Associate Director, Budget and Financial Management

Union/Affiliation: Administrative and Professional Staff (APSA)
Pay range: $99,865 to $119,148 annually SFU Department Descr: Office of the Dean, Faculty of Science
Position Grade: 12
# of openings: 1
Biweekly Hours: 72

Who We Are

Simon Fraser University is a leading research university, advancing an inclusive and sustainable future. Our purpose – the essence of SFU – is to create and connect knowledge, learning and community for deeper understanding and meaningful impact. We are committed to fostering excellence, innovation, belonging and community in all that we do.

The Office of the Dean provides leadership and support to the Faculty of Science’s eight academic departments and six core facilities. It is responsible for strategic planning, resource stewardship, and operational oversight, while advancing excellence in research, teaching, and student recruitment and retention. The Office also supports governance processes and fosters collaboration across the Faculty to ensure a strong, sustainable academic and research environment.

About the Role

The Associate Director, Budget and Financial Management, provides leadership for budget development, resource planning, and financial management for the Faculty of Science. The role oversees all budgeting and financial activities across operating, specific purpose, research, and endowment funds, and leads the faculty’s operating budget cycle, revenue forecasting, and year-end processes. The Associate Director delivers expert financial advice, analysis, and problem resolution to support strategic decision-making related to resource allocation and long-term planning, and leads the implementation of new financial systems, procedures, and reporting approaches. The role coordinates required submissions to SFU’s Budget Office, including quarterly variance analysis, and produces standard and customized monthly financial reports. The Associate Director ensures effective financial and procurement systems, processes, controls, and compliance measures are in place, mitigating risk through controls aligned with GAAP and supporting business process improvements that advance faculty and university priorities. The role provides day-to-day leadership of the faculty finance team to ensure consistent, integrated service delivery across departments, and works closely with senior university partners to assess budget and operational needs while overseeing internal and external financial reporting. The Associate Director also has a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Associate Vice President, Finance for matters related to the University’s financial planning.

The ideal candidate is an experienced Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with a demonstrated record of providing expert financial leadership within an academic or public-sector environment. They bring extensive experience in accounting, financial stewardship, budgeting, forecasting, and risk management. The candidate has a deep understanding of financial systems and tools, planning methodologies, and process improvement, along with experience leading change management initiatives. This individual possesses excellent communication skills, excels at building collaborative relationships, and has proven success in developing and sustaining high-performing teams.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Commerce or Business Administration (Accounting major), with a professional accounting designation, and six years of related work experience, including experience in financial management within a corporate or university environment, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

• Excellent financial analysis, budget planning, and financial management skills.
• Ability to develop relationships and partnerships and to work collaboratively at all levels and areas within the organization.
• Ability to analyze business requirements, identify criteria and specifications and troubleshoot issues.
• Excellent interpersonal, intercultural and communication (both oral and written) skills.
  

What We Offer

At SFU, our goal is to ensure our people are valued and supported by promoting a healthy work-life balance, professional growth and development, as well as a safe and respectful workplace. We offer continuing employees who belong in the Administrative & Professional Staff Association (APSA):

• 4 weeks’ vacation (prorated for the first year)*
• Hybrid-work program for eligible positions
• Employer paid defined benefit pension plan
• On-campus tuition waiver for employees and their immediate family members*
• Off-campus tuition reimbursements and professional development funds*
• And more!

*Prorated for part-time employees

Additional Information