Description of Work Unit
Founded in 1870, Colorado State University is among the nation’s leading research universities and enrolls approximately 32,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Located an hour north of the Denver metro area, Fort Collins is a vibrant community of approximately 157,000 residents that offers the convenience of a small town with all the amenities of a large city. Fort Collins is situated on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains with views of 14,000 foot peaks, and offers access to numerous cultural, recreational, and outdoor opportunities.

The Collaborative for Student Achievement houses three different departments that report to different supervisors within Academic Affairs and Student Affairs. The University Academic Advising and Advocacy (1074) department has 30 professional staff and 25+ student staff, with a $2M base budget and houses the Exploratory Studies, Academic Advising-University-wide Coordination & Support, Office of Academic Advocacy, and Health Professions Advising units. The Student Success Program’s (1075) department has 22 professional staff and roughly 40 student staff with a $1.65M base budget, $4.4M in grants, and over $500K in scholarships, and houses the Scholar Success Programs, Key Communities, COSI Grant and Finish What You Started units. The Orientation, Transition & Family Programs (8011) department has 11 professional staff and roughly 100 student staff with a $2M budget and over $7M in scholarships and houses the Orientation and Transitions Programs, Fostering Success, and Parent and Family Programs units. In all their activities, these departments emphasize and enhance students’ abilities and assets, and supports the campus priority for a diverse and supportive learning environment. Along with student service departments, the Collaborative for Student Achievement space has four business service areas, which include the Welcome Center, budgeting, and human resources along with technology and assessment support.

The Business Services Director works independently and collaboratively with the staff housed in the Collaborative for Student Achievement space as well as with colleagues across campus within other departments and central campus services units. The position oversees business services as part of the Collaborative Leadership Team, facilitates Collaborative Management Team meetings, and reports to The Provost and President Business Manager and the Associate Executive Director of Business Services/VPSA Division Business Officer.
Position Summary
The Business Services Director provides accounting expertise and oversees the fiscal, human resources, and client services in the Collaborative for Student Achievement, and is a central member of the Collaborative Leadership Team. The focus of these responsibilities is to provide support and guidance for the three independent departments to implement experiences for students and create inclusive communities that positively impact the academic success, retention, and graduation of CSU students. The Business Services Director collaborates closely with Assessment and Technology leadership in providing overall leadership when coordinating with all administrative staff. This position provides infrastructure for 66 full- time staff, and roughly 170 student staff. This position is a central leader on the Collaborative Leadership team and chairs the Collaborative Management Team meetings.

