Executive Director of Business & Financial Planning – Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises

• Managing Budget: $220 million, and $40 million in reserves.
• Reports to: Willie Brown, Associate Vice Chancellor for Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises

Executive Director of Business & Financial Planning – Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises

The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), a leading research institution that offers a comprehensive liberal arts education, seeks applications and nominations for its next executive director of business & financial planning for Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises. The university invites strategic financial leaders who are collaborative, innovative, and committed to developing people to apply for this important role.

The executive director position is an on-site position and offers flexible work arrangements, including the option to work a hybrid schedule with up to two remote workdays per week. The anticipated start date is January 2027.

Responsibilities of the Position

Under the general direction of the associate vice chancellor (AVC) for housing, dining & auxiliary enterprises (HDAE), and with a secondary reporting relationship to the chief financial officer for Administrative Services, the executive director serves as a key member of the HDAE Senior Management Team. As a newly restructured executive leadership position, the role offers a unique opportunity to shape the strategic and financial future of one of the university’s largest and most complex divisions. The executive director provides executive leadership for a broad and complex portfolio of auxiliary operations, overseeing annual operating and capital budgets totaling $220 million, with responsibility for approximately $40 million in capital and major maintenance reserves. HDAE houses more than 10,000 students, faculty, and family residents annually.

The campus is undertaking a significant residential expansion, adding 3,500 new beds to its existing housing inventory , with full occupancy anticipated by Fall 2028. This growth presents a unique opportunity for the executive director to shape the division’s long-term financial sustainability and strategic financial direction.

Success in this role requires an accomplished financial executive who combines strategic vision with exceptional technical expertise and a collaborative leadership style to advance HDAE’s mission while building organizational capacity for the future.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide executive oversight and strategic direction for HDAE’s Business and Financial Planning unit
• Maintain the fiscal integrity of all HDAE budgets and financial operations, including oversight of:
  • Accounting and Fiscal Management
    • Oversee the development and control of divisional operating and capital budgets, exceeding $220 million annually.
  • Approve and manage professional service agreements, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), by‑agreement contracts, and documentation related to contract employees.
  • Ensure the financial sustainability of self‑supporting auxiliary enterprises by aligning revenues from goods and services with the full direct and indirect costs associated with their delivery.

• Budget and Finance
  • Manage fiscal records for the major maintenance program, which supports approximately $7 million in ongoing capital renewal and maintenance projects each year.
  • Partner with the AVC and Residential and Community Living Assignments Office to develop and implement both short and long‑term student housing occupancy strategies and targets.
  • Work closely with the AVC, senior executive director of auxiliary services, and leadership at The Club and Guest House to ensure the unit operates within a fiscally sound, long‑term financial model.
  • Oversee the division’s equipment inventory control processes, ensuring all inventoried property is accurately recorded upon receipt and marked with a University property identification decal.
  • Supervise the inventory control processes for raw food, departmental supplies, and related expenditures.
  • Lead the coordination and completion of the annual fiscal year‑end closing process for all HDAE units.

• Internal Controls
  • Provide executive oversight of internal control systems across all HDAE units to safeguard assets, ensure data accuracy, and promote operational efficiency.
  • Serve as the primary liaison for internal and external auditors, facilitating audits and managing the division’s audit response process.

• Human Resources Management
  • Through the assistant director of HDAE human resources, oversee the administration and maintenance of accurate and compliant personnel records for approximately 615 career staff full‑time equivalents (FTE) within HDAE.
  • Manage and monitor the preparation, scheduling, and flow of documentation related to personnel actions across the division.
  • Interpret and ensure compliance with University of California regulations regarding terms and conditions of employment.
  • Align divisional personnel policies and procedures with University standards, ensuring consistent application throughout HDAE.

Qualifications and Characteristics of the Successful Candidate

The successful candidate will bring a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field; a master’s degree or CPA is preferred. The executive director will possess progressively responsible leadership experience in finance, including responsibility for budgeting, financial planning and analysis, forecasting, reporting, and business operations within a complex organization. Experience working in higher education, particularly within auxiliary enterprises or other self‑supporting operations, is preferred.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong technical accounting knowledge; experience developing policies, procedures, and financial systems; and the ability to translate complex financial information into strategic recommendations for diverse audiences. Success in the role will require exceptional relationship‑building skills, sound judgment, and a collaborative leadership style, along with the ability to guide organizational change, develop staff, and build consensus across a decentralized environment. Experience with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, including Oracle PeopleSoft or Oracle Financial Cloud, and knowledge of auditing principles are desirable.

