New

Director of Budget

CU Boulder
$105000.00-$120000.00
paid time off, tuition assistance
United States, Colorado, Boulder
Sep 11, 2026
Requisition Number: 74654 Location: Boulder, Colorado City Boulder State Colorado Employment Type: University Staff Schedule: Full-Time Posting Close Date: 18-Sep-2026 Date Posted: 11-Sep-2026 Close All Job Summary The College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Colorado Boulder is inviting applications for The Director of Budget position! This role serves as a pivotal leader within the Budget Office, primarily responsible for comprehensive financial management, central-initiative planning, and fiscal oversight. This position involves leading budget operations, conducting in-depth financial analysis, and providing strategic support to ensure the University's financial health and alignment with its goals. The Director will collaborate with various collaborators across the university and throughout the college to support data-driven decision-making and process improvements. CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Who We Are The College of Arts and Sciences at CU Boulder is the intellectual core of the university, conducting research, scholarship, creative work and education in more than 60 fields. Our research generates new knowledge, solving some of the world's most critical problems. The college leads nationally in undergraduate and graduate education in the natural sciences, social sciences and arts and humanities, bringing world-class research and scholarship to our students, both in and out of the classroom. What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be Responsibilities will require a deep understanding of University policies and standard processes in order to build financial mechanics and processes in alignment with College and Divisional goals. As a member of the Central College Budget Office, this position reports up through the Dean of the College and provides priority support for this role and associated budget office needs. Consistent with the Budget Office's matrix reporting structure, a Director of Budget's portfolio may evolve over time to support changing College priorities, organizational needs, and operational requirements. This includes but is not limited to the job duties below: Leadership and Collaboration Lead and train department business managers with a dotted line structure based on budget and finance duties. Includes onboarding and ongoing support for college's finance practices, Anaplan entry requirements, cyclical programs and activities (Teaching Plans, Fiscal Year-End, Summer Session, Merit, etc.) Provide expertise in University and College finance systems with ability to guide and lead departments in how to use systems correctly for college needs and requirements. As a representative and guide of the college's budget office, attend and participate in divisional and college leadership meetings, budget office meetings, and campus working groups. Meet regularly with assigned college and divisional leadership to review finances, hiring plans, and all division budget matters. Partner with dean of division on any necessary financial reporting required by dean of the college. Collaborate and provide support to other Central College teams (HR, COMMS, Infrastructure, etc.) regarding Anaplan, financially adjacent implementations, and any other budget-related items that were previously handled by the Budget Office as needed. Analytics Be responsible for the creation, updating, training, and guidance annually on the division's Billboard report. Provide divisional specific analytical support (financial planning and analysis) to aid leadership in creating balanced scorecards or key performance metrics; these metrics should align with the Dean of the college strategic key performance indicators. Serve as primary financial advisor to dean of division, recommending budgetary decisions, budget-request processes, and policy development. Provide adaptable support for the budget office by learning and implementing new and complex reporting systems that include the college's Vault system, CU-Data, Anaplan, Tableau, Power BI, SharePoint, etc. Fiscal Oversight Create and maintain optimal organizational tree structure and corresponding conventions including new SpeedTypes and orgs that allow efficient and transparent resource reporting. Determine creative strategies that allow deans to optimize resource utilization (all funds). Run division or college led programs and initiatives including oversight of associated transfers and creation of budget systems for Summer Session, operating algorithm, $XQK, etc. Responsible for fiscal oversight, conventions, and management of all funds including the development and implementation of budget mechanics to administer programs and initiatives in accordance with college leadership's vision, campus policies, and Anaplan requirements. Own the creation and annual implementation of the Teaching Plan in assigned division including review for entry errors and oversight of associated budget adjustments. Serve as division contact for annual commitments made in division, from the VCAA, college, and other campus units. Provide guidance on budget and processing requirements and coordinate transfer and reconciliation of associated budgets. Reporting Build, update, and maintain Divisional Dashboard and other custom reports that show college and divisional leadership budget management SpeedType balances and projections. Empower the deans to make financial decisions by communicating complicated illustrations using Tableau software, Excel, Power BI etc. Ad Hoc Custom reporting on an ad hoc basis for budget office, college, and division leadership. Provide additional ad hoc training to department business managers as needed. Lead or collaborate on active college project teams such as cash carryforward, fund 10/11, CCO compliance, etc. What We Can Offer The annual salary range for this full-time position is $105,000 - $120,000. Benefits At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County's largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program. Be Statements Be creative. Be impactful. Be Boulder. What We Require Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) in finance, business, or a related field. Equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute. 5 years of progressively responsible experience in higher education and/or public/nonprofit finance. What You Will Need Experience handling change and advancing leadership initiatives to enhance operations and improve efficiencies. Flexible approach, willing to listen to others and consider options and ideas that may take additional effort but have significant potential. Proactive relationship builder genuinely interested in enabling the success of others to strengthen CU Boulder's internal partnerships. Attentive and ethical communicator with excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to explain complex financial processes and reasons behind decisions customized to the audience. Thorough analytical approach, excited and able to tackle problems through a logical and systematic approach and committed to ensuring complete, accurate, and carefully prepared documents. Forward thinker with results orientation, relying on data and institutional knowledge to forecast issues and opportunities and prepare appropriate options for numerous outcomes. Technical expertise and proven depth of knowledge and skill in the field of public higher education budget modeling, including advanced skills in the use of relevant applications such as the Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook. Ability to run and wrangle large data sets, bringing them into formats understandable by a wide array of constituents. Experience as an independent and team contributor, with the ability to identify what must be done and the initiative to address the task/issue before being asked. Self-confident and willing to take an independent position, speak truth to leadership, and professionally advocate for a position. What We Would Like You to Have Master's degree (or equivalent experience) from an accredited university in business, finance, public/higher education, administration, or a comparable field. At least 6+ years of progressively responsible experience in higher education and/or public/nonprofit finance. Experience in higher education administration with a strong focus on budget and financial analysis. Previous experience applying financial modeling skills in resource planning at an enterprise level, preferably within or pertaining to an institution (or institutions) of higher education. Experience in a department or unit with responsibilities greater than $2.5 million in budget. Experience in speaking publicly to executive leadership including ability to take complex financial illustrations and adapt them to the audience at hand. Special Instructions To apply, please submit the following materials: A current resume. A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position. We may request references at a later time. Please apply by September 18, 2026 for consideration. Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs. In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.