Director, Integrated Finance Services (EBEL)

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Job Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director, Integrated Finance Services, the Director, Integrated Finance Services—Multi-Faculty/Shared Services leads the integrated Finance service across an assigned managed group comprising multiple faculties or shared-service units. The Director is accountable for Finance service integrity, quality, consistency and performance across the managed group.

The Director leads through Managers who are the principal Finance contacts and advisers to their designated Deans or senior unit leaders and exercise delegated authority within their assigned client areas. The Director implements approved institutional frameworks and delegations, establishes working arrangements and escalation protocols within them, and ensures Managers have the authority, capability and support required to deliver effective service.

The Director maintains the integrated financial perspective across the managed group, balances Finance capacity across client areas and holds Managers accountable for service performance and development. The Director engages directly with client leaders on material, complex, cross-client or escalated matters while preserving Managers’ ownership of principal ongoing Finance relationships. The Director does not routinely re-approve Manager work or decisions completed within delegated authority.

Faculty, shared services and portfolio leaders remain accountable for academic and operational priorities, business and staffing decisions, budget approval, corrective business action and resource allocation within their delegated authorities. Integrated Finance Services supports these decisions through analysis, advice, controls and implementation of approved decisions.

Job Description

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Finance Function Leadership and Operating Model
• Provides leadership and accountability for the integrity, quality and performance of integrated Finance services across the assigned managed group and contributes to the coherence of the wider Integrated Finance Services function.
• Leads and empowers Managers who are each accountable for integrated Finance service delivery and the principal Finance relationship within their assigned area, ensuring each
Manager has the delegated authority, capability, access and support required to deliver effective service.
• Implements the approved Integrated Finance Services operating model, service standards, governance frameworks and delegated authorities within the managed group; establishes working-level arrangements and escalation protocols consistent with those frameworks.
• Monitors Finance service delivery, quality, responsiveness, workload, outstanding issues and client feedback across portfolios and directs corrective action where required.
• Resolves service, capacity, priority and accountability conflicts across client areas within the assigned managed group. Escalates matters requiring decisions across Director led groups to the Executive Director and represents the managed group in institutional Finance forums.
• Determines when direct Director involvement is required because matters exceed Manager authority, involve material managed-group risk, require decisions across client areas or remain unresolved following Manager-level action.

Cross-Portfolio Financial Oversight and Escalation
• Maintains an integrated view of financial health, risk and planning positions across the managed group, drawing on Manager-led client analysis to identify aggregate pressures, common risks and institutional implications.
• Acts as the primary escalation point for financial, control, compliance and service matters beyond Manager authority or requiring decisions across client areas. Escalates matters exceeding Director authority or with institutional implications to the Executive Director.
• Provides authoritative financial advice and challenge on complex, cross-client or high-consequence matters and supports Managers in resolving significant, ambiguous or novel financial issues.
• Reviews aggregate financial positions, material assumptions and implications across client areas at key planning and reporting points and challenges where warranted.
• Advises the Executive Director on emerging financial pressures, structural risks, portfolio-wide issues and recommended courses of action.
• Maintains appropriate relationships with senior client leaders and participates in material planning, risk and service discussions while Managers retain ownership of principal ongoing Finance relationships.
• Provides strategic financial advice and decision support; authorized client leaders retain final academic, operational and resource-allocation decisions.

Budgeting, Forecasting, and Financial Planning
• Sets portfolio expectations for annual and multi-year budget and forecast processes and relies on Manager-led detailed preparation and client analysis.
• Reviews consolidated positions at key planning and reporting points and challenges material assumptions, commitments, risks, opportunities and variances.
• Maintains and communicates the integrated financial view of the portfolio, drawing on Manager-led analysis and advises on pressures, structural risks and corrective options.
• Ensures approved budget and resource decisions are accurately reflected in financial plans.
• Coordinates portfolio requirements with central budgeting, planning and other institutional Finance functions.

Finance Services, Controls, and Risk
• Oversees applicable reporting, account administration, close, audit support and control processes.
• Ensures portfolio financial information is complete, accurate, timely, validated and useful.
• Oversees financial administration and control monitoring across applicable funds and escalates material compliance or financial risk.
• Develops or recommends mitigation strategies for significant financial and control risks and monitors agreed corrective action.
• Leads portfolio responses to audit, funding, regulatory and external reporting requirements.
Cross-Portfolio Capacity and Resource Management
• Allocates approved Finance capacity and resolves workload priorities within the assigned portfolio or managed group, within delegated authority.
• Recommends structural capacity changes and refers matters requiring resource decisions across Director led groups to the Executive Director.
• Ensures work is assigned at the appropriate level and Managers have appropriate authority, capability and access.
• Monitors service delivery, workload, accuracy, outstanding issues and client feedback and directs corrective action.
• Implements common Finance policies, systems, tools, and standards and recommends approved portfolio adaptations where needed.

