Director of Financial Services

Financial Services
Exempt, Regular, Full-time

The Director of Financial Services is a key member of the Vice President, Finance and Administration’s (VPFA) leadership team and plays a critical role in advancing the University’s strategic priorities and financial sustainability.

Reporting to the VPFA, the Director provides leadership and oversight for the Finance portfolio, ensuring sound financial stewardship, effective people leadership, strong internal controls, regulatory compliance, risk management, audit coordination, and transparent, accurate financial reporting.

The Director serves as the University's senior financial steward and is accountable for the integrity of the University's financial management framework. The position is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and monitoring an effective system of internal controls designed to safeguard University assets, ensure compliance with legislation and policy, support reliable financial reporting, and promote accountability for public resources. The Director provides independent assurance to the VPFA regarding the effectiveness of key financial controls and risk mitigation activities.

The Director is responsible for establishing and maintaining a comprehensive system of internal financial controls across all financial service functions providing oversight into Control- Accounting Services (Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable), Treasury and Investments, Payroll, Contracts and Supply Chain Management, and Financial Planning and Analysis.

The position monitors the effectiveness of those controls, ensures appropriate segregation of duties, oversees remediation of identified deficiencies, and provides assurance to the Vice-President Finance and Administration regarding the integrity of financial operations, financial reporting, and stewardship of university resources.

The Director of Financial Services will contribute to the success of UNBC's students, employees, and reputation by (a) ensuring that financial information is accurately measured and interpreted, (b) creating and maintaining effective and adequate processes and procedures, and (c) undertaking the analysis and sharing of information to foster data-informed decision-making.

The Director of Finance is responsible for driving continuous improvement, efficiencies, effectiveness, and value addition through proper change management, ongoing process improvement and optimization, digitization, and technological advancement.

Responsibilities
Duties include but are not limited to:

Strategic and Operational Planning

• Collaborating with other senior leaders to design and implement strategies that contribute to the financial sustainability of the University;
• Aligning the Finance portfolio with the aspirations of UNBC;
• Identifying and continuously improving organizational systems and processes to support the University’s progress towards its goals, growth, and developmental strategies;
• Ensuring work units are aligned with academic and administrative priorities;
• Providing recommendations to the senior leadership team and the Board of Governors, as required;
• Identifying opportunities to create process improvements to ensure the work of the Finance team strengthens the growing needs of UNBC’s strategic direction and academic mission;
• Providing financial knowledge to support the strategic plan of the University; and
• Providing high level analysis financial forecasting and support for negotiating collective agreements.

Financial Governance, Reporting and Internal Controls

• Providing strategic oversight of the University's financial control environment;
• Ensuring effective internal control frameworks are established, documented, communicated, monitored, and continuously improved;
• Overseeing the preparation and integrity of all financial reporting, ensuring information is complete, accurate, timely, and compliant with Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS);
• Ensuring appropriate segregation of duties exists across financial services units including but not limited to: procurement, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, treasury, budgeting, and reporting functions;
• Developing and monitoring financial control policies and procedures to safeguard University assets;
• Leading the coordination of annual external audits and any internal audit or compliance reviews;
• Overseeing management responses and remediation plans related to audit findings and control deficiencies;
• Providing oversight of delegated signing authority, financial authorization controls, and expenditure approval processes;
• Monitoring financial control compliance and reports significant risks or weaknesses to the VPFA;
• Providing financial governance support to the Board of Governors and Finance & Audit Committee as required;
• Ensuring transparency and accountability in financial reporting to internal and external stakeholders;
• Overseeing financial systems governance including access controls, change management, data integrity, and cybersecurity considerations affecting financial information;
• Overseeing guidelines for financial planning and forecasting, provides oversight to the plans, coordination, and execution the consolidated financial budgeting process in line with UNBC’s overall budget and planning process;
• Overseeing staff in the monitoring and analyzing of operating results and financial reporting;
• Developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure that personnel and financial information is secure and stored in compliance with current legislation;
• Ensuring all financial reporting requirements are met including reports to the Board, Ministry and other external agencies as required as well as completion of relevant audited financial statements and reports;
• Certifying the accuracy and completeness of financial reports provided to senior leadership, Board committees, government agencies, and external stakeholders;
• Establishing and maintaining accounting policies consistent with PSAS and emerging reporting requirements;
• Overseeing monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes; and
• Ensuring appropriate reconciliations, financial reviews, and variance analyses are completed and documented.

People and Environment

• Ensuring direct reports are aligned with the vision and aspirations of UNBC and supports their success;
• Ensuring processes are in place to cultivate positive and productive work and learning environments and/or addresses behaviours that do not support these environments;
• Holding people accountable for high standards of performance and outcomes;
• Fostering a culture of empowering, innovation, and data-informed decision making;
• Building a strong and diverse team;
• Promoting and celebrating employee success;
• Leading and supporting required positive changes in the Finance portfolio; and
• Building organizational capacity for change.

