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https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov/jobs/12682233 Department
SING Polsky Operations - Administration
About the Department
The Polsky Center\'s mission is to advance innovative ideas and
technologies from the University of Chicago ecosystem to the world. Our
60 person staff is dedicated to supporting faculty, students, staff, and
alumni, as well as other entrepreneurs and community-based small
business owners, in navigating the complex process of bringing new
products, services, and research to market. The Polsky Center\'s
programming includes a top-ranked business accelerator, the Edward L.
Kaplan, \'71, New Venture Challenge; a multi-disciplinary co-working
space called the Polsky Exchange; the George Shultz Innovation Fund that
invests in early-stage ventures; and deep tech accelerators focused on
quantum, data science and AI, and clean tech ventures. In addition, the
Polsky Center houses the University of Chicago\'s technology transfer
unit, which manages all University-based intellectual property
originating from faculty research and its commercialization.
Job Summary
Reporting to the Chief of Staff and working closely with other senior
leadership at Polsky, the Finance Director oversees finance, accounting,
budget, procurement and internal audit responsibilities for the Polsky
Center, with the opportunity to work on other operations and strategic
initiatives as needed. In doing so, the Finance Director will play a
critical role in the Polsky Center\'s ability to bring scientific
research advances to the world through commercialization, support
students in entrepreneurial careers, and support community-based small
businesses.
The Director will work closely with senior management to deliver
high-quality information and perspective regarding financial
performance, long range financial planning, potential risk, and internal
operations. In addition, this position will play a key role in internal
financial controls and compliance and in ensuring strong internal
operations that support our mission and strategic priorities. The
Director will work closely with staff from the Technology Ventures team
at the Polsky Center to ensure all financial data captured on
intellectual property, license agreements, facilities usage and startup
ventures is accurate and complete.
This role manages a team of professional staff responsible for the
financial management of operating and capital budgets for divisions
and/or University-wide administrative units. Develops long and short
term plans to achieve financial goals, business strategies/plans, and
financial forecasts/models for all major service programs and
initiatives. Manages quarterly and year-end reporting for the operating
budget.
Responsibilities
Manages and develops staff.
Leads the development and analysis of monthly, quarterly, and annual
financial planning cycles including budget, forecast, and long-range
strategic plans.
Manages the timely and accurate preparation of relevant financial
statements, activity reports, financial position forecasts, and other
reports as required by regulatory agencies.
Prepares timely value-add financial analysis, key performance indicators
and dashboards to drive decision-making with senior leadership,
including providing a full view of Polsky Center financials and
projections across teams.
Communicates financial updates and strategic recommendations to senior
management in a concise, clear, and timely manner.
Implements efficient and effective strategic and operational long-range
plans by leveraging business-driven inputs, performance metrics and a
robust sales and investment pipeline.
Oversees all financial aspects of internal and external audit
engagements by closely partnering with auditors, senior management,
executive and operational committees, and other stakeholders at the
University.
Implements, improves, and oversees Polsky Center operational efficiency,
strengthens internal controls, and enhances the utilization of ERP
systems.
Ensures timely compliance of federal, state, and local governmental and
international requirements.
Oversees unit-wide compliance and adherence to procurement policies,
fund and gift management, program execution and overall revenue
generation stewardship.
Creates business-driven financial analyses, ensuring alignment with
business strategies, priorities, and financial requirements.
Collaborates across Polsky Center teams to ensure the necessary
documentation and projection of financial aspects of Polsky programming.
This includes patent applications and patent prosecution, license and
interinstitutional agreements, and science venture equity and
investments; science incubator and accelerator programs; community
entrepreneur support; and facilities charges and space use.
Develops strong partnerships with a broad range of key internal
stakeholders, including the Budget Office, Financial Services, and
Office of Legal Counsel, and external stakeholders, including partners
and collaborators in higher education, industry, and government.
Assists with unit-wide priorities in-line with changing business
priorities,