In addition to the qualifications stated above and the UC Core Competencies expected of all UC employees, UCSB key stakeholders identified the following capabilities and attributes of a successful executive director candidate:

• Accessibility, collaboration, and relationship building.
• Strategic thinking, sound business judgment, and financial acumen.
• Technical expertise in accounting, forecasting, financial modeling, reporting, and enterprise financial systems.
• Political acumen and the ability to navigate shared governance and a complex organizational environment.
• Innovation, creativity, and an entrepreneurial approach to problem‑solving and revenue generation.
• Experience supervising, mentoring, and developing high‑performing teams.
• Transparent communication, sound judgment, and integrity.
• Adaptability, resilience, and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Knowledge of higher education auxiliary enterprises and their unique business models.
• Commitment to advancing HDAE through partnership, advocacy, and exceptional service.

History of the Position

The position was previously held by Melissa Jarnagin, who served for nearly eight years as chief financial officer and director of business and financial planning for the Division of Administrative Services, supporting Housing, Dining, & Auxiliary Enterprises (HDAE) and other units across the division. In June 2025, she was appointed vice president for administration and finance at California State University, Monterey Bay. Following her departure, the university restructured the position to create two distinct leadership roles: a dedicated executive director of business & financial planning for HDAE and a standalone chief financial officer for the Division of Administrative Services. The executive director reports to the associate vice chancellor for Housing, Dining, & Auxiliary Enterprises, with a secondary reporting relationship to the chief financial officer for the Division of Administrative Services.

UCSB has partnered with Spelman Johnson to conduct a national search for the next executive director of business & financial planning for HDAE.

Opportunities and Challenges of the Role

The executive director joins Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises (HDAE) during an exciting period of growth and opportunity for both the division and the university. HDAE is recognized across campus as a highly collaborative, people‑centered organization that invests in its employees’ professional growth and development, and is widely regarded as one of the best places to work at UCSB. As one of the university’s largest and most interconnected divisions, HDAE touches nearly every aspect of campus life and plays an increasingly important role in advancing the university’s mission. The executive director will provide strategic financial leadership for several significant initiatives, including the continued implementation of Oracle Financial Cloud, the university’s enterprise financial management system introduced in 2025, major student housing projects, and long‑range financial planning during a period of ongoing fiscal challenges. The position also offers a unique opportunity to help shape the future of HDAE and the university, as Chancellor Dennis Assanis enters his second year of leadership and guides the development of UCSB’s next strategic plan.

Key priorities for the executive director include:

• Strengthen divisional budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and analysis while promoting consistent business practices, informed decision‑making, and accountability across HDAE.
• Lead the continued integration of Oracle Financial Cloud by refining business processes, enhancing financial analytics and reporting, and helping the division realize the full value of the university’s new enterprise financial management system.
• Develop organizational capacity by mentoring finance professionals, strengthening partnerships within HDAE and across the university, and fostering a more integrated approach to financial management and business operations.
• Advance HDAE’s long‑term financial sustainability by supporting auxiliary operations, major student housing projects, capital planning, debt management, and thoughtful revenue generation while navigating the university’s current fiscal environment.
• Provide strategic financial leadership and counsel to divisional and campus leaders by supporting major initiatives, informing executive decision‑making, and helping position HDAE to achieve its long‑term goals.

Measures of Success

The new executive director of business & financial planning will work with the associate vice chancellor of HDAE to determine specific measures of success and related timetables. Following an initial period of acclimatization, and in consultation with UCSB leadership, the following will define short‑term success for the executive director:

• Build trusted relationships across HDAE and the university, resulting in the Business and Financial Planning office being recognized as a responsive, collaborative, and valued strategic partner.
• Strengthen financial planning and accountability by implementing consistent budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and business practices that support informed decision‑making across HDAE.
• Develop a high‑performing Business and Financial Planning team whose members are engaged, confident in their roles, supported in their professional growth, and equipped to meet the evolving needs of the division.
• Increase confidence in the Business and Financial Planning office by providing timely, accurate, and transparent financial guidance while ensuring HDAE leaders trust the information they receive and the rationale behind financial decisions.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive culture in which stakeholders are engaged in problem‑solving, communication is transparent, and decisions are informed by shared perspectives and sound financial stewardship.
• Advance HDAE’s long‑term financial sustainability by providing strategic analysis and recommendations that support responsible stewardship of resources, student success, and the division’s long‑term priorities.

