Responsible for the strategic direction of accounting, budgeting and control activities within a school or unit. Enhance the control environment by establishing and monitoring effective processes and systems.
The Associate Director of Accounting reports to and backs up the Controller, serving as a key member of the CSFA team. This role leads and coordinates with university partners including but not limited to, Harvard University Housing & Real Estate, the Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Controller, CS Financial Planning & Analysis, Tax office, and Information Technology to address complex accounting issues and align stakeholders.
The Associate Director oversees internal controls, tax matters, and compliance with GAAP, University and CS policies, and all relevant regulations, while driving process efficiency through technology and automation. The role requires strong leadership, independent judgment, advanced technical accounting and accounting system skills, clear communication, and innovative problem solving.
The Associate Director leads and directs the teams responsible for real estate accounting, real estate tax, and Campus-wide accounting deliverables, and provides cross-functional leadership to other accounting areas to ensure continuity, consistency, and excellence across all financial operations.
Job-Specific Responsibilities
- Provides strategic direction, coaching, and performance management ensuring a high level of customer service and quality work.
- Regularly reviews team structure and workflows to ensure that activities are value-added, strategically aligned with organizational priorities, and focused on the highest-impact work.
- Provides leadership and oversight on complex financial accounting matters and analyses, partnering with key representatives across the university to evaluate and resolve issues efficiently and within tight timeframes.
- Leads the development and drafting of Campus Services鈥搘ide accounting and internal control communications.
- Leads a team responsible for the full spectrum of accounting operations, including but not limited to: monthly, quarterly, and annual close for a large and complex portfolio; accurate and timely daily transactional processing (e.g., journal entries, invoicing, and billing); fixed asset administration (capitalization guidance, analysis and impairment, disposals, monthly accounting, and bi-annual physical inventory); and specialized complex accounting and financial analysis.
- Provides oversite for a variety of tax matters including oversight for a complex real estate portfolio spanning multiple jurisdictions and continuous review and updating of business practices that ensure adherence to federal, state and local tax policies.
- Develops and manages policies, controls, and processes to address the specialized financial activities within Campus Services, ensure compliance with University-wide control requirements, and effectively govern the financial intersections between Campus Services鈥搊wned and managed business applications and enterprise systems, including periodic testing and updating of local accounting policies and procedures in collaboration with central offices.
- Leads the creation and execution of training initiatives
- Provide strategic leadership as the accounting subject matter expert for key financial systems (e.g., Yardi), partnering with IT, business units, and senior stakeholders to define system strategy, maximize utilization, and proactively identify and resolve system-related accounting matters.
- Champion the use of technology and automation to transform accounting processes and strengthen internal controls by driving automation initiatives, redesigning workflows, defining accounting and process requirements for technical solutions, and leading participation in system integrations.
- Play a leadership role in User Acceptance Testing and system implementations, collaborating closely with business units, CS HUIT, and other stakeholders to identify areas for improvement, resolve technology-related issues, and ensure seamless process optimization and adoption.
Working Conditions:
This position is expected to have an on-campus presence an average of approximately 2 days per week to promote face to face interaction with team members and clients. Any remote work should be performed in Massachusetts or in compliance with Harvard鈥檚 Out of State Employment Policy.