POSITION IDENTIFICATION
TITLE Vice President for Administration and Finance
CLASSIFICATION NUMBER 0065
GRADE Unclassified
CLASSIFICATION Exempt
IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR President
GENERAL FUNCTION
The Vice President for Administration and Finance is the chief administrative officer for the University and advises the President on all matters pertaining to the management and operation of general administrative and financial services functions. The Vice President for Administration and Finance is fiscally responsible for budgeting and executing the University System’s capital appropriations and serves as the senior executive officer responsible for providing leadership and general management of the following administration and finance departments:
Environmental Management: Responsible for a comprehensive program for acquisition, handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous chemical materials, proper handling and accounting of select agents, and radiation safety for all University campuses, compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations, preparing documents submitted to environmental regulatory agencies, and acting as a liaison between the University and state and federal regulatory authorities.
Facilities Management: Responsible for the entire physical plant of the University consisting of Custodial Services, Grounds Services, Facilities Maintenance, and Business Services (work management, campus construction team, access control/academic lock shop, key control, central stores and inventory warehouse, and technology support) and provides a quality learning environment through effective facilities planning, service, maintenance, repair, and construction.
Financial Services: Responsible for the management and operation of accounting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, budget management and control, bursar, student aid disbursement, budget preparation, financial information systems, credit management, collections, fiscal planning, financial statement preparation, investing, procurement, and payroll.
Human Resources: Responsible for comprehensive human resources administration, including employment and retirement services, benefits management and counseling, compensation administration and job evaluation, staff training, organizational and talent development, records management, labor and employee relations, and human resource information systems.
Planning, Design & Construction: Responsible for the development of the physical environment on campus, including the development of long-range master plans and visioning guides for all campuses, and the development and completion of construction projects.
University Safety: Responsible for assuring the implementation of measures and procedures for the physical security of University students, faculty, employees, property, and equipment, the execution of the law enforcement services contract with the Springfield Police Department, the development of contingency plans for natural disasters, emergencies, and potentially disruptive or threatening circumstances, and for planning and maintaining campus transportation systems and vehicle parking.
University Support Services: Responsible for printing and postal services and providing comprehensive facilities planning assistance to all units of the university, ensuring maximum utilization of physical space resources for both academic and administrative units.
MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Education: A Master’s degree is required. A Masters in Business Administration or a graduate degree in a related field is preferred.
Experience: A minimum of five years of progressively responsible administrative and financial services experience in most or all of the following areas is required. Experience with fiscal and legal requirements for capital projects is required (public sector preferred). Experience in and/or knowledge of architectural and engineering planning, design and construction, physical plant management, human resources, environmental management, transportation services, and campus safety is preferred.
Skills: A demonstrated ability to lead and the skills to develop leaders, the ability to project a strong positive image of the University with parents, students, faculty, staff and others, including community and government leaders and the media is required. Excellent writing, speaking, and interpersonal skills are required. An ability to work effectively and collegially within a large, complex university system and to negotiate with a wide range of constituencies, including organized labor, is required. A record of successful leadership while directing the efforts of professional staff in a complex organization, preferably in higher education, is required.
Other: Understanding of the importance of personnel, energy, environmental, security, and technology issues in the planning, design, and operation of physical facilities is required.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Ensures compliance with the University’s institutional mission by establishing goals and objectives, reviewing and approving departmental plans, designing systems of effective control to achieve expected outcomes, and evaluating progress towards goal accomplishment in the Administration and Finance Division.2. Ensures the prompt and effective delivery of essential administrative and financial services by organizing the various units and sub-units in a logical, non-duplicative and effective manner that best meets the work requirements of the division and the needs of the University, monitoring workloads throughout the division and prioritizing staffing needs accordingly, and assuming ultimate responsibility for the units and functions within the Administration and Finance Division.
3. Facilitates the appropriate growth and development of the physical plant of the University, consistent with its mission, by developing a long-range, yet sufficiently detailed, campus master plan designed to satisfy the University's academic and support requirements either through new construction or renovation of existing facilities.
4. Assimilates programmatic facility needs expressed by University administrators and ensures communication of the University's capital project requirements to the Board of Governors, to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) and ultimately to the Missouri State General Assembly by directing and coordinating the preparation of the University's annual capital appropriations request and appearing, as required, to testify before House and Senate committees regarding facility requirements and costs.
5. Ensures that all University capital construction projects are effectively managed by assuming ultimate responsibility for the completion of capital construction projects to specifications, on schedule, and within the project budget established by the Board of Governors.
6. Advises the President, senior administrators, and members of the Board of Governors on issues relating to administration and finance by presenting reports and recommendations during meetings of the Board of Governors and preparing reports, recommendations, findings, and other correspondence as required.
7. Oversees the Assistant Vice President for Finance and Accounting to promote the financial well-being of the University by providing budget management, monitoring appropriate investments of temporary cash balances, exercising executive control over University budgets, and safeguarding all financial assets of the University.
8. Enables employees to perform their assigned tasks by issuing guidance and assuming budgetary responsibility for the Administration and Finance Division, coordinating the development of annual budgets by the various departments, and maintaining executive authority over all departmental budgets within the Administration and Finance Division.
9. Promotes a positive image and maintains harmonious external relations for the University by communicating and interfacing with city, state, and other governmental officials in matters relating to administrative and financial services and representing the President and the University in various community, state and regional activities designed to promote the Missouri State University System in particular, and higher education in general.
10. Encourages high morale and the delivery of quality, customer-focused information and services by the departments, units and employees of the Administration and Finance Division by employing a leadership style that motivates employees to accomplish established goals and objectives in a collegial, self-motivating manner.
11. Maintains as a priority compliance with laws, regulations, and standards applicable to division activities.
12. Remains competent and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, attending professional development courses, and attending training and/or courses as directed.
13. Contributes to the overall success of the University by performing other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the University President.
SUPERVISION
The Vice President for Administration and Finance reports directly to the President of the University and supervises leadership of departments within the Administration and Finance Division.
OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES
REVISED JANUARY 2025