Position Summary
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) serves as the University of Iowa’s senior financial strategist and a principal advisor to the President and senior leadership team, guiding institutional decision-making from its position of financial strength. The CFO will shape long-term institutional priorities, develop innovative approaches to resource deployment, and ensure that the financial strategy advances the University's academic, research, and health care missions. Working in close partnership with University and health care leaders, the Board of Regents, and stakeholders across the institution, the CFO will ensure that financial resources are aligned with strategic priorities, support informed decision-making through rigorous analysis and forecasting, and promote a culture of transparency, accountability, and exceptional stewardship. The CFO will help position the University to navigate a rapidly evolving higher education landscape while preserving the financial flexibility required to support future investments in academic excellence, research growth, student success, and health care innovation.
The position is based in Iowa City, IA.
Key Relationships
Reports to:
Barbara Wilson, President
Direct Reports:
Audra Haddy, Assistant Vice President, Treasury Operations, Billing Services, and Budget/Planning
Rachel McGuire, Assistant Vice President and University Controller
Other Key Relationships:
Kevin Kregel, Executive Vice President and Provost
Bradley Haws, CEO, UI Hospitals and Clinics
Sarah Hansen, Vice President for Student Life
Denise Jamieson, Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean, Carver College of Medicine
Rod Lehnertz, Senior Vice President, Operations and University Architect
Peter Matthes, Senior Advisor to the President and Vice President for External Relations
Laura McLeran, Senior Advisor to the President and Vice President for Administrative Affairs
Jamie Jorgensen, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel
Cheryl Reardon, Chief Human Resources Officer
David Schwebel, Vice President for Research
Deans of the Colleges
Shared Governance
Iowa Board of Regents
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Financial Leadership and Stewardship
Serve as the university’s senior financial strategist and a trusted advisor to the president and senior leadership team.
Develop and maintain an institution-wide financial strategy that aligns resources with key priorities while preserving long-term financial strength and flexibility.
Identify opportunities to deploy capital and financial resources to accelerate institutional strategy and support long-term mission impact.
Lead long-range financial planning and modeling, evaluating emerging risks and opportunities and guiding decisions related to growth, investment, and resource allocation.
Advise university leadership and the Board of Regents on financial matters, including fiscal strategy, capital deployment, and financial performance.
Anticipate changes in the higher education, health care, and public funding environments and develop strategies that position the university for continued success.
Financial Planning, Operations, and Resource Management
Provide executive oversight for financial planning and analysis, budgeting, accounting, treasury, tax, financial reporting, debt management, and internal financial controls.
Lead the development and administration of the university’s operating and capital budgets, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and strategic investments.
Monitor institutional financial performance through predictive analytics, forecasting, and performance metrics, providing actionable insights to support decision-making across the university.
Oversee capital financing strategies and debt portfolios.
Ensure the integrity, transparency, and effectiveness of the university’s financial systems, policies, and procedures.
Enterprise Partnership and Collaboration
Strengthen collaboration between the central finance function and college-level and divisional financial leadership, balancing the benefits of unit-level autonomy with a coordinated enterprise-wide approach to planning, forecasting, and resource stewardship.
Partner closely with academic and administrative leaders to evaluate the financial implications of strategic initiatives, capital investments, research growth opportunities, and operational changes.
Collaborate with leaders across the university and University of Iowa Health Care to support a coordinated, enterprise-wide approach to financial planning and strategic decision-making.
Support the continued evolution of the university’s financial model by balancing institutional priorities, promoting accountability, and enabling effective deployment of resources across a complex organization.
Communicate complex financial issues clearly and effectively to diverse audiences, including faculty, staff, institutional leaders, governing boards, and external stakeholders.
Governance and Compliance
Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, Board of Regents, and institutional policies, regulations, and reporting requirements.
Maintain strong systems of financial oversight, risk management, and internal controls that safeguard university assets and support sound governance.
Represent the university in financial matters and maintain good relationships with auditors, rating agencies, government officials, financial institutions, and other external stakeholders.