People Leadership and Finance Capability
• Leads Managers, senior professionals and other Finance employees across the portfolio and establishes clear performance and accountability expectations.
• Conducts performance reviews and obtains appropriate client input regarding responsiveness and service delivery.
• Addresses performance, attendance, conflict and employee-relations matters within delegated authority and university requirements.
• Makes decisions and recommendations regarding recruitment, workforce planning, development, discipline and organization design within delegated authority.
• Builds resilience through cross-training, documentation, succession planning, and knowledge transfer.
•Fosters, promotes and drives equity and inclusion.

Transformation and Institutional Contribution
• Champions portfolio-level process improvement, standardization, and technology adoption.
• Contributes portfolio expertise and recommends improvements to institutional Finance standards, controls, governance and communities of practice.
• Leads portfolio implementation of approved Finance systems, processes and operating-model changes and monitors adoption and benefits.
• Other duties as required in support of the department and/or unit.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• University degree in Commerce, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or a related field.
• Chartered Professional Accountant designation or equivalent recognized professional accounting designation.
• Minimum seven years of experience in financial management, planning, reporting, operations and strategic advisory services within a large and complex organization.
• Significant experience leading Finance employees through Managers, team leads or senior professionals.
• Demonstrated experience advising senior academic, executive or administrative leaders on complex financial and operational matters.
• Experience leading process improvement, organizational change or major finance systems.
• Progressive management and leadership experience in a complex, service-oriented environment.
• Criminal sector check required.
• Extensive experience with budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, reporting, internal controls, risk management and diverse funding or revenue sources.
• Experience in a university, public-sector, health-sector, research-intensive or similarly complex environment is an asset.
• Consideration will be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.

SPECIAL SKILLS:
• Comprehensive knowledge of the implementation of financial strategy, governance, risk, organizational planning and integrated Finance service delivery.
• Conceptual and integrative thinking with the ability to connect financial information to portfolio and institutional priorities.
• Superior relationship-building, influencing and communication skills and the ability to provide objective professional challenge.
• Advanced financial-management, modelling, forecasting, analytical and risk-assessment skills.
• Ability to lead through Managers and balance competing priorities across a complex portfolio
• Strong analytical, interpretive, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent analytical, reasoning and problem-solving skills including the ability to identify, analyze and propose solutions for existing issues as well as an ability to anticipate challenges.
• A successful track record in leading complex programs and initiatives, and the ability to set and meet strategic, financial, and operational goals.
• Ability to interpret and apply a broad range of institutional policies and procedures.
• Excellent interpersonal and intercultural skills to work collaboratively with other professionals, constituents and key partners.
• Strong capacity to persuasively communicate and build consensus at all levels of the organization.
• Strong organizational skills required to cope with multiple competing demands, priorities and deadlines and resolve priority conflicts.

DECISION MAKING:
• Translates approved priorities into portfolio workplans, service expectations, governance cadence and performance measures; applies approved delegations and establishes working-level escalation protocols.
• Allocates approved Finance capacity and resolves workload priorities within the portfolio.
• Determines the analysis, modelling, scenarios and information required to support material portfolio decisions.
• Makes or recommends material Finance service and control decisions within delegated authority and recommends courses of action on sustainability, resource options and risk.
• Determines when Executive Director or institutional escalation is required.
• Interprets and applies financial policy in complex portfolio circumstances, implements portfolio practices within approved institutional frameworks and recommends improvements to Finance standards.
• Strong management/leadership skills.
• Ability to grasp concepts and ideas quickly and to always work effectively with the context of the “big picture”, integrity, professional attitude and confidence, tact and compassion.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a complex environment, in a collaborative and collegial manner, using highly developed relationship building, influencing, and negotiating skills to secure commitment and achieve results.
• Determines the appropriate organizational structure and the delegation of responsibilities to staff.
• Evaluates job candidates and make effective recommendations on suitable hires.
• Makes decisions and/or effective recommendations regarding transfers and promotions.
• Evaluates employee performance and decides on appropriate training or coaching to address lack of proficiency in carrying out responsibilities, or remedial action for staff disciplinary situations.
• Assesses investigation outcome of grievances and makes effective recommendations on appropriate course of action or next steps on grievances.

Employment Equity and Accessibility Statement

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen's is strongly committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black, racialized persons, Indigenous people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI+ persons. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, priority will be given to those who are legally eligible to work in Canada.

The University provides support in its recruitment processes to all applicants who require accommodation due to a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code, including those with disabilities. Candidates requiring accommodation during the recruitment process are asked to contact Human Resources at [email protected].