Director of Finance

Isaacson, Miller is assisting MIT Lincoln Laboratory for this search. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

Isaacson, Miller:

Dan Rodas, Partner

Liz Braun, Managing Associate

Kristen Andersen, Senior Associate

Seema Khan, Search Coordinator

MIT Lincoln Laboratory seeks an experienced, innovative, and strategic finance executive to serve as Director of Finance. Lincoln Laboratory is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) operated by MIT and is MIT's largest laboratory, with approximately 4,000 employees and 360 contingent workers and $1.5B annual revenue, primarily located in Lexington, MA.

The Director of Finance serves as the Laboratory's senior finance leader, responsible for enterprise-wide financial strategy, stewardship, modernization, and compliance. Reporting to the Assistant Director for Operations, with additional accountability to the MIT Vice President of Finance, the Director acts as a strategic advisor to Laboratory leadership and is accountable for the integrity, agility, and modernization of the Laboratory's financial operations.

This role is both architect and operator - leading a complex finance organization through continued transformation to align enterprise-wide finances with the Research and Development mission in an efficient and effective manner, while ensuring operational excellence and full compliance with DoD and federal regulations.
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Strategic Leadership & Financial Transformation
*Establish and execute the vision and long-term strategy for financial management across the Laboratory, aligned with its research mission and operational objectives.
*Lead the continued modernization of the Laboratory's financial ecosystem, including the Accounting for Research Transformation:
oChart of Accounts redesign
oAccrual and cost accounting enhancements
oLabor distribution optimization
oIntegration with digital enterprise systems
* Advance modern, dynamic budgeting, forecasting, and planning capabilities to improve financial agility and decision support.
* Drive enterprise-wide financial transparency through meaningful metrics, dashboards, and predictive analytics.
* Anticipate and respond to evolving federal funding environments, regulatory changes, and DoD policy developments.

Enterprise Financial Stewardship
*Serve as steward of the Laboratory's financial resources, overseeing:
oBudgeting and multi-year financial planning
oForecasting and analysis
oAccounting operations
oFinancial reporting (internal and external)
oProperty management
oTravel and financial operations functions
* Lead the development of the annual operating budget and long-range financial plans.
* Ensure accurate, transparent reporting to Laboratory leadership, MIT, government sponsors, and oversight entities.
* Maintain and strengthen internal controls, audit readiness, and compliance processes.
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Regulatory Expertise & Governance
* Provide expert guidance on:
oDoD Financial Management Regulations
oFAR and DFARS
oDCAA and DCMA policies
oOMB Uniform Guidance Cost Principles
oPlanning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE)
oGovernment budgeting and funding processes
oDoD ceiling management (preferred)
* Ensure full compliance with federal acquisition regulations, audit requirements, and FFRDC governance frameworks.
* Represent the Laboratory in financial matters with government agencies, MIT leadership, consortiums, and professional organizations.

Organizational & Team Leadership
* Lead and develop the central finance organization while serving as career manager and Center of Excellence leader for finance professionals Laboratory-wide.
* Exercise oversight of senior finance managers in Technical Divisions and Administrative Departments through a matrix reporting structure.
* Build, mentor, and retain a high-performing and diverse finance team.
* Foster a collaborative, consultative leadership culture emphasizing partnership rather than command-and-control management.
* Provide training and best-practice guidance in financial modeling, reporting, and compliance.
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Stakeholder Partnership
* Serve as a trusted advisor to Laboratory leadership on strategic initiatives, capital investments, resource allocation, and operational priorities.
* Collaborate closely with Technical Divisions, Administrative Offices, the Contracts and Compliance Offices, and the Program Management Office.
* Interface regularly with MIT Finance and senior external stakeholders.

Leadership & Change Management
* Demonstrated experience leading large, complex financial organizations through strategic planning, modernization, and enterprise transformation.
* Proven success implementing financial systems and process modernization initiatives.
* Ability to balance strategic leadership with operational execution in a highly regulated environment.
Technical & Regulatory Expertise
* Extensive experience in government-related financial management, including planning, estimating, funding, accounting, reporting, and compliance.
*Strong working knowledge of:
oDoD Financial Management Regulations
oFAR/DFARS
oDCAA/DMA oversight
oOMB Uniform Guidance
oPPBE process
* Experience in a DoD FFRDC, research, acquisition, or contracting environment strongly preferred.
* Experience operating within SAP or comparable enterprise systems preferred.
Executive Capabilities
* Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
* Demonstrated ability to influence senior leadership and build consensus across diverse stakeholders.
* Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
* Leadership style grounded in collaboration, coaching, and talent development.
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Education & Experience
* Minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible senior financial management experience leading large, complex financial operations.
* Experience in a federally funded research, defense, government, or similarly regulated environment strongly preferred.
* Master's degree strongly preferred (MBA, Accounting, Business Management, or related field).
* Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret-level DoD security clearance.