Director of Financial Process Transformation

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Financial Administration (FAD) is dedicated to advancing Harvard University’s teaching and research mission by stewarding its resources; providing support, guidance, and consultation; ensuring compliance with university and federal guidelines; mitigating risk; pursuing operational excellence; and promoting the financial health of the University. 

Within our own community, we aspire to:  

• Engage with respect, honesty, and integrity   
• Cultivate equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging   
• Welcome innovation, collaboration, and flexibility   
• Enjoy our work, grow professionally, and aim for the extraordinary  

Learn more about Financial Administration (harvard.edu) and our eight reporting units. (https://finance.harvard.edu/)

The Director of Financial Process Transformation leads enterprise-wide initiatives to simplify, standardize, and modernize financial operations across the University. Reporting to the Office of the Controller, with a dotted-line relationship to Office of Finance and Administration, this role operates across Financial Administration (FAD) and partners with school and central finance leadership to drive transformation priorities.

The Director sets direction, aligns stakeholders, and ensures the successful delivery of high-impact initiatives that span organizational boundaries. The Director brings a structured, outcomes-driven approach to redesigning financial processes - reducing complexity, improving cycle times, strengthening compliance, and minimizing administrative burden.

Success in this role requires the ability to influence and align senior stakeholders in a decentralized environment, along with a track record of leading large-scale change from concept through implementation. The Director ensures that initiatives are not only well-designed, but fully adopted and sustained, with measurable improvements in efficiency, consistency, and user experience.

Job Specific Responsibilities:

Enterprise Transformation Leadership
Set the vision and roadmap for financial process transformation across FAD, leading a portfolio of high-impact initiatives aligned to institutional priorities.

Cross-Functional Leadership and Alignment
Partner with senior leaders across schools, units, and central functions to establish priorities, navigate tradeoffs, and drive alignment. Serve as a trusted advisor on financial process strategy and change.

Process Redesign and Standardization
Oversee the redesign of complex, cross-cutting financial processes to reduce fragmentation, eliminate manual workarounds, and improve consistency while maintaining appropriate controls.

Policy and Governance Enablement
Guide the use of policy, governance, and guidance to enable effective process change, determining when formal policy is required versus when process, technology, or behavioral changes will achieve better outcomes.

Systems and Technology Partnership
Collaborate with finance systems and IT leadership to align process transformation with system capabilities and roadmaps, ensuring solutions enable automation, scalability, and long-term sustainability.

Performance Measurement and Continuous Improvement
Establish success metrics and monitoring approaches, including cycle time, exception rates, and administrative effort, and use data and stakeholder feedback to refine priorities and improve outcomes.

Change Leadership and Adoption
Drive adoption of new processes and ways of working across a diverse stakeholder landscape, ensuring changes are effectively communicated, embedded, and sustained over time.

Basic Qualifications:

Basic Qualifications are the minimum threshold a candidate must meet in order to be considered for this role. 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 10 years’ relevant work experience
• Supervisory experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

The following qualifications are strongly preferred. If you meet some, but not all, you are still encouraged to apply, we value employees with a willingness to learn.

• MBA or master's degree in relevant field a plus
• Experience supporting process improvement or organizational change initiatives 
• Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities in evolving, ambiguous environments 
• Agile, flexible, and iterative working mindset 
• Demonstrated ability to act as a trusted advisor and influence senior stakeholders without direct authority 
• Strong analytical and communication skills, including the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences
• Knowledge of advanced financial administration principles
• Strong team-based, service-oriented approach Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint) and other collaboration tools 

Why join Harvard University Central Administration?

Harvard University's Central Administration (CADM) is a 5,000+ employee organization that supports the university's overall excellence by understanding and serving the needs of its schools, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and surrounding communities. Through dynamic and collaborative partnerships, CADM provides high-quality and efficient services to the schools to help them achieve their goals.

Working Conditions:

• Onsite work is performed in an office setting

Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week

• 1-2 Days onsite per week on average plus additional days for ad-hoc required meetings.

Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education

Other Information:
Please provide a cover letter and resume as one document with your application.
This position has a 90-day orientation and review period.

#LI-BT1

Work Format Details

This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that some of the duties and responsibilities can be effectively performed at a non-Harvard location. The work schedule and location will be set by the department at its discretion and based upon operational needs. When not working at a Harvard or Harvard-designated location, employees in hybrid positions must work in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University’s Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 060. Please visit  Harvard's Salary Ranges  to view the corresponding salary range and related information. 

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to: 

• Generous paid time off including parental leave 
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one 
• Retirement plans with university contributions 
• Wellbeing and mental health resources 
• Support for families and caregivers 
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement 
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks 

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page. 

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university's non-discrimination policy. Harvard's equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.