Vice President for Finance, Administration, and Infrastructure

About State University of New York at Fredonia:

The State University of New York at Fredonia is one of the crown jewels in the 64-campus State University of New York system. Founded in 1826, Fredonia is a highly ranked comprehensive, selective, public, residential, liberal arts university that enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students in 80+ majors and 50+ minors. Fredonia is consistently academic programs, professional, award-winning faculty, a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere, and a strong focus on student success.

The 256-acre campus, known for beautiful green spaces and attractive architecture, is located one mile from the shore of Lake Erie in beautiful Western New York with ready access to fishing, swimming, and lakefront attractions. Fredonia is centrally located between several large metropolitan areas. It is one hour south of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, 45 minutes north of Erie, PA, and just 2 ½ hours from Pittsburgh, Cleveland, or Toronto.

Fredonia is a safe village community with beautiful Victorian homes situated in the heart of Western New York wine country. The location affords residents all four authentic weather seasons; warm and sunshine-filled, yet comfortable spring and summer, vibrant colors across rolling hills with the changing leaves of autumn, and the picturesque landscapes and accompanying outdoor activities of winter.

SUNY provides a competitive salary and benefits package.

Fredonia's faculty and staff focus on ensuring that all students will achieve the Institutional Learning Goals:

• SKILLED Develop Intellectual and Applied Skills, Literacies and Knowledge
• CONNECTED Engage Community and Diversity: Local Stewardship, Global Citizenship
• CREATIVE Demonstrate Scholarship, Artistry, and Innovation
• RESPONSIBLE Activate Sustainability, Ethics, Leadership, and Professionalism

Read a message from State University of New York at Fredonia's President.

Job Description:

The Vice President for Finance, Administration, and Infrastructure (VPFAI) serves as Chief Financial and Infrastructural Officer. The VPFAI is a key member of the President's Cabinet and provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and administrative governance for the Division.

SUNY Fredonia is at a pivotal moment in its history, focused on rebuilding enrollment, strengthening financial sustainability, modernizing infrastructure, and aligning resources with institutional priorities. The University seeks a visionary, collaborative, and solutions-oriented leader who will help advance these efforts while ensuring operational excellence and responsible stewardship of resources.

Working in close partnership with the President, Cabinet members, faculty, staff, and SUNY leadership, the VPFAI will play a central role in shaping the University's future. The successful candidate will bring a demonstrated ability to lead within a complex public-sector and unionized environment while advancing innovation, organizational effectiveness, and service excellence.

As chief administrator for critical operational functions, the Vice President will foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and professional development. While providing executive leadership for financial management and strategic planning, the incumbent must balance fiscal stewardship with operational effectiveness, facilities and infrastructure management, workforce development, and institutional leadership.

Division of Finance and Administration

The Division currently oversees the following areas:

• Purchasing and Contracts
• Student Accounts (Bursar)
• Budget and Financial Planning
• Accounting and Revenue Management
• Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability
• Facilities Planning and Services
• University Services (Mail Services and Vehicle Fleet)
• Internal Control
• Faculty Student Association (FSA), including food service, vending, and bookstore operations
• Campus liaison responsibilities for selected third-party affiliates

Key Responsibilities

Reporting directly to the President, the Vice President will:

