Associate Director, Governance and Compliance

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Position Summary:

Reporting to the Senior Director, Strategy and Operations, the Associate Director, Governance and Compliance  provides strategic leadership and oversight to ensure that the Administration and Finance sector operates within all relevant compliance and governance frameworks. The Associate Director ensures an effective balance between institutional risk tolerance and the design of practical, efficient processes. This role leads the development and implementation of governance and compliance frameworks, provides expert guidance to senior leaders, and facilitates clear and effective reporting and communication with internal stakeholders, external partners, and governing bodies.

The Associate Director plays a critical role in strengthening decision‑making and accountability across the Administration and Finance sector. They provide high‑level recommendations, oversee governance activities, and support the Vice-President in their capacity as senior steward of committees of the Board of Governors. The incumbent also serves as a trusted advisor to unit heads on governance obligations and sector‑wide compliance requirements.

In addition, the Associate Director provides leadership and direction to the administrative staff within the unit, ensuring operational excellence, alignment with strategic priorities, and a consistent culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership and expert guidance to the Senior Director and the Vice-President Administration and Finance on governance matters, ensuring alignment with institutional policies, regulatory requirements and best practices.

• Lead the continuous improvement of governance frameworks by enhancing, streamlining and standardizing documentation, processes, and reporting practices across the Administration and Finance sector. Overseeing the compliance and directs the triage of all material coming to OVPAF, enforcing standards for briefing notes, return premature or underdeveloped requests and documents.

• Supports transformation initiatives where governance structures are implicated or governance solutions required.

• Manage and strengthen relationships with external stakeholders, including government representatives such as the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur on matters related to infrastructure funding, reporting requirements, and approval processes.

• Support governance oversight by advising the Vice-President in their role as senior steward of Board of Governors committees. Provide insights, recommendations, and briefings on governance activities to ensure informed leadership and effective operations. Manages decision logs, follow-ups and accountability tracking post committee meetings. Ensuring decisions are documented, communicated, and implementation tracked.

• Conduct comprehensive reviews and validations of documents, processes, and submissions to ensure accuracy, quality, and alignment with governance standards, while providing strategic guidance to unit leaders on their governance obligations.

• Establish and promote consistent approval processes for projects and initiatives, reinforcing transparency, accountability, and adherence to applicable frameworks, policies, and compliance requirements.

• Lead the drafting and maintenance of Board-level policies within the Administration and Finance sector, including policy reviews, stakeholder consultation process, updates, and impact analysis. Ensure ongoing compliance readiness by monitoring evolving regulatory requirements and implementing sustainable compliance mechanisms.

• Act as a key liaison with Internal Audit and relevant units to ensure timely implementation of audit recommendations and alignment with established standards. Oversee governance-related follow-ups by tracking decisions, requests, and action items arising from governance forums.

• Foster cross-functional collaboration by coordinating contributions from multiple units, reviewing documentation for quality and coherence, and ensuring accuracy and alignment with governance expectations.

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance governance practices, optimize processes, and strengthen transparency and decision-making frameworks.

• Manage administrative staff within the Office of the Vice-President Administration and Finance (OVPAF), providing direction, coaching, and performance oversight.

• Oversee the development and finalization of term sheets, memos and key documentation for infrastructure projects, ensuring alignment with stakeholder input and institutional requirements.

• Navigate and resolve complex, cross-unit challenges by clarifying governance processes, facilitating communication, and ensuring effective coordination across diverse stakeholders.

• Undertake special projects and provide strategic and operational support as required

• Contribute to committees and working groups focused on governance, compliance, and risk management, ensuring the Office of the Vice-President is well-prepared and strategically positioned.

Other Qualifying Skills and/or Abilities:

• Ability to interpret and advise on applicable legislation, regulation and policy.
• A committed and self-motivated critical thinker with the ability to organize, prioritize, multi-task, identify and achieve objectives and meet deadlines.
• Ability to communicate with all levels of staff in an effective and respectful manner.
• Works autonomously with minimal supervision and as a member of a professional team.
• Ability to mobilize resources required to achieve results and empower others to achieve common goals.
• Adaptable and flexible in the face of evolving priorities and proactive in finding solutions to respond to evolving needs.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Fluently bilingual, English and French, spoken and written.
• Excellent communication skills.

As one of Montreal's Top Employers, here is what we offer:

• Competitive benefits package (Health, Dental, Life Insurance) (if eligible)
• Defined contribution pension plan (with employer contribution up to 10%) (if eligible)
• Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA)
• Competitive vacation policy
• Two (2) personal days
• Two (2) floating holidays
• Nine (9) "Summer Fridays" - paid days off between the St-Jean Baptiste holiday and Labour Day
• Paid time off over the December holiday period
• Tuition waiver for regular employees and their dependents
• Up to two (2) days of remote work per week where the position permits

Before applying, please note that to work at McGill University, you must be both authorized to work in Canada and willing to work in the province of Quebec at the campus where the position is based / located.

Knowledge of English: McGill University is an English-language university where day to day duties may require English communication both verbally and in writing. The level of English required for this position has been assessed at a level # 4 on a scale of 0-4.

For a definition of our language proficiency levels, please click here.

Bachelor's Degree 5 Years Related Experience /

(MPEX Grade 07) $90,170.00 - $112,710.00 - $135,250.00

Job Profile:

MPEX-ADM3A - General Administration - Senior Professional/Manager

33.75 (Full time)

Senior Director, Strategy and Operations

2026-05-04