Director of Finance for Athletics

Reporting directly to the Associate Vice President, Controller with a dotted-line to the Athletics Director, the Director of Finance for Athletics will oversee several fiscal and operational functions within the Iona Athletics department. The incumbent will serve as the primary Athletics liaison to campus partners in Business Services, Finance & Administration, Office of the General Counsel, and Human Resources.

The ideal candidate for this position will have extensive knowledge in leading organizational, operational and budgetary functions in a higher education and/or college athletics setting. This includes but is not limited to: management and oversight of department budgets, resource planning, facilitation of contract processes, department calendar management, and ownership of human resource functions.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for management and administration of all aspects of the business office for the Athletic Department.
• Oversees the finance and business activities of the department.
• Manage budget development and implementation for Iona Athletics.
• Ensure all 23 athletic teams and administrative units have clearly defined and approved budget plans.
• Meet regularly with the athletic director, head coaches, and senior administrative staff to ensure fiscal responsibility.
• Coordinate, facilitate, and create accurate financial reporting, including EADA and NCAA reports, internal ledgers, ticket sales reports, and corporate sponsorship revenue reports. Provide specialized and/or recurring accounting reports as assigned.
• Provide strategic leadership and training in the area of budgetary policies and procedures.
• Implement best practices and identify areas for operational improvement.
• Collaborating closely with the Office of Human Resources, own human resource functions within Iona Athletics. This includes, but is not limited to, drafting job descriptions for department hires, managing requisitions, developing itineraries for interview processes, on-boarding new hires, and facilitating annual performance evaluation logistics.
• Own contract facilitation processes for the athletic department. This includes game contracts, vendor agreements, and others. Manage relationships and display high levels of professionalism both internally and with external constituents throughout negotiation and redline processes.
• Play a leadership role in request for proposal (RFP) processes for Athletics’ vendors and partners. Work closely with campus partners to follow institutional RFP policies and procedures.
• Manage relationships with select department vendors. Ensure partners are meeting and exceeding expectations, and provide appropriate feedback when necessary.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in accounting.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of related experience.
• Demonstrated record of successful budget management, planning, and analysis.
• Experience facilitating human resource functions within a mid-size to large company or higher education institution.
• Must be organized with a keen attention to detail, and the ability to prioritize tasks and work in a collaborative setting while maintaining a level of independence
• Self-starter with a demonstrated ability to achieve results as part of an effective team
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products, primarily Excel, Word and Outlook
• Excel proficiency should include knowledge of VLookups, If Function and Pivot Tables.
• Strong customer focus, verbal and written communications skills; ability to interact effectively with University community

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related business concentration
• Experience with PeopleSoft ERP financial systems
• Experience with Paycom payroll
• Experience in a higher education environment
• Experience in a collegiate athletics program

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

About Iona University/EEO language

Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, nursing, and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2024 national list of “The Best 389 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona's LaPenta School of Business is also accredited AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just 6 percent of business schools worldwide.

Iona offers a comprehensive benefits package to all full-time employees that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plans; life insurance; short and long-term disability; employee assistance program (EAP); tuition remission; and generous time off. For more information on our benefits and working at Iona visit the Human Resources section of our website.

Iona University values and celebrates diversity and is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all of our employees and does not tolerate discrimination based on any legally protected characteristic under applicable federal, state, or local laws. As an equal opportunity employer, Iona University encourages applications from qualified candidates who reflect the wider world in which we live, and in particular from historically underrepresented groups.