Blackburn College, a unique four-year liberal arts college with a one-of-a-kind student-managed work program in Carlinville, Illinois, invites internal applicants to apply for the Vice President for Administration and Finance position. The VPAF is a vital member of the College’s leadership team. The VPAF reports directly to the President and provides vision, leadership, and administrative oversight for a department that encompasses the following: financial operations, plant operations (including capital project management), purchasing, insurance and risk management, auxiliary services (college store, post office, food service and conference services) and human resource management. 

The VPAF is responsible for the management of, within prescribed policy, financial accounting and reporting, long-range planning and managing the College’s assets, debt, the College farms (as directed by the Board of Trustees) and capital projects and budgeting.  One of the key liaisons with the Board of Trustees, the VPAF advises the Board on the full range of policy, strategy, and operational matters.

Blackburn College is a private, respected work college with a unique history of involving students in meaningful ways in all aspects of the operation of the College including plant, construction, and management.  This program is a fundamental and integral feature of the curriculum and presents exciting challenges and opportunities for the VPAF.

The successful candidate shall possess:

• Excellent communication and organizational skills; resourcefulness; demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize projects
• The ability to plan, develop, implement and direct the organization’s fiscal function and evaluation performance
• The ability to evaluate and advise on the impact on long range planning of the introduction of new programs/strategies; and an ability to establish professional relationships and interact effectively with diverse constituencies. 
• Essential qualifications include: a high degree of professional discretion, integrity and good judgment, high standards of professional conduct, the ability to maintain confidentiality, and the ability to establish credibility throughout the organization and with the Board as an effective developer of solutions to business challenges.

Minimum Education:  Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university with emphasis in business administration, financial management or related fields, OR a Bachelor’s Degree, CPA certificate AND at least ten years of experience in financial management. 

Required Experience:  demonstrated success in developing financial strategies to support capital improvement projects and to fulfill institutional long-range planning goals; experience developing administrative operating procedures and regulations; demonstrated skills in working successfully with a team of employees to establish goals, motivate, evaluate, solve problems and meet deadlines; and demonstrated experience with computerized information and financial systems and their use in analysis and reporting.  Higher education experience preferred, but not required.

Send resume, cover letter including a diversity statement describing what diversity means to you and why it is important, the names/addresses/phone numbers of three current, and professional references to:  Human Resources, Blackburn College, 700 College Ave., Ludlum 110, Carlinville, IL  62626 or email hr@blackburn.edu. Employment-based immigration sponsorship is not offered for this position.  Phone calls or walk-ins not accepted.  Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. EOE.