Vice President for Finance & Operations/Chief Operating Officer

Salary/Position Classification

• $280,000 to $335,000 annual, commensurate with experience.

Purpose of Position

The University of North Dakota (UND) seeks a strategic, ambitious, and highly collaborative leader to serve as its next Vice President for Finance & Operations/Chief Operating Officer (VPFO/COO). Reporting directly to President Andrew Armacost and serving as a member of the University’s Executive Council, the VPFO/COO is UND’s chief financial and operating officer and one of the institution’s most influential strategic leaders.

The VPFO/COO works closely with the President, Provost, deans, and senior administrators to align financial planning, workforce strategy, facilities, capital investment, public safety, compliance, and operational effectiveness with the University’s strategic priorities. UND operates with annual revenue in excess of $720 million, manages approximately $953 million in capital assets, and has grown into one of the nation’s newest Carnegie R1 universities with annual research expenditures approaching $250 million. The University is currently advancing more than $390 million in active and planned capital projects, including major investments in STEM facilities, research infrastructure, deferred maintenance, and student-centered campus improvements. These initiatives create an exceptional opportunity for a leader energized by institutional growth, operational excellence, and long-term stewardship.

The VPFO/COO leads a broad and complex portfolio encompassing Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, Treasury, Resource Planning and Allocation, Facilities and Operations, Capital Planning and Construction, Public Safety, Emergency Management, Risk Management, Civil Rights and Title IX, Disability Resources, Community and Belonging, and the Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center. The division includes eight senior leaders reporting directly to the VPFO/COO and approximately 750 staff across these areas. Through this talented team of leaders and professional staff, the VPFO/COO ensures that the University’s financial, physical, and human resources are aligned to advance UND’s mission and strategic aspirations. A distinguishing aspect of the VPFO/COO role is its visibility and influence both on campus and across North Dakota.

The VPFO/ COO serves as a key liaison to the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education, the North Dakota University System (with 11 public institutions), state agencies, legislative leaders, and university-affiliated nonprofits (such as the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, the Center for Innovation and its Foundation, the Ralph Engelstad Arena, and the Energy & Environmental Research Center), and acts as one of the University’s principal advocates for funding, capital investment, research growth, and institutional priorities. North Dakota’s uniquely collaborative environment, across a range of state agencies and partners, provides an unusual opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with policymakers and leaders within the System to help shape the future of higher education throughout the state.

UND seeks a leader who embraces partnership and shared governance, understands the intersection of academic priorities and financial strategy, promotes a welcoming and pluralistic campus community, and is committed to by the university’s strategic goals and aspirations. The successful candidate will be a disciplined financial steward, exceptional communicator and public speaker, and trusted relationship builder who can navigate complexity, foster innovation, champion transparency and accountability, and leverage emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to strengthen institutional effectiveness while preserving the human-centered culture that defines UND. Most importantly, UND seeks a leader who is eager to join a highly collaborative executive team and help shape the future of one of the nation’s fastest-rising public research universities.

UND has engaged Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist with this recruitment. Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be directed in confidence to the search firm as indicated at the end of this ad. View the full position profile here.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Financial oversight
• Facilities oversight
• Operations oversight
• Internal and external relations
• Leadership

Required Competencies

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to speak to complex financial information in lay terms
• Proven financial planning and operational excellence
• Proven analytical skills
• Demonstrated negotiation skills
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a leadership team
• Demonstrated experience building relationships and synergies among different groups and boards
• Possess an understanding of the issues that confront public institutions of higher education, as well as an ability to articulate the teaching, research, and service missions of the University
• Possess an understanding of unique challenges and opportunities for universities
• Ability to manage change through innovation
• Ability to make decisions on priorities when resources are scarce.
• Possesses high standards in professional excellence, honesty, accountability, and integrity

Minimum Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree
• Ten years of progressively responsible administrative and leadership experience in a complex and multifaceted institution
• Successful completion of a Criminal History Background Check

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the US and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. This position does not support visa sponsorship for continued employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• A master’s degree in accountancy, finance, business administration, or related field; an advanced credential such as a CPA, CMA, or equivalent professional certification; or a terminal degree in a related field such as a PhD in Accounting, Finance, or DBA
• 10+ years of experience, including four years in senior administrative roles
• Demonstrated experience building positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, governance boards, legislative bodies, or public agencies
• Demonstrated experience managing complex financial structures and executing strategic financial modeling and decisions
• Demonstrated experience working with budget models and corporate financial planning & analysis
• Leadership experience managing, administering, or leading organizational operations such as environmental safety, emergency management, public safety, or police units
• Working knowledge of complex compliance, regulatory, or accountability frameworks
• Experience with diversified capital assets or facilities planning
• Oversight of human capital management or organizational development

To Apply

Applications should include a letter of interest (not more than three pages) specifically addressing the applicant’s background in relationship to the qualifications described, a current resume or curriculum vitae. UND has engaged the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller to assist in the recruitment of the Vice President for Finance & Operations/ Chief Operating Officer.

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website using the following link: imsearch.com/open-searches/university-north-dakota/vice-president-finance-operationschief-operating-officer.

• Dan Rodas, Partner 
• Stephanie Simon, Senior Associate
• Tiffany Hendren, Senior Search Coordinator

Isaacson, Miller Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in this application process should contact Isaacson, Miller via the search webpage.