This position provides leadership to the Business Service Leadership Team, consisting of the three Manager positions, to enact upon the new vision and mission of this unit, and implement processes and structure to meet the growing needs of the entire organization. This position is responsible for:
Taking feedback from various channels and leading this team to create sustainable service model for the organization.
Developing a centralized collection for department requests, even distribution of workload and student staff supervision, and movement from each member operating under a specialized skillset to becoming a generalist, where all members of the team can address all department requests.
The managers focus on creating and building new centralized processes and the corresponding training needs, new supervision model of student staff, and new training techniques to bring all team members to full ability to oversee all department requests.
This position provides direction, guidance, and consultation with regard to these functions as well as consultation with working through higher-level professional and student staff issues, including disciplinary and/or termination, and any other organizational challenges.
Required Job Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field
5 years of professional business operations experience, which must include at least two years of progressive budget planning experience including cost analysis
Experience supervising professional staff
Demonstrated understanding of internal controls, ability to analyze and implement effective systems of internal controls, and experience working with databases, data queries, and reporting tools.
Understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
Demonstrated high-level communication skills with the ability to speak to all levels of the organization
Strong organizational and complex problem-solving skills, follow-through and attention to detail
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Preferred Job Qualifications
Masters or MBA with a concentration in finance, accounting, or other related advanced degree
CPA or CMA Professional certification
Understanding of Fund Accounting and Governmental Accounting Standards (GASB)
Understanding of diverse business processes and demonstrated ability to handle a multiplicity of areas, including budgeting, human resources, and welcome center functions
Demonstrated understanding of strategy development
Ability to supervise staff with a wide variety of roles and responsibilities
Ability to work effectively in a multi-layered team environment, as well as autonomously
Effective leadership skills
Diversity Statement
Reflecting departmental and institutional values, candidates are expected to have the ability to advance the Department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Essential Duties
Job Duty Category Accounting and Fiscal Management: Budgeting, Assessment, Business Processes, Accounting Compliance
Duty/Responsibility
Manage three department budgets totaling a 13.2-million-dollar operational budget, consisting of student fees, state appropriated, and auxiliary funds; as well as scholarships, scholar programming, grants, and endowments. Ensure expenditures for all business services functions are appropriate, program-related, meet sub-fund restrictions and guidelines, and are well-documented. Provide guidance and approvals for fiscal officers of auxiliary, state appropriated, course, gift and sponsored programs sub-funds and oversee purpose for expenditures. Function as fiscal officer for central business services funds.
Review central business services and program services to identify and assure response to priority student and staff needs.
Oversee assessment of effectiveness of central services to make decisions on implementing program improvements.
Ensure that current processes and transactions follow generally accepted accounting principles and are in accordance with university fiscal policies.
Percentage Of Time 40
Job Duty Category Leadership: Visioning, Strategic Planning, and Implementing New Initiatives
Duty/Responsibility
Provide vision for the growth and development of Business Services, considering ways to enhance client services, human resources, communication, fiscal management, and business processes, and strategize how to integrate inclusive excellence throughout our systems and processes implementation.
Provide leadership as the organizer of the Collaborative Management Team, a team consisting of middle management positions, to respond to business services issues, develop new central processes and procedures, enhance communication to and through the organization, provide training and information, and solicit feedback.
Provide reviews, analysis, recommendations, and advice to Collaborative Leadership Team regarding all matters related to the fiscal planning, management, and forecasting of the entire organization. Assist in the decision making in improving financial health and allocating resources for future growth of the organization and departments. Implement the fiscal oversight of new funding revenues such as grants.
Percentage Of Time 30
Job Duty Category Management: Supervision, Team Leadership, Business Services Functioning
Duty/Responsibility
Provide leadership for central business services, creating and implementing policies and practices that enhance client services, human resources, communication, fiscal management, and business processes and improve the sustainability of centralized business services.
Hire, supervise, and mentor the Associate Director for Assessment and Technology, the Project and Process Manager, the Project and Training Manager, the Human Resources Manager, and the Office Manager. Provide guidance and direction to support the Operation Manager who supervises the Support Services Specialist. Responsible for overall supervision of five (5) professional staff and 14-20 student staff.
Create a strong Business Services team that supports the unit’s mission and fosters high expectations of students and staff, accountability, teamwork, integrity, and values equity and inclusion. Lead with all administrative staff to develop and lead meaningful meetings and retreats, provide staff various professional development opportunities, and engage staff in campus-wide involvement.
Provide leadership as a central member of the Collaborative Leadership Team which consults, and problem solves with issues related to the entire organization. Represent the organization as part of the Division of Student Affairs Directors group.
Promote partnerships, relationships, and collaborations with campus organizations that are essential for this role including Academic Affairs and Student Affairs division accountants, fiscal officers, Human Resources, Student Employment, OEO, Campus Services, Foundation, Sponsored Programs, and Advancement.
Percentage Of Time 30
Application Details
Special Instructions to Applicants
For full consideration, application materials must be submitted by Monday, August 26, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. MT. Please apply with a cover letter addressing the required and preferred qualifications, resume, and three professional references. A Curriculum Vitae is optional. References will not be contacted without prior notification of candidates. If you have questions, please contact Okee Hanna, [email protected].

CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact.

Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.