Chief Financial Officer and Director of Sponsored Programs

FINANCIAL ANL MGR 1 (000212)

UCPath Position ID: 40053135

Position Description History/Status

For Reference ONLY - PeopleAdmin JA Number:

1119282

Approved Date:

8/25/2026 9:06:31 PM

Date Last Edited:

8/25/2026 9:06:05 PM

Last Action Effective Date:

8/1/2021

Organization Details

Business Unit (Location):

LACMP

Organization Code:

6600O

Organization:

OFFICE OF ADVANCED RESEARCH COMPUTING  

Division Code:

6610D

Division:

OFFICE OF ADVANCED RESEARCH COMPUTING  

Department:

455000 - OFFICE OF ADVANCED RESEARCH COMP

Position Details

UCPath Position Number:

40053135

Position Description ID

166290

UC Payroll Title:

FINANCIAL ANL MGR 1 (000212)

Personnel Program

Management and Senior Professional (MSP)

Salary Grade:

Grade 25

Job Code FLSA:

Exempt

Union Code (Collective Bargaining Unit):

99: Non-Represented (PPSM)

Employee Relations Code:

A: Manager - Not Confidential

Employee Class (Appt Type):

2 - Staff: Career

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)

1

SUPERVISION

UCPath Reports to Position Number:

41138579

Reports to Payroll Title:

IT ARCHITECT MGR 2

UCPath Department Head Position Number:

41138579

Department Head Payroll Title:

IT ARCHITECT MGR 2

GENERAL DIRECTION - Indicates that the incumbent receives guidance in terms of broad goals and overall objectives and is responsible for establishing the methods to attain them. Generally the incumbent is in charge of an area of work, and typically formulates policy for this area but does not necessarily have final authority for approving policy.

005185

FINANCIAL SVC ANL 4 CX

1

005265

RSCH ADM 4 RP

1

004754

FINANCIAL SVC ANL 2 CX

1

005256

PROJECT POLICY ANL 2 RP

1

POSITION SUMMARY

The Chief Financial Officer and Director of Sponsored Programs for the Office of Advanced Research Computing (OARC) provides strategic financial, operational, and administrative leadership for UCLA's research computing and technology ecosystem. This role reports directly to the Executive Director, serves as a key member of the OARC Management Team, and partners with the leadership of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) for high-impact grant initiatives.  The CFO/Director is the primary liaison between OARC's financial and programmatic functions. This high-impact position drives financial strategy and business operations across a diverse, multi-stream portfolio, supporting large-scale state and federal contracts, industry-academic partnerships such as Innovate@UCLA, and workforce and economic development initiatives including the OARC Build SM Center. Serving as the vital link between financial operations and programmatic vision for OARC and the Institute of Digital Research and Education (IDRE), the CFO/Director collaborates closely with senior leadership and central university units to advance OARC's strategic goals in support of cutting-edge research computing, R&D, and complex research data programs.

The CFO/Director leads end-to-end financial operations, encompassing long-range planning, capital modeling, multi-stream budget preparation, expenditure controls, sales and service revenue management, rate analysis and setting, and business continuity. The role oversees the complete lifecycle of OARC's annual grant portfolio, directing pre-award proposals, post-award management, and closeout activities for awards across federal, state, local, and private sponsors, with a heavy emphasis on Smart Manufacturing and advanced computing initiatives. Utilizing deep contract management expertise, the CFO/Director evaluates contract terms for financial value and risk, working alongside internal stakeholders, business units, and legal counsel to negotiate and execute favorable agreements that protect institutional resources.

Beyond high-level strategy, the position ensures operational excellence by managing departmental purchasing, equipment, IT sourcing, and procurement while maintaining strict adherence to regulatory compliance and audit standards. The CFO/Director manages resource allocations, and directs compensatory activities including salary distributions, merit and rewards processing, and stipends, and oversees cyclical financial processes and fiscal year-end closeouts. CFO/Director enforces robust internal controls, and manages reserve and capital accounts to secure long-term financial stability.

Additionally, the role provides strong team leadership by supervising administrative, program management, and financial personnel, including oversight over industry partnership program, Innovate@UCLA. 

This position operates in a hybrid work environment with onsite campus meetings, collaboration sessions, and/or event and conference participation, as appropriate or requested. 

Type of Supervision Received/Exercised: Reports to the Executive Director, OARC Supervises a team of 4-5 staff and manages an annual budget in excess of $40M, including $10M operational budget and up to $30M in grants.

The Office of Advanced Research Computing (OARC) is embedded in the research enterprise through participation and collaboration in innovative research projects and initiatives with UCLA researchers and industry in support of the UCLA academic mission.

