Scheduled hours per week: 40
Scheduled months per year: 12
Remote work eligibility: Onsite only
Position purpose
The Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO) provides strategic and day‑to‑day leadership for all business‑support functions—administration, facilities, finance, human resources, information technology, institutional research, and research administration. The role oversees 7-10 direct reports that collectively manage a large group of professional staff across seven functional units, and is responsible for a $100+ million annual operating budget. The CFAO partners with the Dean, senior leadership team, and the Thayer Board of Advisors and collaborates with campus colleagues to translate the school’s vision into operational reality.
Key accountabilities
The next CFAO will be a vital partner to academic and administrative leaders across both Thayer and Dartmouth. Leading a broad operational portfolio and a team spanning seven functional areas, the CFAO will foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and service excellence. The successful candidate will bring sophisticated financial and operational expertise, a deep appreciation for the research and teaching mission of a premier university, and strong communication skills with a demonstrated ability to build strong relationships across a decentralized institution. Working closely with leaders throughout Dartmouth, the CFAO will serve as a strategic bridge between the school and the wider university community, helping to advance institutional priorities while ensuring that Thayer’s distinctive needs and aspirations are effectively represented.
Executive Leadership
- Partner with the Dean and the Senior Leadership Team to advance Thayer’s strategic agenda
- Shape and implement Thayer’s strategic objectives, priorities, plans and initiatives
- Lead the development of Thayer’s finance and administration vision and strategy, with a focus on infrastructure improvement, risk management, financial impact, and operational efficiency
- Deliver concise financial and operational updates to the Thayer Board of Advisors
- Represent the Dean and/or the School on institutional committees and policymaking bodies
- Lead and coordinate school-wide events, such as the Investiture Ceremony
Financial Management
- Partner with the Finance Director to lead the development of annual operating budgets, capital budgets, quarterly projections and long range forecasts for academic, research and administrative units
- Deliver regular consolidated financial reports and various analyses to internal and external stakeholders
- Drive revenue‑generation strategies while rigorously controlling costs
- Oversee a robust internal controls framework to ensure compliance with Dartmouth policies and external regulations
- Engage with other Dartmouth schools and, more broadly, peer institutions to share best practices and develop a timely framework for making financial decisions.
Human Resources and Staff Development
- Partner with the HR Director to oversee recruitment, promotion, compensation, performance management, professional development, and succession planning for Thayer staff
- Partner with the Dean on faculty hiring, retention, annual faculty letters, and workload management
- Establish clear performance metrics, identify skill gaps and create targeted training programs, provide coaching/mentoring, and implement professional development plans
- Assist with mediation of employee relations issues
- Recruit, retain, and develop a high‑caliber administrative operations team
Administrative Operations
- Provide support, guidance, and accountability to direct reports, and coach them to provide the same for their teams
- Work with Facilities Director to set policies for building operations, space planning, and capital projects; manage space inventory and coordinate renovations and maintenance with Campus Services
- Partner with Research Administration Director and faculty to grow research funding; negotiate/approve contracts; supervise award lifecycle from award to close‑out
- Collaborate with the Computing Director to define the IT roadmap; ensure secure, reliable, mission‑aligned technology for teaching, research, and administration
- Leverage Institutional Research to develop and track metric dashboards, benchmark against peers, and manage survey‑response processes
- Collaborate with Administrative Manager to oversee academic support services for Thayer faculty and ensure high‑quality service delivery
- Align school initiatives with Dartmouth HR, Campus Services, and IT; drive data‑informed continuous improvement across all functions
- Respond to more complicated inquiries escalated from other groups, connecting the right people and policies; determining when issues should be made into policies
Required qualifications: education and experience
Bachelors plus 6 or more years' experience or combination of education and experience
Required qualifications: skills, knowledge and abilities
- Proven record as a trusted advisor to senior leadership in a complex, mission‑driven organization.
- Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience overseeing finance, HR, and facilities.
- Demonstrated expertise in budgeting, forecasting, internal controls, and capital‑project finance; experience managing a multi‑million‑dollar budget.
- Track record of delivering large‑scale initiatives on time and on budget, with measurable impact on efficiency and effectiveness.
- Experience leading and developing diverse teams of 50 + staff; commitment to inclusive leadership.
- Exceptional oral and written communication skills; ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable information for varied audiences.
- Unquestioned personal and professional integrity; commitment to transparency and accountability.
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPA, or related) strongly preferred.
Preferred qualifications
Advanced degree (MBA, MPA, or related) strongly preferred.