Finance Partner; Senior Financial Analyst

Description

The Finance Services Team within Finance is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Finance Partner (Senior Financial Analyst). Reporting to the Associate Director, Finance Services, the Finance Partner leads the delivery of specialized financial services for members of the Senior Leadership Team and assigned Faculty/Units. The Finance Partner is assigned a portfolio of Faculty and/or Business Units with combined operating and internally restricted funds ranging between $50M and $100M.

This position is part of the Finance Services team and provides expert knowledge in strategic planning, sustainable budgeting, specialized management reporting, impactful variance reporting and forecasting, internal control assessment and implementation, process improvement, and the development of recommendations for corrective action or innovative opportunities to ensure portfolios remain on budget.

The Finance Partner has a key leadership role in providing financial advice and guidance to the Senior Leadership Team and stakeholders. The primary focus is to provide strategic decision support enabling the achievement of critical university goals while ensuring financial stability.

• Gain an understanding of multiple complex areas in a relatively short period to collect, analyze and organize information, establish facts and make pragmatic, value-added recommendations.
• Provide strategic decision support for Senior Leadership teams, ensuring leadership is apprised of all critical budgetary and financial issues, treating all matters with professionalism, sensitivity and confidentiality.
• Lead the comprehensive annual planning and budget preparation process for assigned portfolios and review to ensure alignment and integration with the university's overall strategy and plans (e.g. Business Plan, Research Plan, Academic Plan, Enrollment Plan, etc.).
• Lead the forecasting and planning process, including monthly budget-to-actual variance analysis and forecast.
• Lead all monthly / quarterly / year-end financial activities within the Faculty / Unit in accordance with the institution's policies and procedures.
• Work in partnership with stakeholders to continuously seek to improve financial processes and procedures within the Faculty / Unit by working with the financial process stream owners.
• Develop proposals and business cases as required for new initiatives, and continuously review existing activities for process improvement and sustainability.
• Provide a wide variety of ad hoc reporting and financial analysis to enable timely and effective decision making.
• Serve as a conduit to share Faculty / Unit perspectives and ideas to integrate into institutional level planning, policy and procedure development.
• Successful and timely completion of special assignments and projects that have institutional-wide impacts, including assessing, testing, key performance indicators, reporting, recommending, evaluation and feedback assessment (i.e. tuition allocation methodologies).
• Stay current on trends and approaches to financial management and processes through continued professional development.

• A professional accounting designation (CPA, CA, CMA or CGA) with a related University degree, or an MBA. Other relevant graduate levels of education and experience may be considered.
• Experience leading operating budget and forecast processes in excess of $10M.
• Experience providing strategic decision support at the senior leadership level (2+ years).
• Extensive work experience in various accounting functions including budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis (7+ years).
• Proven ability to provide direction and leadership to staff.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated skills in building and maintaining productive and supportive working relationships with all levels of senior leadership, management and staff.
• Proficient user of computer software applications, including large integrated enterprise resource planning systems, data warehousing, business intelligence tools and spreadsheets.
• Good knowledge of not for profit accounting and university structures and operations.

This position will remain open until filled; however, applicants will be reviewed as they are received.

This position is classified in the Professional Career Band, Level 3F of the Management and Professional Staff Career Framework.

The University of Calgary is an equitable and inclusive employer, committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. We encourage applicants from designated groups, including women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, visible and racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process for applicants with disabilities.

Applicants should note that preference may be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of…