Overview of Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises (HDAE)

Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises is a part of the Division of Administrative Services. It plays a vital role in the university’s pursuit of excellence by delivering a comprehensive array of essential services to students, staff, and other customers through a large‑scale auxiliary services operation with annual operating and capital budgets exceeding $220 million and capital and major maintenance reserves of $40 million. Operating 24 hours a day, year‑round, the division provides housing for more than 10,000 students, faculty, and family residents on campus and supports an additional 9,300 students living in adjacent communities. HDAE serves approximately 21,000 customers daily through its retail and board dining programs, manages key campus facilities including the University Center, Campus Store, the Events Center, and The Club and Guest House, hosts 150,000 guests annually for conferences and meetings, and oversees the administration of transportation, parking, and fleet services.

Business & Financial Planning

Business & Financial Planning is responsible for Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises’ fiscal and administrative services, and coordinating department‑wide efforts relating to operating and capital budgets, financial systems management, computer support, information systems analysis and design, staff recruitment, BARC (central cashier) interface, as well as contracts and compliance with University procedures.

Willie Brown serves as the associate vice chancellor for housing, dining & auxiliary enterprises. As the chief housing and chief auxiliary officer, Brown has responsibility for providing leadership, vision, planning, and direction for complex and diverse organizations that comprise the campus’ auxiliary portfolio, including housing, dining services, student and events center, parking, bookstore, information technology, and conferences.

Brown earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and his Juris Doctor from Western State University College of Law.

Brown began his higher education career in 1975 at UCSD, serving as a housing administrator for two years. He moved on to UC Irvine, where he served in numerous administrative roles, including opening the campus’s first undergraduate apartment complex. In 1983, he became director of university housing services at San Jose State University, a position he held until moving to his administrative post at UC Santa Barbara in 1988.

Brown has served on numerous local, regional, national, and international committees and boards. Under his leadership, UC Santa Barbara’s auxiliary program has received 9 LEED sustainability awards, including LEED platinum awards for Sierra Madre housing in 2015, San Joaquin housing in 2017, and Portola Dining in 2017.

Overview of the Division of Administrative Services

The mission of the administrative services is to provide essential services supporting UC Santa Barbara in its pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, and public service. Administrative services provide the systems and services that create a positive campus environment that foster continuous learning.

Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services

Garry Mac Pherson is the vice chancellor of administrative services at UC Santa Barbara. He is a key member of the senior management group and is responsible for the overall success of the university’s operations and administrative units.

Prior to joining UC Santa Barbara in 2018, Mac Pherson served as the associate vice chancellor of environmental and building services (AVC) at UC San Diego for nearly a decade. In that capacity, he served as a member of the vice chancellor of resource, management, and planning leadership team. While serving as AVC, he provided strategic vision, leadership, and executive management oversight of significant programs and services to the campus, medical centers, and off‑site facilities.

Prior to beginning his career at the University of California in 2009, Mac Pherson served for 33 years in multiple senior management roles in San Diego County local government. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration from San Diego State University. Mac Pherson has served on several state and national advisory panels. Most notably, in 2016 and 2017, he served as a subject matter expert panelist for the National Academy of Sciences (NS).

Institutional Overview

The University of California, Santa Barbara, is a public land‑grant research institution. Tracing its roots to 1890 as an independent teacher’s college, UC Santa Barbara joined the prestigious University of California system in 1944 as its third‑oldest undergraduate campus. As a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience, UC Santa Barbara welcomes approximately 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students each year to its beautiful oceanside campus. The university is regarded as a “Public Ivy” institution and is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU).

Dennis Assanis is the sixth chancellor of the University of California, Santa Barbara. He previously served as president of the University of Delaware from 2016 to 2025.

Before joining the University of Delaware, Assanis served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Stony Brook University and as vice president for Brookhaven National Laboratory affairs. He also taught and conducted research at the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Assanis earned a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering from Newcastle University in England in 1980. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he earned three master’s degrees—in naval architecture and marine engineering and in mechanical engineering (both in 1982), and in management (1986)—as well as a PhD in power and propulsion (1985). He received an honorary doctor of humane letters from the University of Delaware in 2025.

Working at UCSB means being part of a vibrant institution that shines a light on what is possible. Excellent retirement and health benefits are just some of the rewards offered by the university. Learn more about the benefits of working at UCSB.

Application

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of CaliforniaPolicy on Vaccinations Programs.

As a condition of Physical Presence at a Location or in a University Program, all Covered Individuals* must participate in any applicable Vaccination Program by providing proof that they are Up-to‑Date with any required Vaccines or submitting a request for Exception in a Mandate Program or properly declining vaccination in an Opt‑Out Program no later than the Compliance Date (Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.). Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

*Covered Individuals: A Covered Individual includes anyone designated as Personnel or Students under this Policy who physically access a University Facility or Program in connection with their employment, appointment, or training.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement:

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

“Misconduct” means any violation of the policies governing employee conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Santa Barbara is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, and all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.