Executive Director

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Job Summary

Reporting to the Associate Vice-Principal, Finance and Administration, the Executive Director, Integrated Finance Services is accountable, within delegated authority, for the performance and coherence of the function as a whole. The Executive Director leads the development and implementation of the function’s strategy and operating model, aligned with AVP direction and approved enterprise-wide Finance strategy, and is accountable for cross-portfolio capacity and risk management, consistent service standards and controls, and the performance and development of Integrated Finance Services Directors.

The Executive Director ensures Directors have the approved frameworks, delegated authority, capability and support required to lead their portfolios or managed groups effectively and exercise their authority without unnecessary approval layers. 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.

The Executive Director becomes directly involved when matters exceed an individual Director’s delegated authority, require decisions across Director-led groups, remain unresolved following Director-level action, or have institutional financial, control, service or strategic implications. The Executive Director resolves matters within delegated authority and escalates institutional determinations to the AVP.

As a senior member of the Finance leadership team, the Executive Director advises the AVP on service performance, capacity, capability, risk and improvement priorities, coordinates implementation of approved Finance initiatives and represents Integrated Finance Services in designated institutional, regulatory and external forums.

The AVP, Finance and Administration retains institutional professional and people accountability for Integrated Finance Services, including enterprise-wide strategy, service standards, workforce performance and institutional service expectations. The Executive Director exercises delegated leadership and management authority within this framework.

Job Description

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Finance Services Leadership and Operating Model
• Leads the development, implementation and continuous improvement of the Integrated Finance Services strategy and operating model, aligned with AVP direction and approved enterprise-wide Finance strategy.
• Directs and oversees Integrated Finance Services activities and ensures alignment with University financial policies and AVP direction.
• Develops and recommends Integrated Finance Services standards, operating practices, performance measures and escalation protocols for AVP approval, and implements them across Director-led areas.
• Monitors Finance service delivery, quality, responsiveness, capacity utilization and client outcomes across all portfolios and directs corrective action at the Director level where required.
• Resolves cross-portfolio and cross-Director service, capacity, priority and accountability conflicts and makes function-wide Finance capacity and service trade-off decisions within approved budgets, workforce plans, service expectations and delegated authority.
• Determines when direct Executive Director involvement is warranted based on institutional materiality, strategic significance, cross-portfolio impact, unresolved Director-level matters or escalation requirements.

Service Performance and Standards
• Maintains visibility of Finance performance across Director led groups and brings material service failures, systemic issues, structural capacity shortfalls and emerging risks to the AVP with recommended action.
• Maintains relationships with designated institutional leaders to understand service expectations and identify systemic concerns, while preserving Director and Senior Manager ownership of principal portfolio Finance relationships.
• Conducts periodic service reviews, using service data, client feedback, audit findings and Director-provided intelligence to identify trends, gaps and opportunities for improvement.
• Develops, maintains and continuously improves the approved Integrated Finance Services performance framework and recommends changes to the AVP where needed.
• Holds Directors accountable for applying approved service standards and for taking timely corrective action.
• Maintains an integrated view of financial, control and service risks across Director led groups, identifies systemic issues and institutional implications, and coordinates appropriate Finance responses. Escalates institutional-level financial matters to the AVP with analysis and recommended action.
• Provides timely advice to the AVP on institutional level financial pressures, structural risks and recommended responses. Supports accountable client leaders through analysis, advice and implementation support where corrective business action is required.

Capacity and Resource Management
• Coordinates deployment of Finance capacity across Director-led groups and makes cross-portfolio deployment decisions within approved workforce plans, budgets and delegated authority.
• Balances available capacity across all Director-led groups and makes transparent service and workload trade-offs within delegated authority.
• Identifies structural capacity pressures, coordinates available responses and recommends longer-term resource or organizational changes to the AVP.
• Maintains oversight of Finance workforce structure, succession risk and organizational effectiveness and advises the AVP on significant workforce or organizational design matters.

People Leadership and Finance Capability
• Provides leadership, direction and coaching to Directors and establishes clear performance and accountability expectations across the Finance leadership group.
• Conducts performance reviews for Directors and obtains relevant client input on integrated service delivery and relationship effectiveness.
• Makes decisions and recommendations concerning the Integrated Finance Services workforce, including recruitment, workforce planning, performance, development, discipline and organization design within delegated authority.
• Builds leadership capability and resilience through coaching, professional development, succession planning, and cross-portfolio knowledge sharing.
• Sets Finance capability expectations and sponsors coordinated development initiatives across the function.
• Fosters, promotes and drives equity and inclusion.