OARC supports digital scholarship through the development, execution, and delivery of innovative and sustainable computational and data science expertise and training, research enabling programs, such as Early Career Researchers (ECR) and digital scholarship programs, research cyber infrastructure, and advanced and cutting-edge techniques and methodologies in the data and computational sciences and statistical analysis.

OARC is a relationship-building organization and focuses on applied research in order to amplify and accelerate the societal impacts of UCLA research in the age of networked data and computation.

OARC expertise and resources are available to all UCLA researchers who are engaged in digital research and scholarship. The group collaborates with faculty, students, postdoctoral researchers, instructors, research staff, and industry.

Financial Strategy & Departmental Operations

Strategic Financial Planning: Facilitates the development and execution of a long-term financial roadmap to support OARC and IDRE strategic programs. Fiscal Strategy & Pricing Models: Develops and implements short-and long-term fiscal strategies to enable new programs, products and/or services; aligns pricing with resource planning and creates and implements new cost pricing models in partnership with OARC technology program leaders. (E) Sales & Service Models: Leads implementation of sales and service model; develops and presents new programmatic proposals to senior leadership to drive financial growth and sustainability. (E)

10%

Financial Strategy & Departmental Operations

Procurement & Vendor Selection: Facilitates the development of RFPs and evaluation of proposals for procurement of products or services, including grant sub-recipient teams, in collaboration with senior leadership and/or Principal Investigators; drives value-based decision-making through comprehensive cost/benefit analysis. (E) Research Infrastructure Planning: Plans for the financial, physical and digital infrastructure requirements necessary to support OARC’s research technology operations. Human Capital Management: Optimizes cost of human capital through strategic resource planning, efficient staffing allocation, and workforce utilization. Special Projects & Initiatives: Leads, prioritizes and executes high-impact short- and long-term institutional and departmental projects. (E)

10%

Financial Strategy & Departmental Operations

Cross-Functional & Business Case Development: Leverage business, financial, and technology acumen to collaborate with senior leadership, stakeholders, and program directors to build compelling business cases for new initiatives. Serve as part of a team, including but not limited to multiple internal business units, stakeholders, and legal counsel on the development, negotiation, finalization and execution of contracts.(E) Personnel Administration: Oversees resource allocation for personnel, salary distributions,  and workforce planning to support operational goals. (E) Executive Campus Representation: Represents OARC & the UCLA research community’s interests on campus wide committees, task forces, industry &partnership events, &UC systemwide initiatives.

10%

Financial Strategy & Departmental Operations

Leverage relationships to drive the adoption of technology as a competitive research advantage.(E)

Operational Benchmarking & Strategic Alignment: Establishes key performance indicators (KPIs) & benchmarking metrics to demonstrate the strategic value of OARC programs while driving prudent cost efficiencies.(E) Organizational Culture & Strategic Networks: Navigates UC governance & campus organizational structures to foster collaborative relationships, champion core organizational values, UC system/university protocols, governance & campus organizational structures, key customers, & stakeholders to develop high-performance metrics. (E)

10%

Sponsored Research and Grant Activities

Grant Lifecycle Oversight: Oversees, administers, facilitates, and participates in the development, revision, and financial and performance tracking up to $30M annual federal and private grant/contract portfolio, including cost share management, in compliance with award requirements and UCLA policies.(E) Inter-Agency & Cross-Campus Liaison: Facilitates seamless financial and regulatory communications between external subaward partners, such as NSF, DOE, non-UCLA entities and central UCLA organizations including Office of Contracts and Grants, Extramural Fund Management (EFM), HR, and other UCLA resources. (E) Contract Execution & Strategic Partnerships: Establishes and oversees complex contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements

15%

Sponsored Research and Grant Activities

with national partners, nonprofits, workforce development organizations, and educational entities. (E) Grant Proposal Development: Leads, facilitates, and/or contributes to multidisciplinary proposal teams for large, complex grant and cooperative agreement applications. Works in partnership with the Office of Research, Innovation, and Creative Activities (ORCA) to advance UCLA’s research mission, engaging a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, including federal agencies, faculty, industry partners, and subrecipients. (E) Audit Readiness & Compliance Tracking: Oversees financial monitoring, reporting, and internal audits for all sponsored awards to ensure strict adherence to federal, state, and institutional compliance standards. (E)

10%

Financial Management & Reporting

Comprehensive Budget & Resource Management: Directs the overall management, preparation, and control of OARC’s budget across diverse funding streams, including central allocations, gifts, sales and service, contracts, and sponsored awards. (E) Financial Modeling & Strategic Planning: Develops multi-year budgets and financial projections, capital planning models, and scenario analyses that account for external variables and evolving technology landscapes to optimize asset deployment for all functional areas working collaborative with senior leadership. (E)

5%

Financial Management & Reporting

Campus Integration & Liaison: Responsible for maintaining integration with campus systems through supervision and oversight of staff; Serves as OARC’s chief financial and sponsored programs liaison to campus, UC, and external entities; oversees integration with campus budget systems and monitors departmental adherence to approved budgets. (E) Financial Reporting, Analytics, and Cyclical Operations: Oversees the design and delivery of comprehensive financial statements, multi-stream income reports, analytical tools, and cyclical financial processes, including complete fiscal year-end close-out management.

