Senior Finance Manager

Staff - Non Union

Job Category M&P - AAPS Job Profile AAPS Salaried - Accounting, Level D Job Title Senior Finance Manager Department Finance Management | Dean's Office | Faculty of Applied Science Compensation Range $7,622.83 - $11,886.67 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date April 30, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.

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 Senior Finance Manager is responsible for overseeing the daily financial operations of the Faculty of Applied Science, ensuring operational efficiency, compliance and transactional integrity. The Senior Finance Manager has direct ownership and oversight on the structure of the Faculty’s business dimension worktags. Worktags are the partitions of our organization, which are paramount in supporting strategic financial and budgetary analysis, data management and reporting at a Faculty-wide level. In addition, this position will be responsible for developing, adapting, implementing and maintaining Faculty level policies and internal controls, aligned with compliance.

Organizational Status
This position reports directly to the Associate Director Finance and leads a team supporting a portfolio that serves all departments, schools, and various service portfolios within the Faculty of Applied Science. The Senior Finance Manager partners with APSC Departments, Schools, Institutes, Service Portfolios, and programs. Works collaboratively and develops partnerships with colleagues in the Dean’s Office, Central Financial Operations, the Comptroller’s Office and other UBC departments as necessary. Liaises with external stakeholders as required.

Work Performed

1. Responsible for the development of operational finance framework and its structure across the faculty. Provides oversight on operational accounting and transactional flows across the Faculty. Directs a team financial professional to properly record approximately $120m in both revenues and expenses adhering to financial compliance for both campus-wide policies and internal Faculty policies.
2. Provides oversight, standardization and continuous optimization of the business dimension worktag structure to support accurate financial tracking, reporting, and organizational decision-making in the faculty. The Senior Finance Manager is a key partner that ensures the worktag structure closely aligns with the Faculty’s budget model and organizational structure. This alignment is foundational to enable informed strategic making at various layers of this organization, including the basis of a budget model.
3. Provides strategic advice, direction and guidance concerning budget, accounting and financial matters, accounting policy interpretation and sound business practices; advising on financial implications of various Faculty-wide planning options.
4. Proactively works to build and enhance strong, trusting relationships with various leaders at departments, schools, and portfolios across the Faculty.
5. Proactively works to foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability and mentorship within their team with the specific goal of accurate and responsive service. This includes regular analysis of policies, internal controls and processes to develop and adapt practices as required.
6. Provides analytical and strategic advice to Heads, Directors, and Administrators to aid them in managing their cost center expenses effectively and ensuring that they are able to deliver key initiatives on time and within policy and budget.
7. Develops, navigates, and operationalizes policies and systems related to financial and accounting compliance, and internal controls driving transactional level accuracy and efficiency.
8. Advises on implementing effective solutions on policy and procedure changes to stakeholders with dynamic operational changes. This requires working closely with impacted stakeholders to best understand whether implementation creates efficiency trade-offs or increased workload through the workflow chain.
9. Oversees Faculty level accounts receivables. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring compliance and building framework and best practices on collections, invoicing standards, billing standards, taxes collected or exempt streams, merchant terminals such as TouchNet, internal sales transactions, and funding transfers.
10. Collaborates with the Senior Financial Analyst, reporting team, the Departments and Schools to ensure the effective redistribution and reallocation of grants and endowments; preventing double-billing, deficit overruns, and underutilization of funds.
11. Manages, develops and coaches a team. Responsible for hiring, training, performance management, as well as ongoing mentoring and coaching support.
12. Lead implementation of best financial management policies and practices together with Finance Managers, School and Department Administrators, and various portfolio budget owners.
13. Liaises with internal and external auditors providing financial information and relevant supporting information during audit requests and FOI requests.
14. Leads and implements business process analysis, documenting process flows and facilitating workshops to elicit improvement, and in training in new systems and structures.
15. Partners with leadership in departments/schools/units on costing allocations and compensation adjustments for faculty, staff, and student positions, ensuring financial accuracy, compliance, and strategic alignment with institutional budgets and funding sources.
16. Reviews and approves costing allocations and changes in compensation for employees through a financial lens for faculty, staff and student positions.
17. Performs other duties as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
Work is expected to be at a high level of accuracy. Must exercise judgment based upon a thorough knowledge of procedures, guidelines and regulations. Errors in the information/reports or untimely information prepared by this position could result in poor financial decisions by Senior Faculty Management and misallocation of faculty resources. If reports to funders are incorrect, this could damage the relationship with the funder, cause significant reputation losses to the Faculty. Failure to oversee budgetary procedures and financial management effectively could result in serious impact to the financial position and funding of the Faculty. Errors in judgment may jeopardize the financial health of the Faculty and the University.

Supervision Received
Position reports to Associate Director, Finance. The position works very independently and with wide latitude, exercising discretionary judgment and tact, under the general direction of the Associate Director, Finance and receives guidance only in terms of overall objectives and goals.

Supervision Given
The Senior Finance Manager will be responsible for management and oversight of Finance Managers.

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Completion of the CPA accounting program (CA, CGA or CMA). Minimum of seven years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- 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

Experience in post-secondary education preferred. Experience in fund accounting, budgeting, financial analysis and development of financial tracking and reporting systems. Experience in management of accounting systems and teams is preferred. Experience working collaboratively with Senior Leadership and Management and other professionals. Experience with and ability to consolidate and interpret financial data, present findings and assist non-financial managers in understanding financial reports. Extensive experience with data analysis in large ERP systems and/or large data sets is required, including demonstrated ability to build reporting tools, performance indicators and other analytical tools. Commercial and operational acumen, through experience of finance business partnering or adjacent functions. Proficient in monitoring, tracking and refining variances against the Cost Centre budget. Ability to interact with leadership, key stakeholders, employees and clients in a professional manner.

Computer experience to advanced level with spreadsheet and database software; and to intermediate level with word processing, and e-mail, required. Knowledge of HR practices and policies (UBC experience preferred). Experience working in a unionized environment an asset. Must have excellent analytical skills and be detail-oriented. Ability to apply generally accepted accounting principles in an appropriate manner. Demonstrated ability to perform complex financial analyses and to develop appropriate and effective financial reports. Financial planning and management skills; Familiarity with University policies and procedures related to budgeting, finance, procurement, internal control and payroll matters. A high degree of professionalism, initiative, and integrity. Ability to analyze problems, identify key information and issues, and effectively resolve. Proven multi-tasking skills; ability to work calmly under pressure of critical deadlines or heavy volumes during peak periods. Demonstrated ability to think conceptually and organize new tasks. Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing; Ability to work effectively independently and in a team environment. Demonstrated ability to take initiative, exercise tact, discretion and judgment in complex situations.