Director, Finance Services

Description

The Finance Services team within Finance is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Director, Finance Services.

Under the overall direction of the Deputy Chief Financial Officer (DCFO) & Associate Vice‑President (Finance), the position leads directly and indirectly several units involved in providing and promoting strategic, specialized, integrated and comprehensive finance services across the University of Calgary (UCalgary) community and beyond in support of academic, research, and learning activities.

The Director will lead the areas responsible for providing the delivery of specialized and multifaceted strategic planning/budgeting and decision analysis, advisory services, variance/forecasting for the executive and senior management across all faculties/units and at an institutional level. This position provides expert knowledge in areas of strategic planning for UCalgary.

The Director, Finance Services position ensures that services are provided to all stakeholders effectively and efficiently to enable seamless and consistent strategic support for executive and senior management, faculty and staff. The goal is to provide timely financial information to meet the strategic decision‑making needs of the leaders within UCalgary. This work will be conducted with support from the Director of the Financial Reporting group to ensure internal controls and system usage guidelines are followed.

In the leading the Finance Services department the incumbent will manage a high volume and variety of work with significant organizational impacts. The incumbent will provide credible expert advice, apply sound judgment, negotiate boundaries and manage projects, resources and complex issues and conflict. There is a high level of stress and pressure associated with this position. This role requires a proactive approach in a complex environment with a strong understanding of the university environment, operational activities, and key business stakeholders opinions.

This individual will exercise independent discretion and judgement and will operate across all aspects of managerial decisions. This role demands a high level of interaction and is front facing which requires tact and diplomacy, confidentiality, ability to gain respect and trust, and a requirement to build strong working relationships across UCalgary. The impact of decisions made by this position will be university wide.

Responsible for strategically directing and integrating the Finance Partner model for all faculties/units across UCalgary, ensuring the budget decisions, advisory and variance/forecast/planning services are provided for IRNA - IT and Capital and the associated management reports. The delivery of this work must align with required service delivery for all stakeholders with consistent standards and internal controls across all areas.

The Director supports a framework to ensure that all Finance Services staff have current knowledge and understanding of the UCalgary finance processes, procedures, internal controls and management reporting, and other regulatory bodies policies as required and are current on related business principles to enable enhanced and effective service. The Director is the primary interface with executive and senior management on strategic issues including planning and negotiation of services.

As well as requiring high-level expertise, technical/financial awareness, the work is of a highly complex and political nature and requires considerable sensitivity towards numerous stakeholders including executive and senior leadership. The recommendations and performance of the incumbent have financial and reputational implications for UCalgary.

• Strategic financial service operations for UCalgary
• Internally restricted net assets (IRNA) and operating projects
• Capital Reporting and Information Technology (IT) Reporting groups
• Position management
• All financial management reporting associated with these areas, service delivery for all stakeholders involved
• Working within or exceeding the standardized service commitments
• Ensuring that Finance Services meet the needs of the University's core activities of the academy, research, learning and service
• Aligning all initiatives within their department with the UCalgary strategic direction, ethics, values, and professional standards
Ensuring that stakeholder expectations are negotiated, agreed to, and incorporated into the service plan process with service standards and delivery which are consistent.

• Professional accounting designation (CA, CMA, CGA) and a related University degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Must possess an academic focus and demonstrate ten or more years' progressively more responsible experience in the planning, developing and managing of the support of academic uses of Finance in a complex research and university setting.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and written communication skills are…