Vice President for Budget & Planning

Boston University (BU), one of the nation’s premier private research universities, seeks a strategic and experienced financial leader to serve as its next Vice President for Budget & Planning (“Vice President” or “VP”). Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer, the Vice President will help shape the University’s financial planning and resource allocation strategies by advancing its budgeting systems, financial modeling capabilities, and multi-year forecasting processes in support of long-term institutional goals.

The Vice President joins BU at a critical time, as the University takes actionable steps to build a resource allocation system that aligns with its strategic and operational priorities. In this context, the Vice President will play a key role in shaping an integrated resource allocation model that anticipates institutional needs, supports resource stewardship, and reinforces the University’s commitment to transparency and strategic alignment. The ideal candidate will not only bring technical and analytical expertise, as well as strong relationship-building skills and the ability to foster shared accountability across diverse stakeholder groups. The VP will develop and lead a high-performing team, while cultivating a planning culture that is forward-looking, data-informed, and adaptable to change. These responsibilities come at a time of sustained institutional investment and complexity. With strong credit ratings and nearly $6 billion in total net assets, BU is well-positioned to pursue long-range financial planning efforts that reflect its academic mission, operational needs, and evolving external landscape.

The Vice President will oversee the development and management of the University’s operating and capital budgets, lead institution-wide financial analysis and modeling, and collaborate closely with senior leadership, the Provost’s Office, and both academic and administrative units to support informed decision-making.

Founded in 1839, Boston University is internationally recognized as a top institution of higher learning and research (ranked #41 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report). Comprising 17 schools and colleges and the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, BU offers more than 300 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and special degree programs, along with the resources of multiple libraries and over 130 academic centers and institutes. With more than 37,000 students from all 50 states and 145+ countries, Boston University is among the largest independent universities in the United States. As one of 71 invited members of the Association of American Universities (AAU), BU is among North America’s most prestigious research universities.

The expected salary range for this position is $375,000-$425,000. The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, training and internal pay comparison. The listed hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Boston University has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in conducting this important search and to help identify outstanding candidates. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent below.

Dan Rodas and Micah Pierce are leading this search with Carley Davenport and Marlyn Desire.

Boston University is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. The University community welcomes differences, encourages open-minded exploration, and upholds freedom of expression. BU is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

BU conducts a background check on all final candidates for certain faculty and staff positions. The background check includes contacting the final candidate’s current and previous employer(s) to ask whether, in the last seven years, there has been a substantiated finding of misconduct violating that employer’s applicable sexual misconduct policies. To implement this process, the University requires a final candidate to complete and sign the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” after execution of an offer letter.