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Job Description
Bennington College invites applications and nominations for the position of Associate Vice President for Finance. Reporting to the Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration/Chief Financial Officer, the AVP will lead a team charged with the financial stewardship of the College, which has a $50 million operating budget. The Associate Vice President serves as a strategic partner in the ongoing advancement of the College’s business operations and financial planning.
The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of and experience with a range of financial management operations and will be equally adept as both a hands-on manager and as a strategic thinker. The Associate Vice President will be responsible for planning and directing the College’s accounting operations and procedures in the following functional areas: accounting, general ledger, student billing/collections, accounts payable, purchasing, accounts receivable, fixed assets and inventories, payroll, tax reporting, and cash management. The position is responsible for the preparation of financial statements and annual budgets as well as financial modeling in conjunction with multi-year projections. Knowledge of accounting for restricted funds is desirable. The AVP is expected to engage with all areas of the College to strengthen the overall effectiveness of the College’s financial operations, making recommendations and implementing improvements in operations and reporting where appropriate. To that end, strong organizational, analytical and communication skills are essential. This position is the primary contact for the external financial audit and participates in Board Committee meetings.
The Associate Vice President is responsible for the direct supervision and ongoing development of an accounting staff of 7. Candidates must have the ability to successfully collaborate and engage with individuals at all levels of the institution. Bennington serves a diverse student population inclusive of members of ethnically/racially minoritized, international, LGBTQIA+, and disability communities as well as diverse gender identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, and political beliefs. Our staff and faculty also reflect diverse and intersecting backgrounds and identities. All employees are expected to be respectful and responsive to these differences in the service of building community that promotes student and employee success. Each individual (faculty, staff and students) will be accountable for upholding these values. The College’s approach to pluralism and inclusivity—both as fields of inquiry and practice—is to prioritize flexible thought, and to invite the examination of access, value, power, and privilege through its institutional policies and areas of study. We encourage applicants from diverse realms of interest, backgrounds, experience, and accomplishment to apply.
The position requires a minimum of 10 years’ related experience, preferably working within higher education or a large non-profit environment, and demonstrated knowledge of non-profit accounting standards and tax laws/regulations. Candidates must be technologically savvy with experience using financial management systems and have strong project management skills. A bachelor’s degree in accounting (or its equivalent) and/ or CPA is required. Experience in public accounting is desirable. The position requires successful completion and acceptable results of credit and background checks.
The College
Bennington College is a distinguished national residential liberal arts college that has, since its founding in 1932, been a laboratory for new ideas and an intellectual home to countless artists, activists, and thinkers who have shaped contemporary culture. The college was the first to include the visual and performing arts in a liberal arts education, and it is the only college to require that its students spend a term—every year—at work in the world. Today, Bennington is home to a community that is engaged with some of the most critical issues facing our country and the world. Bennington’s students work intensively with faculty and staff to forge individualized and hands-on educational paths around their driving questions and interests, and also devote themselves to a number of community outreach efforts, often tied to the endeavors they are pursuing in their coursework.
Nestled at the foot of the Green Mountains in Vermont, the campus consists of approximately 370 acres. The College was named one of ten with the best architecture by Architectural Digest. From campus, it is a short drive to the cultural offerings of the northern Berkshires in Massachusetts, Albany, New York, and many of Vermont’s top recreational centers. New York City, Boston, and Burlington, Vermont are all within three and a half hours by car.
