Jack Callahan Jr. ’80 will serve as Yale’s inaugural vice president for operations.

Callahan, who will assume the position in August, currently works as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of S&P Global. He has held leadership positions at a variety of major businesses, including McKinsey & Company, General Electric and PepsiCo. University President Peter Salovey said his spirit of innovation will help him to thrive in the new role.

The University spent the past academic year searching for a vice president for operations, a cabinet-level position that has never before existed. Salovey told the News that its creation will bring a valuable perspective to University governance.

“When I became president, and with various departures, I continually reviewed what additional expertise we could bring to the leadership of the university,” Salovey said. “There were opportunities for adding a greater variety of professional perspectives to our leadership team without increasing administrative headcount.”

Senior Advisor to the President Martha Highsmith said the new administrator will have authority over all business-related areas of the University, including finances, budget and business operations. Creating a vice-presidential position in these areas reflects the increasing complexity of University operations, she added.