Financial Project Analyst

Job Category

Job Profile

Job Title

Department

Compensation Range

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Posting End Date

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

Job Summary

The Office of the Provost and Vice President Academic (VPA) is responsible for the academic mandate of the University s Vancouver campus and oversees the University Budget of $3 billion. The Office provides leadership in planning, policy development and management of resources to ensure the fulfillment of the University s academic mission through the achievement of strategic goals. The Provost is the Senor Vice President and serves as Acting President in the absence of the President. The strategic academic funds under the oversight of the Provost is over $200m and growing as the President's academic Excellence hiring initiatives comes on full stream in the coming years.

The Financial Project Analyst position works with the Portfolio finance Director to oversee and manage the academic strategic funds of University. The position develops and implements financial plans to meet the strategic goals of the Provost and VP Academic, and the Provost leadership team. This position is a key member of the VP Academic financial management team, provides counsel on strategic direction and performs senior level accounting functions in the Provost and VPA office. The position plays a significant role in supporting the Portfolio Finance Director in providing financial leadership, strategic guidance and support in budgeting, accounting, reporting, and financial management systems pertaining to the University strategic funds. This position provides critical financial and forecasting expertise that supports and ensures accuracy and efficiency of strategic decision-making and financial planning of the University.

This role partners with the Portfolio Finance Director, VPA portfolio and works with the Financial Planning and Analysis team in delivering a robust long-term forecasting model for key strategic initiatives across the University. This position provides critical financial and forecasting expertise that supports and ensures accuracy and efficiency of strategic decision-making and financial planning for the University. Ensures the Portfolio Finance Director, VP Academic and the senior staff of Office of the Provost and VP Academic are supported in strategic and operational decision making by ensuring accurate reporting of financial information is presented to management in appropriate format with proposed recommendations on the use of the UBC Strategic Funds.

Organizational Status

The Financial Project Analyst reports to the Portfolio Finance Director, VP Academic. This position works in collaboration with many internal departments including: the Comptroller's office, Financial Planning & Analysis, Financial Reporting, Risk Management Services, Financial Operations, Treasury and external parties including the Killam Trustees and external auditors.

Work Performed

Business partner support

• Providing detailed analysis in assessing the impact of the centrally-funded strategic initiatives through the contributions related to the development of a specialized multi-year forecasting model.

• Developing and maintaining an accurate summary of Strategic initiatives funded from strategic funds under the oversight of the Provost. Providing business support to various units and stakeholders across the community by applying technical expertise, process management and business acumen.

• In partnership with the Portfolio Finance Director, VP Academic, identifies and prioritizes yearly budget activities. Identifies problem areas, calculates financial impact and provides advice and follows up with corrective action.

• Manages the UBC Killam General and Salary Fund and partners with Financial Reporting and Analysis in preparing specialized annual external financial and university wide initiative reporting to Killam trustees.

• Manages the program and financial administration of the Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF) chair program and is the main University liaison representative with the external LEEF organization.

Financial efficacy

• Designs and prepares reports with data from the existing financial management system and budgeting system, to analyze the current fiscal year's funding distributions and forecasted future year's activities from the strategic funds.

• Develops, documents, and monitors the various complex scenarios on the annual and five-year plan for the strategic funds. Furthermore, creating a track changes process that keeps record of the numerous revisions of a very complex business process with various senior level reviewers.

• Working with the Portfolio Finance Director, VPA portfolio, to interpret accounting procedures and reporting guidelines and provides financial advice to the portfolio and other finance related colleagues.

• Monitors, assesses and analyzes the effects of campus community changes on the financials and highlights these impacts to management with proposed recommended next steps.

• Prepares and presents comprehensive financial planning reports and forecasts with multiple scenarios to support senior management decision making.

• Reviews and analyzes the quarterly and annual financial statements and management reports including those which require senior management and Board approval. This includes thorough analytical reviews of actuals and projections and the identification of variances from budget; action items from the management team, red flags, growth areas, etc. to ensure future business decisions are sound.

Continuous Improvement/Operational Excellence

• Engages and may take the lead in various business process reviews and reengineering to enhance and improve reporting efficiencies and effectiveness. Makes recommendations for changes in process and procedures that will yield a more accurate and timely financial analysis, annual and multi-year forecast.

• Develops and test new reporting and functionality that will impact the Strategic funds reporting that is unique and customized compared to the regular University financial reporting needs. Prepare specialized annual Board reporting to report on the effectiveness of use of funds to meet the President's Priorities.

• Facilitates the implementation of administrative and forecasting process improvement to enhance financial reporting and monitoring tools for the University administrators.

• Works with the Portfolio Finance Director, VP Academic to improve existing modelling and analysis towards key strategic initiatives with broad and significant financial outcomes.

• Performs other duties as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Any errors in assessment could materially impact the planning, decision making and financial viability of central operations, faculties, and departments. Inaccurate financial modelling, projections and forecasts may lead to mismanagement of resources, which could result in significant financial losses and negatively impact UBC s ability to perform and uphold its reputation as a world class institution. Failure to provide adequate short and long term strategic financial planning advice would undermine the ability of the VP, Finance and Operations to set and implement priorities for allocation of resources, making it difficult to achieve the educational and research mandate for the University.

Supervision Received
Overall planning and major objectives are determined in consultation with the Portfolio Finance Director. Supervision takes the form of periodic consultations on issues, approaches, and progress reports on activities underway.

Supervision Given

This position currently has no direct reports.

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Completion of the CPA accounting program (CA, CGA or CMA). Minimum of five years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own.

• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within Public Sector Accounting Standards is an asset.

• Financial and forecasting experience, including work with modelling of complex long-term financial forecasts, and computerized financial management systems. Advanced working knowledge of spreadsheet modelling (MS Excel).

• Strong working knowledge of financial management and forecasting software packages, preferably Workday or Oracle based. (Workday and Adaptive Planning, Hyperion, and PeopleSoft).

• Strong understanding of GAAP principles and ability to apply knowledge to UBC.

• Demonstrated strong interpersonal, problem-solving, planning and organizational and analytical skills.

• Business acumen, understanding the strategic story and demonstrated ability to implement operational actions in a complex environment

• Effective oral and written communications skills.

• Work both independently and in a team environment.

• Ability to work well under pressure, prioritize tasks to meet deadlines and demonstrate a high degree of accuracy.

• Contributes in building strong relationships at all levels of the department and the University.