Associate Director of Finance

Legacy Staffing has partnered with a well-established university in Cleveland, OH to hire an Associate Director of Finance. This is a first shift opportunity with a competitive salary based on experience, education, and financial leadership expertise. This role focuses on providing hands-on leadership for financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and daily fiscal operations within an academic environment. The Associate Director of Finance will partner closely with senior leadership to support strategic decision-making while remaining actively involved in accounting, financial analysis, reconciliations, reporting, and financial operations. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Lead annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, year-end close activities, and long-range financial planning initiatives. 
• Manage day-to-day financial operations, including journal transfers, salary adjustments, expense reallocations, and account reconciliations. 
• Analyze budget-to-actual performance, forecasts, financial trends, KPIs, and significant variances. 
• Identify financial risks, changing assumptions, cost-saving opportunities, and revenue enhancement strategies. 
• Develop financial dashboards, management reports, and long-range financial models to support leadership decision-making. 
• Create and maintain business analysis tools, including contribution margin, ROI, and program pricing models. 
• Oversee general ledger activity and ensure transactions are accurate, timely, and compliant with institutional policies. 
• Serve as a trusted financial resource for department leaders, administrators, and key stakeholders. 
• Coordinate financial close activities with central finance, budgeting, research administration, and controller functions. 
• Manage financial reporting for gift funds, endowments, endowed positions, and departmental allocations. 
• Coordinate and validate financial and research data for external higher education surveys and rankings. 
• Assist with strengthening internal controls and continuously improving financial reporting tools, systems, and processes. 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required. 
• 7-10 years of progressive financial management experience. 
• Strong experience with budgeting, forecasting, accounting, financial analysis, and financial modeling. 
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including financial modeling, data analysis, reporting, and visualization. 
• Experience with ERP financial systems such as PeopleSoft or a comparable platform. 
• Ability to analyze large datasets and translate complex financial information into actionable recommendations. 
• Excellent communication, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills. 
• Ability to independently manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. 
• Comfortable balancing detailed transactional work with strategic financial planning initiatives. 
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and discretion when handling confidential financial and personnel information. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field. 
• Experience in higher education, academic institutions, healthcare, or medical center environments. 
• Experience supporting senior leadership with strategic financial planning and decision-making. 
• Knowledge of financial reporting related to grants, endowments, and academic funding sources. 

• Affordable healthcare plans available for eligible employees 
• 401(k) with 4% company match after qualifying period and participation requirements are met 
• Weekly pay 
• Temp-to-hire opportunities with top companies across Ohio 

Legacy Staffing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Contact Scott at 216-377-1109 or 

Scott@legacystaffing.com