Desired Outcomes
Within the first 12–18 months, the successful chief financial officer will:
Begin to serve as a proactive thought partner to the president and senior leadership team, bringing forward-looking ideas, analyses, and recommendations that inform institutional strategy and enable sound decision-making.
Establish credibility and strong working relationships across the University of Iowa, including deans, the Board of Regents, and leaders in University of Iowa Health Care.
Articulate a clear, long-term financial strategy that supports institutional priorities, preserves financial strength, and positions the university for a changing higher education and health care landscape.
Develop productive partnerships with finance leaders across both the academic and health care enterprises, ensuring effective coordination on strategic priorities, capital planning, and financial planning.
Devise recommendations for the evolution of the university's financial framework, balancing institutional priorities, long-term sustainability, and the effective deployment of resources across a complex public research university and academic health system.
Candidate Profile
The University of Iowa seeks a strategic, collaborative, and forward-looking financial leader to serve as its next chief financial officer. The successful candidate will be a trusted advisor capable of helping lead a financially strong, complex public research institution and academic health system as they invest for the future. This leader will combine deep financial expertise with curiosity, creativity, and outstanding judgment, balancing near-term priorities with long-term strategic objectives. The candidate will understand the financial dynamics between academic and clinical enterprises, preferably through direct experience with an academic health system, and will engage effectively with leaders across both domains.
The next chief financial officer will bring the communication skills necessary to collaborate effectively with the president, Board of Regents, university and health care leadership, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders, translating complex financial issues into actionable strategies and informed decisions. Equally important, the chief financial officer will be a collaborative and transparent leader who fosters accountability, inspires confidence, and builds strong partnerships across a decentralized organization. Drawing on both analytical rigor and a service-oriented mindset, the successful candidate will help position the university for continued excellence in teaching, research, patient care, and public service.
Ideal Experience
Senior Strategic Financial Leadership
15+ years of progressive financial leadership in large, complex organizations, preferably within higher education. Experience working within an academic medical center, integrated health system, teaching hospital, or similarly complex health care environment is highly desirable.
Financial Strategy Development and Deployment
Demonstrated success leading long-range financial planning, developing sustainable financial models, and evaluating strategic investments in support of institutional objectives.
Stakeholder Engagement
Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to explain complex financial concepts clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences, including faculty, administrators, board members, and external constituencies.
Team Leadership
A collaborative leader with experience in management roles, providing team leadership and mentorship, including best-in-class professional development opportunities for staff.
Mission Orientation
Demonstrable passion for and connection to the University of Iowa's mission of teaching, research, and public service.
Academic Qualifications
Strong academic credentials required, including a preference for an M.B.A. and/or related graduate degree(s) or C.P.A.
Critical Leadership Capabilities
Strategic Financial Acumen
Creates a long-range financial roadmap to support the University of Iowa's mission, strategy, and goals, rooted in guiding principles of impact, consistency, transparency, and best-in-class policies and processes.
Parses and prioritizes the university's complex and necessarily varied needs and interests, nimbly adjusting and refining strategic direction to best serve the entire organization, including the health care system.
Thoughtfully, constructively, and innovatively stewards the university's identity and assets, remaining rooted in the University of Iowa's mission while delivering changes that enable its growth and support its continued strength.
Collaborating and Influencing
Solicits and considers input from a variety of stakeholders, engaging in collegial, proactive, productive dialogue.
Builds relationships at all levels within the University of Iowa and its health care system, fostering a trusting and supportive environment, while leading through influence and modeling the increased emphasis on the finance function's strategic capability.
Fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the central finance organization and across the distributed finance function.
Leading Change
Carefully evaluates and assesses the status quo to establish priorities for change.
Balances urgency, pragmatism, and ambition in designing and deploying plans for growth and improvement.
Sets goals that are impactful, yet simultaneously realistic and achievable.
Champions change by, in part, identifying, aligning, and empowering leaders who will propagate the change agenda throughout the university.