Senior FP&A Leader – Enterprise Budget & Forecasting

Job Summary

The Associate Director, Finance Services (Senior FP&A Leader) at the University of Calgary is a high-level executive role responsible for the Enterprise Budget & Forecasting lifecycle. Operating as a “Fiscal Architect,” you provide the strategic oversight necessary to manage the university’s multi-million dollar consolidated budget. This role requires the “wit” to translate complex academic operations into precise financial models and the “grit” to drive institutional accountability across diverse faculties and central units.

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Job Details

• Employer: University of Calgary (Finance Services).

• Location: Calgary, AB (Main Campus).

• Position Type: Full-time.

• Core Function: Strategic Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A).

• Reporting To: Senior Finance Leadership.

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Key Responsibilities: The Financial Lifecycle

You will lead the end-to-end evolution of the university’s financial planning, ensuring that every dollar aligns with the institution’s long-term strategic goals.

• Strategic Budgeting: Oversee the annual consolidated budget process, coordinating with Deans and Department Heads to ensure fiscal alignment with the university’s “Eyes High” or current strategic vision.

• Forecasting Excellence: Drive the quarterly and multi-year forecasting cycles, providing executive leadership with “early warning” insights into revenue variances or cost pressures.

• EPM Systems Leadership: Act as the functional lead for Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) systems, ensuring data integrity and leveraging automation to reduce manual reporting cycles.

• Executive Insights: Synthesize complex data into high-level financial narratives for the Board of Governors and the Executive Leadership Team (ELT).

• Fiscal Accountability: Establish and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across the institution to ensure balanced budgets and sustainable resource allocation.

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Candidate Profile & Qualifications

• The “Finance Strategist”: 10+ years of progressive experience in finance, with a heavy emphasis on FP&A within large, decentralized organizations (Public Sector or Higher Education experience is an asset).

• Leadership Wit: Proven ability to manage high-performing teams and navigate complex stakeholder environments where academic and financial priorities may overlap.

• Technical Mastery: Advanced knowledge of ERP and EPM systems (e.g., PeopleSoft, Oracle, or SAP), with a focus on data visualization and predictive modeling.

• Educational Foundation: A university degree in Finance or Accounting is required; a CPA designation or MBA is highly preferred.

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Technical Insights: The Higher-Ed Financial Model

Managing the finances of a top-tier research university involves unique complexities not found in the private sector.

• Fund Accounting: You will manage a diverse portfolio of funds, including Operating, Research, Endowment, and Capital funds, each with its own set of restricted and unrestricted requirements.

• Revenue Diversification: Your forecasting must account for a mix of provincial grants, tuition fees, investment income, and philanthropic donations—each with different risk profiles and sensitivities.

• Capital Planning: You will partner with Facilities and IT to forecast the long-term depreciation and maintenance costs of a massive physical and digital campus footprint.

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Diversity and Representation at UCalgary

The University of Calgary is a leader in implementing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at the leadership level.

• Indigenous Strategy (ii’ taa’poh’to’p): The university’s fiscal planning is increasingly informed by Indigenous economic principles, ensuring that community partnerships are supported by sustainable financial structures.

• Institutional EDI Goals: UCalgary recognizes that diverse leadership enriches the decision-making process. The Finance department actively seeks to increase the representation of women and racialized minorities in Associate Director and Executive roles.

• The Confidence Gap: In leadership recruitment, research shows that qualified candidates from underrepresented groups often hesitate to apply unless they meet every specific requirement. UCalgary explicitly encourages you to apply if you have the “grit” and “wit” to lead, even if your experience doesn’t perfectly mirror every bullet point.

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Job Description

Do you believe that a world-class education is built on a foundation of fiscal excellence? The University of Calgary is seeking an Associate Director, Finance Services to lead our Enterprise Budget & Forecasting team. We aren’t just “managing spreadsheets”; we are the financial engine that enables groundbreaking research and transformative learning. If you have the “grit” to manage a complex public-sector budget and the “wit” to deliver the insights our executive team needs to make bold decisions, you belong at UCalgary.

In this role, you are a “Value Steward.” You understand that transparency and accountability are the keys to building trust within a public institution. Your goal is to provide “Excellence in Financial Stewardship,” ensuring that UCalgary remains Canada’s most entrepreneurial and fiscally responsible university. We look for “Integrity-first” leaders who are collaborative, strategic, and ready to shape the future of higher education in Calgary.

Joining UCalgary means joining a community of leaders in one of the world’s most livable and enterprising cities. We offer a sophisticated professional environment where your expertise in EPM and strategic forecasting will have a tangible impact on the success of 36,000 students. If you are a seasoned finance leader with a commitment to “Fiscal Innovation and Institutional Growth,” we invite you to apply and start something today at the University of Calgary.