National Search: Vice President for Financial and Business Services

Montgomery College invites applications, nominations, and confidential inquiries for the position of Vice President for Financial and Business Services.

Reporting to the senior vice president for administrative and fiscal services, the vice president provides executive leadership for the College’s business and financial operations. This position also serves as a key strategic finance advisor to the president, senior leadership team, and Board of Trustees.

The vice president oversees accounting, financial reporting, audit coordination, grants accounting, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, cashiering, treasury, investments, taxes, fixed assets, cash management, student billing and loans, fiscal forecasting, and related financial systems.

Through responsible stewardship, strategic analysis, and innovative business practices, the vice president ensures the College’s financial operations, internal controls, and services remain effective, compliant, sustainable, and aligned with institutional priorities.

About Montgomery College

Montgomery College serves nearly 45,000 credit and noncredit students at three campuses in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring and at the East County Education Center. The College also operates Workforce Development and Continuing Education programs, training centers in Gaithersburg and Wheaton, a central administrative services center, community engagement sites, and other off-campus locations.

The College is a Minority Serving Institution, Hispanic Serving Institution, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. Montgomery College is widely recognized for providing high-quality, affordable, and accessible educational opportunities that prepare students to achieve their academic, career, and personal goals.

A 10-member Board of Trustees appointed by the governor of Maryland governs the College.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Financial and Business Leadership

• Provide executive leadership for the College’s business and financial operations.
• Align fiscal practices, business systems, policies, procedures, and services with the College’s mission, strategic priorities, and long-term needs.
• Lead long-range financial planning and organizational strategies that support sustainability, responsible resource allocation, and informed decision-making.
• Advise the president, senior leadership team, and Board of Trustees on fiscal affairs, business operations, financial planning, institutional risk, compliance, and financial reporting.
• Develop innovative business strategies that strengthen accountability, improve operations, and enhance services.

Financial Operations and Stewardship

• Oversee accounting, financial reporting, audit coordination, grants accounting, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, cashiering, treasury, investments, taxes, fixed assets, cash management, student billing and loans, fiscal forecasting, and related financial systems.
• Direct the receipt, management, and disbursement of College funds.
• Ensure financial records and reports are accurate, timely, transparent, and compliant with applicable requirements.
• Lead investment, treasury, cash management, and fiscal forecasting activities.

Internal Controls, Compliance, and Risk Management

• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve internal control procedures for College funds.
• Ensure compliance with applicable financial regulations, public finance requirements, accounting principles, audit standards, budget laws, grant requirements, and higher education regulations.
• Lead audit preparation, response, resolution, and follow-up activities.
• Assess financial, operational, administrative, and compliance risks and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.

Organizational Effectiveness and Continuous Improvement

• Evaluate organizational structures, responsibilities, workflows, systems, staffing, and service outcomes within business services operations.
• Implement management changes, process improvements, and service enhancements that promote efficiency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Lead the design, implementation, and effective use of financial and enterprise resource planning systems.
• Use data, financial modeling, analysis, and operational metrics to evaluate performance and support institutional decision-making.

Collaboration and External Relationships

• Collaborate with College leaders to support planning, budgeting, financial analysis, grant management, program support, and business operations.
• Build effective relationships with executive leaders, governance groups, employees, auditors, government agencies, community partners, funding organizations, and the Board of Trustees.
• Provide strategic and fiscal leadership in developing relationships with organizations that provide financial support to the College.

Team Leadership and Effectiveness

• Lead and supervise employees in accordance with College policies, procedures, collective bargaining agreements, and sound management practices.
• Establish clear expectations and provide coaching, support, and professional development.
• Ensure employees are trained, informed, and equipped to provide high-quality service.
• Promote an ethical, accountable, collaborative, and service-oriented workplace.
• Foster teamwork, effective communication, employee engagement, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.

Leadership Characteristics

The successful candidate will be:

• Strategic and forward-thinking, with the ability to connect financial planning, business operations, institutional priorities, and long-term sustainability.
• Operationally strong, with the technical knowledge and discipline necessary to ensure accuracy, compliance, accountability, and effective controls.
• Collaborative and service-oriented, with a demonstrated commitment to supporting students, faculty, staff, and institutional partners.
• Analytical and solutions-focused, with the ability to assess complex issues, identify risks and opportunities, and recommend practical solutions.
• Transparent and credible, with the judgment and communication skills necessary to support executive decision-making and Board oversight.
• Committed to modernizing systems, strengthening processes, and improving services.
• An ethical and accountable steward of public resources.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in business, accounting, economics, finance, public administration, higher education administration, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education, training, certification, and experience may be considered.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible financial and budget management experience, including staff oversight, short- and long-term budget planning, organizational fiscal planning, compliance, audit review, and audit resolution.
• Extensive knowledge of accounting, financial management, public finance, fiscal controls, procurement, audit standards, budget laws and practices, investment activities, and applicable financial regulations.
• Experience leading complex financial operations, financial systems, internal controls, compliance functions, audit processes, and institution-wide business services.
• Strong leadership, analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, organizational, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to improve business processes, forecast financial needs, and implement effective financial and administrative systems.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain complex financial and operational information clearly.
• Demonstrated integrity, accountability, transparency, fiscal responsibility, and commitment to the community college mission.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a large, complex public higher education institution, community college, government agency, or similarly regulated public-sector environment.
• Experience serving as a senior financial, business, or administrative executive in a multicampus or multilocation organization.
• Experience advising a president, cabinet-level leadership team, governing board, or public-sector oversight body.
• Experience leading business process redesign, organizational improvement, financial systems implementation or optimization, and service transformation.
• Experience with Workday or a comparable enterprise resource planning system.
• Knowledge of public higher education funding models, grants administration, public-sector accounting, and collective bargaining environments.

Search Prospectus

 

Application Process

Compensation and Benefits

Salary will be competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Montgomery College offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation and sick leave, paid holidays, medical, dental, vision, group legal benefits, retirement plans, professional development, educational assistance, tuition waivers for employees and eligible dependents, and wellness programming.

Visit HRSTM Benefits  new windowfor additional information.