Penn State Job Catalog

Additional levels that exist for this job profile can be seen below.

The defined natural career progression within or between job profiles.

Finance (F&B)

The Strategic Finance Partner serves as a trusted adviser to academic and administrative leadership, aligning financial strategy with institutional goals; provides forward-looking financial insight, supports resource allocation decisions, and drives financial planning and performance across one or more units; operates at a strategic level, with administrative and transactional finance functions fully supported by centralized finance hubs.

• Partner with budget executives and senior leadership to align financial strategy with academic, research, and operational priorities
• Lead the development of multi-year financial plans and annual budgeting processes, providing insights to support long-term sustainability and growth
• Deliver proactive financial analysis and scenario modeling to support strategic decision-making
• Provide input on labor planning and staffing models in alignment with unit goals and the academic mission (with transactional support provided by each of the finance hubs)
• Identify and lead process improvement initiatives to enhance financial effectiveness and efficiency within the unit operations
• Serve as a financial steward and advocate for strategic investment, ensuring optimal allocation of resources
• Collaborate closely with central finance functions (i.e., budget office, controller, research administration) to ensure financial integrity and policy alignment
• Serve as a change agent to promote a culture of financial transparency, accountability, and innovation within the unit(s)
• Monitor key financial indicators and communicate risks and opportunities to leadership on an ongoing basis
• Ensure compliance with policies, procedures, and restricted fund regulations/guidelines
• Keep abreast of changing regulatory requirements and organizational demands impacting research
• Support institutional initiatives, providing financial expertise to cross-functional projects and planning efforts
• Manage a team of staff including hiring, assigning work, managing workflow and deadlines, ensuring quality of service, and identifying development opportunities

Level:

– Manager

Base Description:

– Manages direct reports where primary duty is the management of a working unit.

Level Summary:

– Demonstrates proficient ability in work design, project management, financial planning and development of goals for accomplishing unit assignments. Reviews and guides work to ensure conformity to policy and effective approaches. Evaluates employee performance and recommend development opportunities. Demonstrates ability to coach employees. Presents and communicates key university indicatives and connects it to unit contributions. Provides broad guidelines. Develops, evaluates, enhances, and/or implements quality improvement practices. Recommends innovative solutions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– Oversees a team (typically 4 or more; no fewer than 2) full
– time direct reports of individual contributors and/or first level supervisors.

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– Monitors and tracks department/area budget
– May plan, forecast, and/or assist in developing budgets
– May have final signature authority for specific area

Problem Solving:

– Encounters varied and complex problems
– Helps to develop creative and/or novel approaches to resolve problems that are difficult in nature but within limited scope
– Modifies, adapts, or refines guidelines if necessary to resolve issues or problems

Independence of Action:

– Works independently on complex or strategic assignments
– Uses existing practices and advanced working knowledge to determine appropriate work methods for the team
– Reviews completed work of others for conformity to policy, and effectiveness of approach
– Delegates advanced tasks to others

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates with both internal and external audiences
– Collaborates closely with team members and various areas across the University
– Prepares written and/or verbal presentations or proposals on complex issues and delivers to a broad variety of audiences
– Communicates key university initiatives and how unit’s work contributes to their achievement
– Presents ideas, concepts and instructions in a clear manner, and uses persuasion and negotiation to build consensus and cooperation
– Establishes and maintains networks to facilitate successful communication among units

• Comp Grade – 13
• Minimum – $86,300.00
• MidPoint – $107,900.00
• Maximum – $129,500.00

• Accounting information systems
• Attention To Detail
• Conflict Resolution
• Consulting
• Data Analysis
• Forecasting
• Policy analysis
• Process management
• Resource management
• Risk Management
• Stakeholder management
• Strategic thinking