• Advance SUNY Fredonia's mission, vision, and values through leadership that promotes assessment, continuous improvement, accountability, excellence, and celebration of accomplishments.
• Provide strategic vision and leadership for the division, identifying innovative and practical solutions within a public higher education and unionized environment. Establish and communicate both short-term priorities and long-range goals aligned with the University's strategic plan.
• Serve as the University's Chief Financial Officer, overseeing budget development, financial planning, accounting, revenue management, and fiscal forecasting. Advise the President and Cabinet on financial strategy, resource allocation, and budget performance.
• Provide leadership and oversight of campus operations, facilities planning, maintenance, and infrastructure initiatives that support teaching, learning, student success, and institutional vitality.
• Lead the planning and implementation of infrastructure modernization efforts that promote wellness, sustainability, operational efficiency, and the recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff.
• Recruit, supervise, mentor, and develop divisional staff while fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, succession planning, and continuous professional growth.
• Promote high-quality customer service, collaboration, and strong partnerships both within the division and across the University.
• Champion a culture of data-informed decision-making, assessment, and continuous evaluation of divisional programs and services.
• Collaborate with campus leadership to implement the University's multi-year fiscal stability and sustainability plan.
• Oversee the University's Capital Master Plan and Energy Master Plan, including project prioritization and execution.
• Provide strategic guidance regarding capital projects and infrastructure investments in consultation with campus leadership.
• Partner with University Advancement to support fundraising initiatives, capital campaigns, and external advocacy efforts, including securing state resources and investments.
• Advance institutional goals related to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and access throughout divisional operations and practices.
• Represent SUNY Fredonia at SUNY system meetings, state-level discussions, professional associations, and other external engagements as requested by the President.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with SUNY System Administration, the State University Construction Fund, SUNY Counsel, University Audit, state agencies, and external partners.
• Stay current on emerging trends, best practices, and innovations in finance, administration, facilities management, infrastructure planning, and public higher education.
• Advance environmental sustainability initiatives and responsible stewardship of institutional resources.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, SUNY, and University policies, regulations, and requirements.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality and exercise sound judgment regarding sensitive institutional information.
• Work collaboratively with Faculty Student Association leadership to enhance services, promote innovation, strengthen financial performance, and improve the student experience.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the President.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Deep understanding of public higher education, shared governance, and the complexities of operating within a large state university system and unionized workforce environment.
• Strategic leadership skills that effectively integrate financial stewardship, administrative management, operational excellence, and organizational development.
• Experience leading organizational change, restructuring operations, and improving efficiency while maintaining employee engagement and institutional effectiveness.
• Success supervising and developing large, diverse teams and fostering a culture of accountability and professional growth.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills with the ability to engage effectively with faculty, staff, students, governing bodies, elected officials, and community partners.
• Experience cultivating productive partnerships across organizational boundaries and leading collaborative problem-solving efforts.
• Strong commitment to ethical leadership, transparency, and sound financial management practices.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex institutional challenges and lead successful change initiatives.
• Ability to work effectively within the University, SUNY System Administration, state government, and external stakeholder environments.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, consensus-building, and team-development skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to student success, institutional excellence, and professional service.

Requirements:

Required Qualifications

• MBA or master's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, management, or a closely related field from an accredited institution.
• Minimum of three years of progressively responsible leadership experience in finance, administration, operations, or related fields.
• Significant experience in strategic financial management, long-range planning, budget development, and facilities or operational leadership within a complex organization.
• Demonstrated expertise in financial modeling, forecasting, and data-informed decision-making.
• Experience supervising large and diverse teams, including direct supervision, performance management, and staff development.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic priorities with operational execution.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Preferred Qualifications

• Executive leadership experience in public higher education administration, finance, budgeting, facilities, or related areas.
• Experience leading initiatives that contribute to institutional sustainability, operational effectiveness, and enrollment-supportive investments.
• Knowledge of New York State and SUNY fiscal, operational, capital, and accountability processes.
• Experience working in a unionized environment.
• Demonstrated success developing public-private partnerships and strategic collaborations.
• Record of innovation, entrepreneurship, and revenue-enhancement initiatives.
• Commitment to community engagement and public service.

Additional Information:

This is a full-time, on-site, Management/Confidential (MC) position.

Anticipated Start Date: January-February 2027.

Salary Range: $175,000-$210,000, commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Fredonia prides itself on an outstanding workforce. To continually support organizational excellence, the university conducts background screens on applicants.

An Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer, Fredonia provides for, and promotes, equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment, without discrimination.

Pursuant to University policy, the University is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, or domestic violence victim status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the University community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law, or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.

The University's policy is in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations prohibiting unlawful discrimination and harassment. These laws include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as Amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, and the New York State Human Rights Law. These laws prohibit discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual violence.

SUNY Fredonia is actively recruiting diverse faculty of all backgrounds. In efforts and our commitment to the goal of building a diverse workforce we are participating in PRODiG. PRODiG ("Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth") aims to increase the representation of historically underrepresented faculty at SUNY including underrepresented minority ("URM") faculty in general and women faculty of all races in STEM fields ("WSTEM"). Click this link https://www.suny.edu/prodig/ to find out more about PRODiG.

Application Instructions:

Candidates interested in this opportunity must apply online directly on the SUNY Fredonia employment website. The link may be found at: https://www.fredonia.edu/about/offices/human-resources/employment-opportunities. Priority consideration will be given to applications received by November 16, 2026.

• Cover Letter
• Resume/CV
• 3 Professional References

Note: After submitting your Resume/CV, the subsequent page gives you instructions that enable you to upload the additional, required documents.

Please see the FAQ for using the online application system. Please contact us if you need assistance applying through this website.