AVP, Financial Planning & Analysis

PCN 2063

The Opportunity

Merrimack College seeks a strategic analytical entrepreneurial and technology-forward Associate Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis (AVP FP&A). Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer the AVP will lead enterprise analysis of revenue costs operating performance and strategic investmentshelping Merrimack accelerate sustainable growth improve contribution margins and strengthen financial accountability.

The AVP will work alongside the Vice President Financial Planning and Chief Budget Officer who leads institutional budgeting the hybrid responsibility-centered management model and long-range financial planning and in close partnership with the AVP for Finance/Controller. This highly visible leader will provide forecasts models dashboards and AI-enabled decision support that connect strategy resource allocation and operating results. Serve as a trusted advisor to the CFO and senior leadership translating analysis into recommendations on growth resource allocation investment priorities and financial risk.

Key Responsibilities:

• Revenue growth and revenue-center analysis.Analyze undergraduate and graduate net tuition financial aid retention research and sponsored programs auxiliary operations partnerships and new ventures. Identify opportunities to increase sustainable net revenue and reduce revenue risk.

• Cost management and containment. Create transparent cost-center reporting identify cost drivers and develop actionable savings and productivity initiatives involving workforce procurement vendors processes technology facilities and shared services.

• Program economics and investment discipline.Develop contribution-margin unit-cost capacity and portfolio analyses and evaluate strategic initiatives using market revenue cost risk break-even payback and return-on- investment measures.

• Forecasting and scenario planning.Build driver-based forecasts and sensitivity analyses for enrollment net tuition revenue compensation benefits auxiliaries research and major operating expenses and make recommendations on emerging financial risks & opportunities.

• Budget and hybrid RCM support.Provide the Chief Budget Officer with analytical models forecasts performance metrics and recommendations that strengthen institutional budgeting accountability and the Colleges hybrid RCM framework.

• Performance management.Deliver executive dashboards variance analyses and operating reviews that explain what changed why it changed and what actions are required.

• AI-enabled finance and analytics.Lead responsible use of predictive analytics generative AI automation anomaly detection and business intelligence with strong standards for data quality validation explainability privacy security and human review.

Initial Priorities:

• Establish standardized revenue-center and cost-center dashboards and operating reviews.

• Build an integrated enrollment financial-aid and net tuition revenue forecasting model.

• Develop a College-wide cost-containment and productivity pipeline with accountable owners and measurable results.

• Implement a practical roadmap and governance framework for AI-enabled FP&A and reporting.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in finance accounting economics business administration data analytics or a related field.

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in FP&A strategic finance corporate finance management consulting higher education finance or a related discipline.

• Demonstrated success in revenue analysis cost analysis financial modeling forecasting scenario planning performance reporting and business-case development.

• Experience partnering with senior executives and operating leaders in a complex fast-moving matrixed organization.

• Advanced proficiency with ERP planning and forecasting business-intelligence data-visualization and financial-modeling tools including experience applying AI or advanced analytics to decision support.

• Exceptional communication judgment integrity collaboration and change-leadership skills.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel including financial modeling forecasting scenario analysis and data reconciliation.

• Experience with enterprise financial and ERP systems; Jenzabar One or a comparable higher-education system preferred.

• Proficiency with business-intelligence and data-visualization tools such as Microsoft Power BI or Tableau.

• Ability to integrate and analyze financial enrollment payroll human-resources and operational data.

• Familiarity with SQL database querying and budgeting or enterprise-performance-management platforms preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters degree in business administration finance accounting analytics or a related field; CPA CFA CMA or another relevant credential.

• Financial leadership experience in higher education or another complex mission-driven multi-unit organization.

• Experience with responsibility-centered management academic program economics unit costing or activity-based costing.

• Experience implementing or enhancing enterprise planning data-warehouse business-intelligence or AI-enabled finance capabilities.

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will be strategically minded analytically rigorous entrepreneurial and able to constructively challenge assumptions. The AVP will translate complex information into practical decisions build trust across the College and balance growth affordability academic quality student success and long-term financial sustainability.

Application Materials Should Include:

• Resume

• Cover letter stating motivation and interest in the position citing experience relevant to the qualifications and including experience with and commitment to our Catholic Augustinian mission and our values.

This position is subject to the successful completion of a criminal background check.

Working Conditions

This is an on-campus position as employees are essential in order to provide a fully on-campus residential college experience for our students and the community.

Statement on Our Mission

Merrimack College is a Catholic Augustinian institution of higher education committed to building an accepting and respectful community. Our mission is to enlighten minds engage hearts and empower lives and is inspired by our Catholic faith and the Augustinian tradition of seeking truth through inquiry and dialogue.

Merrimack College seeks candidates who understand respect and can contribute to Merrimacks Catholic and Augustinian mission. All candidates should describe in their application how they will foster a culture that supports our mission.

About Merrimack College

The only Catholic Augustinian institution of higher education in New England Merrimack College is a private independent coeducational institution with more than 4000 undergraduate and 1900 graduate students from 46 states and 45 countries. The College features more than 160 career-focused academic programs in science engineering business nursing health sciences education social sciences and humanities across undergraduate professional and graduate programs all taught by exceptional faculty who are passionate about their subject and student success. The College has six schools: arts and sciences engineering and computational sciences nursing and health sciences education and social policy the Girard school of business and the Graduate School of counseling and social work. The Colleges suburban 220-acre campus is just north of Boston in North Andover Massachusetts. Merrimack is a Masters Colleges and Universities/Larger Programs (M1) institution in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Merrimack is one of the fastest-growing educational institutions in the country and has steadily climbed up in the U.S. News & World Reports ranking of Best Colleges ranking 37th in the Regional Universities North category in 2025. Merrimack is a NCAA Division I athletic institution.

Merrimack College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.