Director of Finance

Job Details

General Notes

The University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to inspiring the conservation of native plants through its public botanic garden and its education, research and outreach programs.

Founded by Lady Bird Johnson and Helen Hayes in 1982, the Wildflower Center is the state botanic garden, a community gem, and a national leader in the field of native plant education, sustainable landscapes, land restoration and research.

It is home to the largest living collection of Texas native plants in the state, welcomes 240,000 visitors annually, has 16,000 members and reaches more than 2 million people through its website.

The Center is focused on improving landscapes, promoting biodiversity, and connecting people with our environment.

The Wildflower Center believes that the environment is where we all meet, as Lady Bird Johnson once wisely said. We are a community of people that care for each other, our land and our broader community.

Benefits-eligible Wildflower Center staff members enjoy the robust health, time off and leave, and retirement benefits of The University of Texas at Austin employees.

Wildflower Center staff get free parking, a free annual membership, discounts on Center classes and purchases made at the Gift Shop and Gallery and the Wildflower Café, and access to featured events.

An inspiring and beautiful work environment with outstanding coworkers awaits you.

Purpose

The Wildflower Center seeks an experienced administrator and finance officer to serve as its Director of Finance. The ideal candidate will lead and manage all financial activities, including annual budgeting, monthly financial reporting, and accounting;

oversee and assist with vendor contracts; and, ensure compliance with university administrative and business processes. The director also oversees human resources (payroll and benefits), manages IT systems, and interfaces with university colleagues in finance, HR and IT.

The director will have strong written, graphic and oral communication skills and will interface with and present finances to high-level advisors and donors.

As a part of the University, the Wildflower Center adheres to university financial systems and processes but is financially independent, with finances and operations that are more akin to a not-for-profit cultural institution.

The ideal candidate will have experience in similar environments.

Job Responsibilities

Responsible for developing the annual budget and maintaining and reporting the financial condition of the Center to the Executive Director and senior leadership.

Includes preparing monthly financial reports, managing the accounting team, assisting leadership in making wise financial decisions, developing financial projections, and ensuring accuracy of all financial transactions.

Responsible for administration of human resources activities in accordance with university policies and programs. Includes supervising a human resources coordinator who provides guidance and support to employees and managers on problem resolution, policy and other related areas, processes personnel and payroll transactions, and maintains departmental personnel files.

Reviews and approves all contracts and ensures coordination and compliance with university Business Contracts Office and / or Office of Sponsored Projects as appropriate.

Provides overall administration and leadership for finance team.

Works with the Center’s leadership team to develop strategic programs in support of the Center’s mission and revenue goals.

Includes working with team directors to develop and maintain team budgets.

Develops and implements technology plans for the Wildflower Center, in coordination with UT technology offices and outside vendors, to maintain Center's computers and related systems at peak performance level.

Ensures compliance with PCI and other IT security guidelines.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance or related field; MBA, MPA and / or CPA preferred.

Minimum seven years of progressively increased experience and success in managing the budget, finances and business operations of a complex not-for-profit, governmental or university institution.

Experience in human resources oversight.

Proficient in commonly used accounting, financial and office cloud-based applications.

Excellent interpersonal, consensus-building, organizational, communication and presentation skills.

Demonstrated experience as a leader and manager.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with University of Texas financial and HR management systems.

Experience working in a botanic garden or similar not-for-profit cultural or environmental organization.

Experience with grant management and reporting.

Experience in financial forecasting and modeling.

Technological savvy with experience using point-of-sale and other retail-based technology systems.

Ability to keep both the detailed and larger context in view.

Salary Range

$80,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

May work around standard office conditions

Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

Prolonged screen time

Use of manual dexterity

Ability to work outside in all kinds of weather for mission-related events.

Work Shift

Monday through Friday, 8 : 00 am-5 : 00 pm

Evening and weekend work may be required for events.

Required Materials

Resume / CV

3 work references with their contact information including email address; at least one reference should be from a supervisor.

Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers : You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications.

Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section;

you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.

Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers : As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs.

If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply.

This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume.

In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.

that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility :

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers.

Staff who are promotion / transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility :

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks :

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.