VP, Finance and Administation

The Vice President, Finance and Administration will play a central role in shaping how Reach University builds and sustains the systems that enable its mission to grow. You see these teams not as back-office functions, but as core drivers of organizational strength, clarity, and scale. You are motivated by bringing these functions into alignment, building strong teams, and creating the infrastructure that allows others across the university to do their best work.

In this role, you will oversee Finance, Financial Aid, and Administration as an integrated set of capabilities that work together to support Reach's next stage of growth. Administration spans the operational functions that keep the university running, including legal, which currently sits within this role. You will partner closely with senior leadership and the Board, bringing a thoughtful, strategic lens to risk, resource allocation, and operational decision-making. Two capabilities matter most in this work: building rigorous financial models and multi-year scenario plans and leading and developing the people who run these functions day to day. At the same time, you are deeply invested in how the work gets done. You build alignment across teams, strengthen daily operations, and ensure that systems, processes, and tools are both effective and grounded in the realities of the organization.

You are a leader who develops people as intentionally as you build systems. You create clarity in roles and expectations, invest in the growth of your teams, and build a culture of accountability, learning, and continuous improvement. You are energized by the opportunity to evolve and modernize core functions, building the next generation of financial, legal, and administrative capabilities that will support Reach's long-term impact. Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or any related field; MBA/JD a plus
• 10+ years of experience in financial leadership, including hands-on financial planning and analysis or similar role
• Strong financial modeling and analytical skills, including comfort with complex and varied models
• Strong people management skills
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets
• Knowledge of accounting principles and financial statement analysis
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving abilities

What You’ll Do:

• Provide Vision & Leadership: Lead all financial office activities, including accounting, payroll, purchasing, treasury, and financial planning & analysis, ensuring they align with Reach's goals and mission.
• Lead and Develop the Team: Mentor, develop, and coach team members across financial planning and analysis, accounting, financial aid, and legal, setting goals and conducting performance evaluations to ensure success and growth within the department.
• Oversee Budget Development: Coordinate the development of the university’s budget, ensuring fiscal integrity and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Ensure Compliance: Maintain compliance with professional accounting standards, laws, and regulations, including the federal and state requirements that govern financial aid and Registered Apprenticeship Programs, and prepare necessary financial reports for federal, state, and local agencies.
• Cash Flow Management: Oversee cash management and ensure that all treasury functions, including investments, meet the organization’s goals as per the Board’s risk profile.
• Advise Leadership: Act as an advisor to the President, Cabinet, Faculty Leads, and the Board of Trustees, providing insights into financial and legal matters.
• Legal and Administrative Oversight: Manage relationships with internal and external legal counsel, ensuring the organization’s financial processes are legally sound. Manage all administrative functions related to leases, insurance, corporate filings, and other related matters.
• Prepare Financial Statements: Manage the team that creates and presents financial reports, presentations, and other correspondence related to financial oversight and management.
• Ensure Financial Controls: Supervise all financial control activities to maintain the soundness and integrity of financial processes.
• Promote Financial Literacy: Work with all departments to promote financial literacy and effective financial planning across the organization.
• Support Strategic Decision-Making: Engage in constant financial strategic analysis to inform decision-making and long-term planning.

What You’ll Bring to the Table:

• Extensive Leadership Experience: 10+ years as a financial leader and business executive, with 5+ years as a VP Finance or CFO for a for-profit or nonprofit organization.
• Financial Modeling and Long-Term Planning: Proven ability to personally build complex, multi-scenario financial models and multi-year plans, not just review them, and to defend every assumption.
• People Management and Team Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading and developing finance or operations teams, creating clarity in roles and expectations, and raising the bar on both performance and culture.
• Strategic Financial Analysis: Ability to analyze financial data and systems to inform strategic decision-making.
• Strong Relationship Management: Experience in building relationships with diverse stakeholders, including internal teams, external partners, and the Board of Trustees.
• Organizational Design Expertise: Experience in optimizing organizational structures for finance teams and redesigning financial processes to improve efficiency.
• Visionary Leadership: Ability to communicate complex financial information clearly, tailoring your message to different audiences (leadership, staff, and external partners).
• Strategic Planning: Expertise in strategic and multi-year financial planning, with experience managing large capital and operating budgets.
• Comprehensive Financial Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of financing techniques, financial analysis, debt management, and endowment management.
• Stewardship of Resources: Strong understanding of financial stewardship, ensuring processes and procedures are fiscally sound and compliant with all regulations.

Reach University is an accredited, nonprofit institution reshaping higher education - one where a job leads to a degree, not the other way around. Through the Apprenticeship Degree, Reach transforms workplaces into university learning spaces, allowing working adults to earn credit for the work they do on the job and leverage deep learning through inquiry, dialogue, collaboration, and on-the-job practice in their everyday experience. 

At Reach, we envision a world where everyone, everywhere can access fully job-embedded higher education - where effort and skill, not wealth or connections, determine who gets ahead. Reach is building pathways for professionals to grow their impact, advance their careers, and stay rooted in the communities they serve.
We’re building a world where higher education is both higher and within reach.  Learn more at reach.edu
Benefits:

• Health Insurance: We provide medical, vision, and dental insurance plans to ensure you and your family are well-covered. Plus additional wellness programs. 
• Flexible Time Off: We offer a flexible "Flexible Time Off" policy, empowering you to take the time you need when you need it, without the constraints of a traditional vacation policy.
• Flexible Remote-Only Workplace: Enjoy the freedom to work from anywhere with our flexible remote-only work environment, fostering a balance of workload and rest
• Professional Development Support: We are committed to your growth and development, offering support for professional development opportunities to help you advance in your career.

Salary 
The salary range for this role is between $131,200 and $180,400. 

Equal Opportunity Employer
Reach University is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Reach University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at PeopleOps@reach.edu if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.