Director of Operations & Finance (Hybrid) - Office of Technology Management

About this role

Location ST. LOUIS, MO 63110

 Scheduled Hours 37.5

Position Summary The Director of Operations and Finance (DOF) is a senior member of the Office of Technology Management (OTM) leadership team who contributes to the development, implementation, and performance monitoring of the department’s strategic vision. Serving as the chief financial and operational steward, the DOF provides oversight of approximately $9M in annual expenses and a $20M licensing revenue portfolio, identifying financial risks, opportunities, and resource strategies that support OTM’s mission and long-term objectives. The DOF leads and oversees all critical business and infrastructure functions essential to OTM’s success, with oversight of 12 staff across finance, compliance, contracting, systems, and administrative operations.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Human Resources Leadership. The DOF serves as the departmental HR lead, overseeing all human resource processes and providing strategic and administrative support to hiring managers. Responsibilities include coordinating position approvals, budget add-ons, and job requisitions; managing recruitment, testing, offer letters, and onboarding through Workday; and maintaining all HR data, including supervisory structures, payroll allocations, and promotions. • The DOF partners closely with central HR on workforce planning, compensation strategy, job descriptions, employee relations, and organizational design. The role ensures alignment with university HR policies, manages performance review processes, supports leadership development initiatives, and recommends structural adjustments to meet evolving operational needs. The DOF also works closely with the Managing director to ensure a positive, high-performance workplace culture aligned with OTM’s mission and strategic objectives. • Key Infrastructure Systems and Capital Project Oversight. The DOF oversees critical infrastructure systems and capital initiatives that support departmental operations. This includes direct management of the IT Business Analyst and ownership of core enterprise systems, including intellectual property (IP) management software, CRM platforms, financial systems, and related operational tools. The DOF serves as system owner for the university-wide innovation portal and its supporting on-premises servers, coordinating with WUIT and external vendors to resolve outages, maintain system integrity, and implement enhancements. Responsibilities include user access governance, security role oversight, reporting expansion, and development of standard operating procedures to ensure data accuracy and operational efficiency. The DOF also directs capital and non-capital projects, including IT implementations, office infrastructure improvements, and operational process enhancements, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with strategic goals. • Strategic Planning. The DOF contributes to and helps execute OTM’s long-term strategic plan by identifying financial, staffing, operational, and systems-related resource gaps that may impact successful implementation. This role monitors progress toward strategic objectives by establishing and tracking key milestones, performance metrics, and measurable outcomes. The DOF provides financial and operational expertise to the Managing Director, ensuring alignment between strategic initiatives, operating budgets, salary guidelines, university policies, and departmental standards.  • The DOF leads short- and long-term financial modeling and forecasting to support strategic planning and resource allocation related to the university’s innovation activities. This includes development and maintenance of five- and ten-year projections for invention disclosures, patent filings, prosecution activity, licensing revenue, and associated expense requirements. The role conducts revenue and expense forecasting, cash flow analysis, and scenario modeling to evaluate financial risk and sustainability. Specialized forecasting includes intellectual property portfolio growth analysis, patent cost projections, royalty and license fee modeling, and innovation pipeline success rate assessments to anticipate budgetary pressures and staffing needs.    • Analytics and Impact Assessment. The DOF develops and oversees meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs) in collaboration with office leaders that inform about the office’s progress toward strategic and financial goals. This includes institutional benchmarking against peer universities, portfolio analytics, and ad hoc research to assess commercialization performance and innovation output. The role also maintains metrics that evaluate impact of OTM’s activities and affiliated startups by working directly with startup leadership to assess commercial progress, milestone achievement, and financial growth. Additionally, the DOF manages the financial accounting, reporting, and impact analysis of accelerator funds administered by OTM, ensuring fiscal accountability and alignment with program objectives, as well as responding to and guiding requests for metrics from outside of the office. • Financial Management and Stewardship. The DOF provides comprehensive financial oversight of the department’s operations, including management of approximately $9M in annual expenses and oversight of a $20M licensing revenue portfolio. Responsibilities include preparation and management of the annual operating and patent budgets, quarterly financial reporting, continuous performance monitoring, and internal control oversight. Additional responsibilities include ensuring compliance on license agreements and strategies to manage non-compliant partners.  • The DOF leads budget planning processes, evaluates financial risks, and recommends strategies to address budget variances or shortfalls. The role also oversees service agreements, participates in negotiations, and evaluates opportunities for renegotiation to en

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