City : Surrey

Category : 4710 – Office of the CFO

Industry : Education

Employer : Kwantlen Polytechnic University - KPU

JOB OVERVIEW:  Associate Vice President, Finance 

This role reports to the Chief Financial Officer. Reporting directly to this position are the two Directors of Financial Services, Director of Procurement and Confidential Assistant, Financial Services.

The Associate Vice President (AVP), Finance provides leadership and management of financial operations and reporting at KPU, modernizing and streamlining the University’s budgeting, reporting, procurement, internal controls and financial systems. The AVP, Finance provides strategic and tactical insight to assist in the development of the University’s annual and long-term operating and capital budgets, as well as assists in generating cash flow projections and investing funds in short and long-term options. The AVP, Finance has management accountability for the financial operations of the organization, and ensures that the Chief Financial Officer has access to timely, meaningful, and accurate financial information for executive leadership and governing bodies.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Relevant Graduate degree plus a Canadian professional accounting designation in good standing or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience;
• Minimum of 12 years of finance experience and at least 5 years senior and/or mid-level administrative experience in public sector finance and accounting;
• Experience managing an investment portfolio is required;
• Financial audit experience is required;
• Experience in leading budget processes and working with budgets in the public sector is preferred;
• Experience with reporting information to boards and committees in accordance with policy and governance;
• Or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES

• Politically astute. Identifies potentially contentious issues and deals effectively with them while exercising tact and diplomacy;
• Experience in dealing with competing agendas and diverse opinions, and has drawn upon their intuition, conceptual skills and leadership skills to find the best solutions;
• An understanding of and an appreciation for complex, unionized public sector organizations is preferred; experience in and knowledge of post-secondary educational institutions is an asset;
• Proven track record of innovative and strategic decision making, as well as experience in leading an organization to achieve aggressive performance goals;
• Ability to deal effectively and diplomatically with people at all levels in an organization;
• Possesses excellent business acumen and an appreciation for efficient operations;
• A forward thinker with the ability to translate strategic objectives and operational plans into action; able to prioritize and set plans to reach the financial objectives;
• Superior verbal and written communication skills. Is confident in making presentations to all levels;
• Ability to analyze problems and opportunities, establish facts and draw valid conclusions quickly, appropriately and under pressure;
• Ability to organize and analyze large amounts of information;
• Ability to see the big picture – strong results and bottom-line orientation;
• Ability to be decisive and willing to make difficult decisions when needed;
• Excellent interpersonal skills; can build and maintain trust and effective working relationships;
• Collaborates in a meaningful, productive way. Understands where the line is between collaboration and decision making and acts accordingly, ensuring the proper communication and follow-up along the way;
• Practices open and effective dialogue to ensure the exchange of ideas and information;
• Ability to travel between campuses is required.

COMPETENCIES

• Leadership: KPU employees inspire, coach, mentor, and support students, employees and KPU as a whole in achieving objectives.
• Accountability: KPU employees demonstrate fiscal accountability and take ownership for their actions, decisions and results.
• Continuous Improvement: KPU employees take a creative approach to opportunities, exploring unique ways to create optimal value for the KPU community.
• Collaboration: KPU employees work in functional and cross-functional teams, coming together to solve complex issues and accomplish objectives that will benefit the KPU community.

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Salary Information

The compensation range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary (as listed above) for a position.  Approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position.  In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and approximately halfway of the salary range for a job. Annual salary increases are available through participation in the Administrative Performance Management program