Director, Finance Systems Strategy & Optimization
College Board — Finance Division
Location: Remote (hybrid option for candidates near CB offices — Tuesday and Wednesday in office). Occasional travel required.
Role Type: Full-time
About the Team
The Operational Excellence (OX) function at the College Board is a high-performing team serving as a center of excellence in the Finance Division, led by the Executive Director, Operational Excellence. Situated directly under the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), OX brings deep expertise in project management, process architecture, product strategy, data analytics, and strategic communications. The team is committed to driving organizational excellence by designing and optimizing integrated systems, enhancing cross-functional collaboration, streamlining complex workflows, and fortifying policy and communication frameworks.
About the Opportunity
As the Director, Finance Systems Strategy & Optimization, you will serve as the execution leader responsible for translating strategic vision into tangible system improvements across the College Board's core financial platforms — Workday Financials, Adaptive Planning, and Strategic Sourcing. You will focus on driving end-to-end delivery of technical solutions, coordinating complex projects, and ensuring financial systems operate efficiently, accurately, and in alignment with business needs.
You will partner with Accounting, Procurement, Strategic Finance, Investments, Technology, and Talent to ensure these systems are fully leveraged to deliver maximum value. You will own the system roadmaps, taking full responsibility for executing both immediate and long-term action plans. You will lead the investigation and implementation of new functionality, with a special focus on AI integration to automate and innovate so Finance teams can work faster and more efficiently.
Responsibilities
Prioritize and implement technical solutions in Workday Financials (40%)
- •Translate functional needs into scalable, repeatable, automated solutions that leverage AI and emerging technologies
- •Project manage the implementation of new features and enhancements, overseeing configuration, testing, deployment, and change management
- •Engage and manage external consultants as needed
- •Manage the intake and prioritization of product and systems requests, working closely with stakeholders to ensure the most impactful work is prioritized
Maintain and optimize Workday Financials (25%)
- •Own business process enhancements of Workday Financials modules to support optimal user experience
- •Develop and monitor key performance metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of Workday Financials solutions and identify areas for improvement
- •Proactively analyze, identify, and correct technical problems and deficiencies
- •Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices to ensure Workday Financials and Adaptive instances are optimized
- •Facilitate bi-annual Workday releases and liaise with the Workday account manager to understand their roadmap
- •Work with Technology to support the integrative and administrative needs of Workday Financials and Adaptive
- •Create and maintain detailed documentation and user guides on major system tasks, reports, custom business processes, etc.
Execute comprehensive data and dashboard solutions (20%)
- •Serve as the go-to resource to develop reporting and data solutions within Workday Financials, Adaptive, and Strategic Sourcing, and in supplemental tools such as Tableau or Power BI as needed
- •Design and implement comprehensive dashboard solutions within Workday Financials to provide actionable insights and support decision-making for Procurement, Accounting, and Investments
Lead roadmap development and drive execution (15%)
- •Develop and maintain finance product roadmaps in collaboration with functional Finance leadership, related subject matter experts, and Technology to optimize system use
- •Provide status reports and updates to Leadership as needed
About You
- •At least five to eight years working in finance operations, with at least three years specifically in Workday Financials
- •Bachelor's degree required in a related field; Workday Financials and/or Adaptive Planning certification is a plus
- •Proficiency in Financial Accounting, Procurement, and Expense modules within Workday Financials, as well as Adaptive Financial Planning and Strategic Sourcing
- •Proficiency in Workday Worksheets and Discovery Boards; experience with Workday Prism preferred
- •Working knowledge of Tableau and/or Power BI preferred
- •Ability to pivot quickly, adapt to evolving requirements, and work in an Agile-adjacent environment
- •Exceptional attention to detail and strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage a wide range of tasks and see them through to completion
- •Enthusiasm for data and the ability to harness large data sets to inform business decisions
- •Ability to collaborate cross-functionally and bring a team-first mentality
- •Confidence working with both end users and engineers, translating practical needs into technical solutions
- •Great verbal and written communication skills
- •Experience with Jira and Confluence preferred
- •Ability to travel 2-3 times per year to College Board offices
- •Authorization to work for any employer in the United States
Compensation
The hiring range for this role is $88,000 to $160,000. Salaries are adjusted by location:
- •New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, and Los Angeles: $135,000 to $160,000
- •Austin, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Denver: $120,000 to $140,000
- •Atlanta, Miami, Iowa City, and most other locations throughout the Southeast and Midwest: $88,000 to $125,000
Hiring Process
Application review begins immediately and continues until the position is filled. The process generally includes resume and application submission, recruiter phone or video screen, hiring manager interview, performance exercise, panel interview, a conversation with leadership, and reference checks.