Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
This position is subject to the satisfactory completion of required background checksJob End Date
Ongoing
Korn Ferry is conducting this search. Applications will be forwarded to the firm. For more information, candidates may contact Rebecca.Lee@KornFerry.com.
At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
Job Summary
The Associate Vice President (AVP), Finance provides strategic financial leadership to the Vice-President, Finance and Operations and UBC Executive and plays a critical role in supporting the University’s to academic mission and strategic priorities. The AVP, Finance leads the vision and mission of the University s budgeting, financial management, reporting processes, internal control over revenues, financial resources and Institutional financial Information systems. The AVP, Finance is accountable for the overall financial health and sustainability of the operating and capital resources of the University. The position is responsible for the strategic oversight of financial services, including financial planning and analysis, budgeting, capital planning and accounting, controls, financial reporting, and finance operations (including Payroll, procurement operations).
The AVP, Finance oversees an integrated distributed financial model across all faculties and administrative portfolios, and ensures consistent financial practices, policies, and standards while enabling faculties and portfolios to make informed, strategic decisions to drive financial strategy and ensure fiscal integrity.
Organizational Status
Reports directly to the Vice-President, Finance and Operations with a dotted line reporting relationship to the Provost and Vice-President, Academic. Works closely with UBC Executive Team, the Provost Office, Deans, senior academic and administrative leaders and Finance officers embedded within faculties and portfolio, who report functionally and/or directly to the AVP Finance.
The AVP, Finance represents the Finance function on various University committees and working groups as required and collaborates closely with internal and external stakeholders to support effective financial governance.
Work Performed
Financial Leadership: Provides leadership in the stewardship of the University’s financial resources by supporting financial sustainability, integrity, and alignment with institutional priorities. The role balances strong governance and control with flexibility to support academic and operational needs across a diverse and distributed organization.
Provides strategic advice to the Vice-President, Finance and Operations and senior leadership to support institutional planning and decision-making.
Promotes sound financial stewardship, transparency, and accountability across faculties and administrative portfolios.
Exercises professional judgment in managing financial complexity, ambiguity, and evolving institutional priorities.
Financial Planning, Analysis and Budgeting: within the context of the University’s Strategic Plan in consultation with the Executive the Finance and Operations leadership team and with input from key stakeholders leads the university’s financial planning and analysis activities, enabling informed, forward-looking decisions that support the academic mission and long-term sustainability of the institution.
Works closely with the Provost’s office and the academic community to anticipate and analyze financial implications from changes in strategic priorities and mechanisms required to realize these priorities
Provide leadership for integrated financial planning, forecasting, and analysis in alignment with strategic and academic priorities.
Oversees the consolidated operating and capital budget process, ensuring they enable strategic decision making, while remaining adaptable to institutional change.
Provide executive oversight and strategic direction for the analysis of financial implications related to strategic initiatives, enrolment trends, compensation strategies, collective agreements, funding models, and major program or system changes
Presents and discusses substantive f financial and budget analyses for senior governance and leadership bodies, including the Board of Governors, the Senate Budget Committee; the President and UBC Executive Team, and representatives of the academic community, as appropriate.
Capital Planning and Oversight: Provides executive leadership and strategic oversight of the institution’s capital planning and financial governance, ensuring capital investments align with institutional priorities, approved funding models, and long-term sustainability objectives, while enabling growth and renewal.
Sets strategic direction and provides oversight for capital financial planning and capital accounting frameworks, ensuring alignment with approved funding models, institutional policies, and governance requirements.
Oversees institutional financial governance and performance of capital projects, working in partnership with internal stakeholders to ensure effective monitoring, risk management, and issue escalation.
Ensures the availability of high-quality, decision-ready capital financial information to support executive decision-making, Board reporting, and long-term capital planning.
Accounting, Control and Financial Reporting: accountable for maintaining the integrity of the University’s core accounting, control, and financial reporting functions, ensuring compliance with applicable standards while supporting evolving institutional needs.
Accountable for the internal and external financial reporting processes at the University, ensuring consistency and compliance with the requirements of various bodies, including government, granting agencies, donors, and other stakeholders.
Establishes, maintains, and evolves accounting policies, internal controls, and financial frameworks to safeguard University assets and ensure compliance.
Promotes best practices across the University in financial governance, controls and stewardship
Finance Operations and Service Delivery: provides strategic oversight of core finance operations, ensuring services are efficient, reliable and responsive to the University community.
Provides leadership and oversight for finance operations such as payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable.
Promotes service excellence, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement across finance processes and systems.
Ensures the effective use of technology and data to enhance finance operations and user experience.
People Leadership: leads, develops and maintains a strong and motivated team. Provides leadership and high-level direction to the portfolio, is responsible for outputs as well as the talent development, coaching, succession planning, and performance management.
Other duties as assigned.
Consequence of Error/Judgement
The AVP, Finance plays a critical role in safeguarding the University’s financial integrity and sustainability. The work undertaken by this position has a significant Impact on the abilities of Faculties & Departments lo advance innovations, refresh and renew their strategic plans, and implement Initiatives of major strategic importance to the faculties and to the university.
Errors in judgement, analysis or execution may have significant implications for institutional planning, decision making, financial performance, compliance and reputation. Sound professional judgment, discretion and a strong commitment to stewardship are essential.
Decision making and advice which results in poor financial performance and operations failure of any unit may cause disruption of service delivery to UBC, Inaccurate, improper or misguided decision making, advice, financial modeling, projections and forecasts may lead to mismanagement of resources, which could result In significant financial losses, layoffs and a negative reputational impact.
Supervision Received
Works under the leadership and general direction of the Vice-President, Finance and Operations.
Supervision Given
Provides senior leadership and functional oversight to directors, managers and Finance officers within faculties and portfolio, as well as teams responsible for FP&A, accounting, reporting, capital accounting and finance operations.
Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a finance, accounting, business administration or a related discipline.
Professional accounting designation (CPA) or equivalent.
Minimum of fifteen years of significant senior-level financial management experience in a complex multi-fund environment, preferably in the public sector.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.
Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Preferred Qualifications
Extensive experience in financial planning, budgeting, accounting and financial reporting in a large, complex organization with a distributed model.
Comprehensive knowledge of internal control, accounting policy development and financial governance.
Experience preparing and presenting information at the Board and Executive level to inform decision-making.
Proven success in leading large-scale institutional change, specifically around budget redesign and financial systems integration.
Strategic advisor who views finance as a tool to enable the University's academic mission and can pivot between high-level strategy and operational integrity.
Collaborative leader with the ability to work across faculties and portfolios, influencing senior academic leaders, Deans, and the Provost’s Office rather than just "directing" them.
Proven ability to lead distributed teams and influence senior academic or administrative leaders.
Strong communication skills to effectively represent issues and options to the campus community.
Strong interpersonal and oral and written communication skills, emphasizing listening, and negotiating; bargaining, compromising, and conciliation; ability to summarize needs, determine priorities and necessities; ability to build consensus and navigate complex internal and external stakeholders.
Demonstrated leadership and organizational abilities; mature judgment, ability to make decisions under time constraints, managing risk and uncertainty, multi-tasking, ability to set priorities.