Senior Analyst, Financial Planning and Reporting

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Position purpose

Provides expert advice and guidance on budget management to financial managers and CAOs in faculties and services. Provides assistance in short-, medium- and long-term decision-making by offering support and making recommendations on financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting and report writing. Actively contributes to preparing the annual budget, the five-year plan and budget updates, and coordinates information received from faculties and services. Evaluates the quality of the information received in terms of risks and conducts a series of complex analyses and reviews to ensure that the information produced is high-quality and aligns with budget policies. Oversees financial system operations (Workday and Adaptive Planning) by implementing controls to ensure data integrity and accuracy.

Specific accountabilities

• Budget management and planning: Drafts and issues budget objectives for faculties and services, receives and coordinates budget entries via the financial system in accordance with current budget policies. Provides expertise and makes recommendations to ensure that budget data is consistent, high quality and reliable, and finalizes the budgets within prescribed deadlines. Actively assists in drafting the Operating Fund and Ancillary Services Fund budgets and regular budget follow-up actions, including fall and winter updates. Revises budget projections for administrative units and conducts comparative analyses to ensure that financial forecasts are realistic and consistent. Plays a key role in preparing the five-year plan for the Operating Fund, notably by determining budget assumptions and analyzing various scenarios involving revenue streams, salaries, benefits, utilities, scholarships and research chairs.
• Payroll management and financial closing: at the start of the year, establishes the budget baseline for regular employees and the payroll reserve budget for other items to consider when establishing the payroll budget. Manages funding for academic positions and conducts financial analyses of them, which includes a monthly update on hiring, departures and organizational changes, to guarantee the accuracy of budget allocations and appropriately adjust funding to faculties based on the funding models currently in place. Plans, analyzes and monitors salary increases stemming from the various collective agreements, including adjustments to funding allocations granted to faculties and services. At the end of the fiscal year, drafts the accounts payable, conducts analytical reviews of the payroll accounts and assists in the correct performance of the annual audit.
• Financial system management and process improvement: Ensures the integrity and accuracy of financial system data by maintaining the controls needed for proper operations. Assists in designing and improving digital systems by providing the required specifications and conducting the tests needed to validate the modules after modifications and updates. Identifies, analyzes, documents and reports technical or application problems encountered during tests or when using the financial modules.
• Analysis, accountability and governance support: Produces complex financial reports and analysis tools to gather the information required to meet the needs of senior management and the accountability obligations due to the University community. Participates in preparing the annual budget presented to the University’s various governing bodies, including the Administrative Committee, the Finance and Treasury Committee and the Board of Governors. Analyzes the decisions of various authorities, ensures that these decisions are implemented and monitors the central reserves tied to approved projects and initiatives, including their impacts on future years.

Knowledge, experience and skills

• University degree in accounting, finance or business administration, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• At least seven (7) years’ proven experience in a similar role
• CPA designation and/or an MBA would be an asset
• Extensive experience in financial management and internal controls: budgeting, forecasting, financial and operational analyses
• Experience in interpreting and applying complex financial regulations and policies
• Experience in using digital systems, preferably Workday/Adaptive Planning, and software such as spreadsheets, word processors and databases
• Excellent analysis and synthesis skills, and ability to solve complex problems
• Attention to detail to produce reliable, high-quality analyses that will be used in decision-making
• Interpersonal skills that allow the incumbent to successfully negotiate with various stakeholders, work in cooperation with faculty and service partners, and communicate effectively as an expert
• Organizational skills coupled with the ability to meet tight deadlines, set priorities and perform several tasks at once while ensuring the high quality of the information produced
• Self-reliance, creativity and initiative in order to produce financial analyses that are relevant to decision-making
• Adaptability and flexibility to meet the many changing needs for financial information
• Bilingualism – French and English (spoken and written)

Key Competencies at uOttawa:
Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa: 
Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.
The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact [email protected] to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.
If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.