Transformation and Institutional Contribution
• Leads implementation of approved Finance Services transformation, process standardization, automation and service-improvement priorities across Director-led areas.
• Contributes to Finance governance and policy development and leads implementation of approved standards and policies across Finance Services.
• Leads or sponsors implementation of significant Finance systems, operating-model changes and transformation programs and monitors adoption, performance and realization of intended benefits.
• Represents approved Finance Services priorities, capabilities and accountabilities in institutional forums and external networks.
• Identifies opportunities to improve the value, consistency and effectiveness of Finance Services and recommends material changes to the AVP.
• 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 10 years of senior leadership experience in financial management, planning, reporting, people leadership, operations and advisory services within a large, complex organization.
• Demonstrated experience leading multiple Finance service areas or portfolios through senior leaders and coordinating consistent service delivery across a large, complex organization.
• Proven experience advising and influencing senior and executive leaders on significant financial, service, risk and organizational matters.
• Extensive experience with institutional budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, enterprise reporting, internal controls, risk management and diverse and complex funding or revenue structures.
• Demonstrated experience leading major organizational change, operating-model transformation and implementation of large-scale Finance systems and practices.
• Experience in a university, public-sector, health-sector, research-intensive or similarly complex multi-client environment is strongly preferred.
• Criminal Sector Check required.
• Consideration will be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.

SPECIAL SKILLS:
• Comprehensive knowledge of Finance strategy development and implementation, institutional governance, enterprise risk, organizational planning and integrated Finance service delivery at scale.
• Systems-level thinking with the ability to integrate information from multiple portfolios into coherent advice, options and recommendations.
• Superior relationship-building, influencing and communication skills, including the ability to provide objective, professional challenge to senior leaders.
• Advanced financial-management, forecasting, analytical and risk assessment skills.
• Ability to lead through a Director level management layer while balancing functional coherence with appropriate portfolio autonomy.
• Sound judgement in determining when AVP, executive or governing-body escalation is required.
• Proven success developing and implementing strategic plans and meeting objectives.
• Proven management and leadership experience with a demonstrated ability to organize, motivate and influence within and outside of direct span of control.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively build and manage partner relationships that enhance and advance the interests of the University.
• Proven ability to collaboratively develop a future vision of program initiative goals and needs, champion this vision, and secure and/or coordinate the resources to pursue associated goals.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor, inspire others, articulate aspirational goals and institutional priorities, and effectively support new program initiatives.
• Fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment where there is mutual respect and collaboration across all teams.
• A strategic, innovative, and collaborative leader who successfully seeks out and fosters collaboration and partnerships in a complex multi-stakeholder environment.

DECISION MAKING:
• Leads the development of Integrated Finance Services strategy and recommends it to the AVP for approval; determines functional priorities, operating plans and implementation requirements within approved enterprise-wide strategy and delegated authority.
• Coordinates cross-portfolio deployment of approved Finance capacity and makes material workload decisions within delegated authority; recommends significant structural or resource changes to the AVP.
• Resolves cross-Director matters and determines when AVP escalation is required.
• Makes material Integrated Finance Services decisions on delivery, controls, capacity, organizational design and risk within delegated authority.
• Advises the AVP on significant financial matters; final academic, operational and resource-allocation decisions remain with the appropriately authorized leader.
• Coordinates consistent interpretation and application of financial policy across Finance Services, establishes operating practices within approved frameworks and escalates policy matters requiring institutional determination to the AVP or appropriate authority.
• Makes decisions and effective recommendations regarding transfers and promotions.
• Assesses investigation outcome of grievances and makes effective recommendations on an appropriate course of action or next steps on grievances.
• Evaluates Directors’ performance and decides on appropriate training or coaching to address lack of proficiency in carrying out responsibilities, or remedial action for staff disciplinary situations.
• Makes effective recommendations on level of discipline up to discharge and probationary termination.
• Determines the most effective implementation of innovative programming strategies to manage meaningful relationships to maximize the benefit to the Faculties, shared service units, and the University.

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].