5%

Financial Management & Reporting

Sales, Service & Recharge Rate Administration: Manages sales and service accounts, evaluates ROI on operational activities, identifies new revenue opportunities, and establishes overhead and recharge rate structures for OARC programs.(E) Internal Controls, Compliance & Reserves: Enforces robust internal financial controls to ensure regulatory compliance while actively managing OARC reserves and capital accounts to maintain long-term financial stability. (E) Strategic planning and resource allocation: Formulates and proposes the most astute and effective strategic recommendations for the optimal deployment of current and future financial and physical assets. (E)

5%

Financial Management & Reporting

Institutional Reporting & Information Governance:  Oversees the preparation and delivery of official financial, executive briefs, and institutional responses for OARC and campus leadership and external stakeholders. (E)

5%

Staff leadership and development

Staff supervision:  Directs, mentors, and empowers a multidisciplinary team spanning finance, budgeting, sponsored programs, and fund management. Cultivates a high-performing, inclusive team culture grounded in accountability, technical growth, and exceptional customer service. Drives continuous process improvement, establishes efficient administrative systems, and collaborates with staff to enforce rigorous internal fiscal controls that safeguard University assets. (E) Performance Management: Sets operational goals, conducts performance evaluations, and oversees compensatory activities including merit increases, stipends, and organizational rewards. (E)

15%

•

Performs other duties as assigned.

•

Complies with all policies and standards.

•

Complies with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Principles of Community.

•

This position description is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties or skills required for the job and is subject to review and change at any time, with or without notice, in accordance with the needs of the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's Degree

in Accounting, Finance, or Business.

Required

And

Master's Degree

in Accounting, Finance, or Business.

Preferred

10 or more years

Progressive work experience in financial analysis, strategy, business management.

Required

Experience managing multimillion-dollar budgets with multiple funding sources, including all facets of financial planning, administration, control, and evaluation.

Required

Expert knowledge of financial policies, practices, and systems, advanced working knowledge of GAAP accounting principles, and proficiency in budgeting and reporting techniques.

Required

Demonstrated working knowledge of Contract and Grant Administration policies and procedures, with the ability to analyze and interpret various agency guidelines for both pre- and post-award fund management.

Required

Experience with intellectual property and tech transfer contract management.

Preferred

Proven skill in managing financial operations tailored to the unique complexities of higher education and research environments

Required

Strong executive-level communication and presentation skills (oral and written), with the ability to interact effectively with internal and external senior business partners.

Required

Exceptional interpersonal and collaborative skills to establish effective working relationships across leadership, staff, and external partners, lead teams toward common objectives, and resolve complex problems.

Required

High level of initiative, critical thinking, and advanced analytical skills to translate business issues into analytical problems, conduct special projects, discern financial trends, and formulate actionable, creative solutions.

Required

Ability to work independently while balancing competing priorities, managing resources, and maintaining strict confidentiality with sensitive information.

Required

Ability to understand unit operational needs and develop responsive plans, policies, and procedures that directly support the institution's academic mission.

Required

Working knowledge of UCLA’s personnel, purchasing, travel, and equipment management policies and procedures.

Preferred

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS AND/OR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation.

Live Scan Background Check: A Live Scan background check must be completed prior to the start of employment.

LOCATION AND PHYSICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, MENTAL (PEM) REQUIREMENTS

Environment and Work Location Information

Environment Type:

Non-Clinical Setting

Location Setting:

Non-University Setting(s)

Location:

Remote

Standing/Walking

X

Sitting

X

X

Bending/Stooping

X

Squatting/Kneeling

X

Climbing

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull 0-25 lbs

X

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull 26-50 lbs

X

Lifting/Carrying/Push/Pull over 50 lbs

X

Physical requirements other

X

Chemicals, dust, gases, or fumes

X

Loud noise levels

X

Marked changes in humidity or temperature

X

Microwave/Radiation

X

Operating motor vehicles and/or equipment

X

Exposures other

X

Sustained attention and concentration

X

X

Complex problem solving/reasoning

X

X

Ability to organize & prioritize

X

X

Communication skills

X

X

Numerical skills

X

X

Mental demands other

X

X

Classification 3:  Position in which exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues is not part of the position description. The normal routine task involves no exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues and the employee can decline to perform tasks which involve a perceived risk without retribution.