Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Description

POSITION: Chief Business Officer/ Chief Financial Officer (CBO/CFO)

Executive Leadership, Cabinet-Level Position

SUPERVISOR: President

DEPARTMENT: Business Office

LOCATION: On-campus, located in Tiffin, OH

JOB TYPE: Full-time

ABOUT TIFFIN UNIVERSITY

At Tiffin University, we believe higher education must continually evolve to meet the needs of students, employers, and communities. Guided by our ICARE values of Interdependence, Communication, Accountability, Respect, and Entrepreneurship, we are committed to providing an exceptional student experience while ensuring long-term institutional sustainability and impact.

Tiffin University seeks an innovative, strategic, and collaborative leader to serve as its next Chief Business Officer & Chief Financial Officer (CBO/CFO). Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the President's Cabinet, the CBO/CFO will provide executive leadership for the University's financial and business operations while helping shape the next chapter of institutional growth and transformation.

This executive serves as both the University's chief financial steward and a strategic business leader responsible for ensuring financial strength, operational excellence, and long-term sustainability. The successful candidate will possess the vision to identify new opportunities, the financial expertise to evaluate them, and the leadership ability to turn innovative ideas into meaningful institutional outcomes.

POSITION SUMMARY

The CBO/CFO will lead the University's financial strategy and business operations while helping the institution strengthen and diversify its revenue portfolio. Working collaboratively with University leadership, the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, and external partners, this executive will develop strategies that support enrollment growth, operational effectiveness, entrepreneurial initiatives, capital investments, and new sources of revenue that advance the University's mission.

The ideal candidate understands the changing higher education landscape and recognizes that institutional sustainability requires both thoughtful stewardship of resources and intentional investment in new opportunities.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Strategic Financial Leadership

• •Serve as the principal financial advisor to the President, Cabinet, and Board of Trustees.
• •Lead long-term financial planning, forecasting, budgeting, and institutional resource allocation.
• •Develop financial strategies supporting the University's strategic plan and growth objectives.
• •Provide analysis and recommendations regarding major institutional investments and initiatives.
• •Monitor financial performance and ensure responsible stewardship of institutional resources.
• •Communicate complex financial information clearly and effectively to a variety of audiences.

Business & Revenue Strategy

• •Partner with institutional leaders to develop and execute strategies that strengthen long-term financial sustainability.
• •Lead efforts to identify, assess, and develop diversified revenue opportunities that complement the University's educational mission.
• •Evaluate emerging business opportunities, market trends, partnerships, and innovative delivery models.
• •Support the development of workforce partnerships, continuing education programs, corporate training, online initiatives, auxiliary enterprises, and other mission-aligned revenue opportunities.
• •Create financial models and business cases that support institutional decision-making and strategic investments.
• •Advance initiatives that reduce dependency on traditional revenue sources while maintaining alignment with institutional values.

Financial Operations & Compliance

• •Oversee accounting, budgeting, payroll, treasury management, purchasing, financial reporting, and audit functions.
• •Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, accreditation, and regulatory requirements.
• •Maintain strong internal controls, risk management practices, and financial policies.
• •Lead debt management, financing strategies, and investment oversight.
• •Ensure timely and accurate financial reporting and analysis.

Facilities, Capital Projects, & Auxiliary Operations

• •Provide executive oversight for facilities, maintenance, capital planning, construction projects, and campus infrastructure.
• •Support implementation of the University's master planning initiatives.
• •Evaluate opportunities to enhance operational efficiency and optimize auxiliary operations.
• •Ensure physical assets are managed in a manner that supports student success and institutional goals.

Institutional Innovation & Strategic Initiatives

• •Foster a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, and continuous improvement.
• •Lead financial analysis and business planning for new institutional initiatives.
• •Partner with Cabinet colleagues to evaluate growth opportunities and operational efficiencies.
• •Support strategic planning efforts and enterprise transformation initiatives.
• •Utilize analytics, technology, and emerging tools, including AI-enabled decision support, to improve effectiveness and performance.
• •Participate in mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, or institutional integration opportunities as appropriate.

Leadership & Team Development

• •Lead and mentor teams across finance, accounting, payroll, facilities, business operations, and related functions.
• •Develop a culture focused on service, accountability, collaboration, and results.
• •Establish performance metrics and continuous improvement initiatives.
• •Build strong relationships across academic and administrative divisions.

JOIN US. SHAPE THE FUTURE OF TIFFIN UNIVERSITY

Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• •Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a closely related field.
• •Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible executive leadership experience, with a minimum of 5 years serving in higher education.
• •Demonstrated success leading complex financial and business operations.
• •Significant experience with budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, and strategic financial planning.
• •Proven ability to communicate effectively with boards, senior leadership, and diverse stakeholders.
• •Demonstrated record of organizational leadership, change management, and operational excellence.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• •MBA, MPA, CPA, CFA, or other relevant advanced credentials.
• •Experience serving as a Chief Financial Officer, Chief Business Officer, Vice President for Finance, or comparable executive role.
• •Experience in higher education and similarly complex mission-driven organizations.
• •Background in debt management, capital financing, and large-scale capital projects.
• •Experience leading enterprise-wide strategic initiatives and transformation efforts

CRITICAL EXPERIENCE WE ARE SEEKING

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a successful track record of:

Intentional Revenue Diversification

• •Building meaningful non-tuition or non-traditional revenue streams.
• •Creating sustainable revenue models that reduce dependency on a single source of income.
• •Leading workforce development, continuing education, corporate partnerships, online growth, auxiliary enterprises, licensing, sponsored programs, conferences, or other diversified revenue initiatives.
• •Developing and scaling entrepreneurial ventures within mission-driven organizations.
• •Identifying emerging market opportunities and converting them into measurable financial results.
• •Managing both growth and financial sustainability simultaneously.

Strategic Growth & Innovation

• •Evaluating new business opportunities through financial and strategic analysis.
• •Leading innovation initiatives that resulted in measurable organizational value.
• •Developing partnerships that generate revenue, strengthen market position, or expand organizational reach.
• •Managing complex organizational transformation efforts.

LEADERSHIP PROFILE

The successful