Risk Management

• Monitoring key financial performance indicators and emerging financial risks;
• Overseeing assessment of fraud risk and implementation of fraud prevention controls;
• Monitoring compliance with financial policies and delegated authorities;
• Reporting significant financial, compliance, and reputational risks to the VPFA;
• Ensuring corrective action is taken when financial controls or reporting processes are not operating effectively;
• Incorporating the identification, assessment and management of risks related to the Finance portfolio into the planning process and decision-making;
• Monitoring, assessing trends, and recommending changes to avoid or minimize risks and liability;
• Ensuring high standards with respect to wellness and safety of the Finance team;
• Ensuring financial and legal risks are minimized through appropriate and detailed contracts; and
• Ensuring compliance with university policies, Federal and Provincial statutes, funding agency requirements, and relevant collective agreements.

Qualifications
The successful candidate will be a senior-level finance with an undergraduate degree in a relevant field.

The candidate must hold a Chartered Professional Accountant designation and have a minimum of 10 years of recent senior leadership and management experience from the postsecondary/ public sector or a comparably complex organization.

The successful candidate will have a current understanding of relevant financial reporting standards and contemporary financial management approaches. Demonstrated competency and success in financial and operational management in a large and complex organization are essential. Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills are required, as well as strong written and verbal communication.

Keen awareness of institutional risks and a high level of integrity are crucial. The candidate will possess strong interpersonal skills, relationship building abilities and can lead, mentor, and develop the Financial Services team.

Salary
The starting salary will be determined with consideration of the successful candidate’s relevant education, skills, and experience. The annual salary range for this position is $128,783.00 to $151,764.00.

UNBC offers employee tuition waivers (including spouse and dependents), excellent benefit and pension packages, as well as employee training and development opportunities. For more details, please see http://www.unbc.ca/human-resources/employee-benefits.

Normal working hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Flexibility to work irregular hours may be required during peak periods, such as financial year-end.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Employment Equity
The University of Northern British Columbia is fully committed to creating and maintaining an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment that is accessible to all. We are devoted to ensuring a welcoming, safe, and inclusive campus free from harassment, bullying, and discrimination. This commitment is woven into our motto and mission. In the Dakelh language, UNBC’s motto ‘En Cha Huná translates to “they also live” and means respect for all living things. Through respect for all living things, we are able to grow and learn better together, each bringing our own unique individual differences and contributions to inspire leaders for tomorrow by influencing the world today.

Employment equity requires that we remove barriers and overcome both direct and indirect discrimination. In this way, the pool of excellent candidates increases substantially. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

About UNBC
Since its founding in 1990, the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) has emerged as one of Canada’s best small research-intensive universities, with a passion for teaching, discovery, people, and the North. UNBC’s excellence is derived from community-inspired research, hands-on learning, and alumni who are leading change around the world.

Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have walked gently on the diverse traditional territories where the University of Northern British Columbia community is grateful to live, work, learn, and play. We are committed to building and nurturing relationships with Indigenous peoples, we acknowledge their traditional lands, and we thank them for their hospitality. UNBC’s largest campus in Prince George is located on the traditional unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, in the spectacular landscape near the geographic centre of beautiful British Columbia.

UNBC consistently ranks in the top three in its category in the annual Maclean’s university rankings. UNBC also recently placed among the top five per cent of higher education institutions worldwide by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

With a diverse student population, the University is friendly, inclusive, and supportive. Prince George is a city of ~80,000 people with impressive cultural, educational, and recreational amenities. For more information about living and working in Prince George, please refer to http://www.unbc.ca/experience and https://moveupprincegeorge.ca. Make your mark with this leading post-secondary institution.

To Apply
Applicants should create an applicant profile and apply for this position by uploading and submitting a cover letter and resume. Cover letters should highlight the candidate’s experience in the following areas: Leadership, Audit/ Internal Controls, Contracts and Supply Chain Management, Payroll, Treasury, Investments, Financial Planning & Budgets, General Accounting.

Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

This exempt/management position is an on-campus position, based at the Prince George Campus.

The University of Northern British Columbia is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from the four designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities) as well as the 2SLGBTQ+ communities and individuals with intersectional identities.

Persons with disabilities, who anticipate needing accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, may contact UNBC Health & Wellbeing at [email protected]. Any personal information provided will be maintained in confidence.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. We thank all applicants for their interest in UNBC, however, only those applicants selected for further consideration will be contacted.

UNBC does not use artificial intelligence to screen candidate applications.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.