards website (https://hr.harvard.edu/totalrewards) to learn more about our outstanding benefits package, which may include:

• Paid Time Off: 3-4 weeks of accrued vacation time per year (3 weeks for support staff and 4 weeks for administrative/professional staff), 12 accrued sick days per year, 12.5 holidays plus a Winter Recess in December/January, 3 personal days per year (prorated based on date of hire), and up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents who are primary care givers.
• Health and Welfare: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, disability and life insurance programs, along with voluntary benefits. Most coverage begins as of your start date.
• Work/Life and Wellness: Child and elder/adult care resources including on campus childcare centers, Employee Assistance Program, and wellness programs related to stress management, nutrition, meditation, and more.
• Retirement: University-funded retirement plan with contributions from 5% to 15% of eligible compensation, based on age and earnings with full vesting after 3 years of service.
• Tuition Assistance Program: Competitive program including $40 per class at the Harvard Extension School and reduced tuition through other participating Harvard graduate schools.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Program that provides 75% to 90% reimbursement up to $5,250 per calendar year for eligible courses taken at other accredited institutions.
• Professional Development: Programs and classes at little or no cost, including through the Harvard Center for Workplace Development and LinkedIn Learning.
• Commuting and Transportation: Various commuter options handled through the Parking Office, including discounted parking, half-priced public transportation passes and pre-tax transit passes, biking benefits, and more.
• Harvard Facilities Access, Discounts and Perks: Access to Harvard athletic and fitness facilities, libraries, campus events, credit union, and more, as well as discounts to various types of services (legal, financial, etc.) and cultural and leisure activities throughout metro-Boston.

Work Format

Hybrid (partially on-site, partially remote)


Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Harvard University views equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging as the pathway to achieving inclusive excellence and fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive. We strive to create a community that draws upon the widest possible pool of talent to unify excellence and diversity while fully embracing individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values.

EEO Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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