Senior Manager, Research Portfolio & Strategic Finance

Job Summary
This position is responsible for providing financial and managerial oversight to the research portfolio of Director of School of Population and Public Health (SPPH), including large-scale grants, PI-held accounts, international agreements, and multi-site initiatives, with responsibility for associated staffing and costing across external centers. Integrating professional accounting expertise with high-level direction, the incumbent serves as the strategic partner to the Director in managing large multi-year research portfolios.

The Senior Manager navigates complex, sensitive political landscapes involving UBC Central Administration, the Faculty of Medicine (FoM) Dean’s Executive, and external government partners. This role is responsible for the operational sustainability and fiscal integrity of the Director’s portfolio and ongoing research commitments, inclusive of other SPPH faculty holding large grants, ensuring alignment with the long-term mission of the School.

Organizational Status
The position holds significant delegated authority to represent the Director in negotiations and partnerships with senior health care leadership across all levels of provincial and federal government. Working with a high degree of independence, the Senior Manager leads a diverse workforce of research staff. This position acts as a critical liaison between the School and external stakeholders, including Health Authority CEOs, global research partners, and significant donors, to galvanize the relationship between health research operations and institutional public health goals.

Housed within the Faculty of Medicine, the School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) is an innovative unit that encompasses many of the health-related groupings at UBC as a collaborative venture. The School is structured around four divisions:
Global and Environmental Health;
Health Services and Policy;
Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health Practice; and Health in Populations. The resulting mix of professions and disciplines is seen as a means of connecting individuals and learners to galvanize the relationship between health research, public health and health services and to enhance learning.

Work Performed
1. Strategic Financial Management

• Provides senior-level financial oversight for the Director’s research portfolio with a dedicated focus on the financial architecture of the portfolio and its financial instruments.
• Exercises high-level signing authority on all Research Project/Grants and operational budgets within the Director’s portfolio.
• Develops and implements sophisticated financial sustainability models; conducts variance analysis and trend forecasting to advise the Director on strategic resource allocation and risk mitigation.
• Acts as a resource to the Director and Associate Directors, including directing the financial design and strategic submission of large-scale, multi-site collaborative research grant applications (e.g., Tri-Council, NIH, Industry); ensures budgets maximize recovery and align with institutional priorities.
• Provides guidance and consultation on complex financial regulations, grant-agency policies, and contract compliance.
• Oversees various accounts, including research and special purpose accounts, proactively resolving issues of non-compliance, over-expenditure, or ineligible costs.
• Directs and reviews the preparation of year-end financial grant reports and ensures the integrity of financial data across Workday and external partner systems.

2. Research Portfolio Governance

• Provides senior-level strategic advice to the Director on research portfolio priorities, risk exposure, and resource sustainability; contributes to the development of the Office's operational roadmap in alignment with SPPH's academic and institutional objectives.
• Navigates complex multi-institutional relationships with Provincial and Federal government representatives, University Executives, and Health Authority leadership in managing the Director's research portfolio.
• Exercises independent professional judgment to analyze, manage, and take action oncomplex, sensitive matters affecting the Director's research portfolio; provides…