Senior Vice President for Business and Finance, and Chief Financial Officer

SMU invites nominations and applications for the Senior Vice President for Business and Finance and Chief Financial Officer.

SMU is on a clear upward trajectory, with its sights set on the forefront of America’s universities – growing its national prominence, advancing its research enterprise, and expanding its visibility through Atlantic Coast Conference competition. Located in Dallas, one of the country’s most dynamic economic and cultural centers, SMU is building on this momentum to accelerate its impact in the years ahead.

As SMU sharpens its strategic focus, the University is aligning around priorities that will define its next chapter: transformative teaching, research that matters, athletic impact, and exceptional experiences that develop principled leaders. This work - deeply connected to Dallas - continues to expand opportunity, strengthen partnerships, and accelerate SMU’s rise.

An independent, coeducational research university committed to academic freedom and open inquiry, SMU is home to eight schools: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences; Cox School of Business; Meadows School of the Arts; Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering; Dedman School of Law; Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies; Perkins School of Theology; and Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development.

Reporting to President Jay C. Hartzell and serving as a key member of the President’s Executive Council, the Senior Vice President and CFO is a central leader in shaping SMU’s next chapter. This is a pivotal role at a consequential moment – one that will help translate institutional ambition into sustained financial strength, operational excellence, and long-term impact.

The CFO will help align financial strategy, capital planning, administrative effectiveness, and institutional priorities in support of SMU’s academic mission and long-term aspirations. This role carries broad responsibility, including oversight of Finance and Planning, Human Resources, Facilities Planning and Management, Campus Services, Risk Management, University Police, and Contracts Administration. The role sits between a traditional chief financial officer and a broader chief administrative officer, with responsibility for core business and operating functions that shape the University’s financial health, workforce, campus environment, safety, and institutional effectiveness.