Vice-President, People, Finance, and Information Services

Vice-President, People, Finance, and Information Services

King’s University College

London, Ontario

King’s University College is seeking a collaborative, strategic, and courageous leader to serve as its Vice-President, People, Finance, and Information Services. This is a pivotal opportunity to help shape King’s next chapter by collaboratively strengthening financial sustainability and modernizing the systems, processes, and services that support King’s distinctive mission, vision and values.

The Organization

King’s is a Catholic university college in the liberal arts tradition affiliated with Western University. Situated in London, Ontario, King’s offers an inclusive and supportive learning environment that promotes a personalized education, rigorous scholarship, critical reflection, career development, and community engagement. With approximately 3,500 full- and part-time students, King’s is one of Canada’s leading undergraduate-focused institutions. Faculty and students enjoy the advantages of a small campus while benefiting from access to many of the resources of Western University.

Founded in 1954 by the Diocese of London, King’s is guided by the values of dignity, inclusion, and service. The College emphasizes the formation of the whole person, intellectually, morally, and spiritually, and is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and vibrant academic community.

The Role

Reporting to the President, the Vice-President, People, Finance, and Information Services is a key leadership role at King’s that collectively shares responsibility for the success and sustainability of the institution. As a senior leader and member of the executive team, the Vice-President will be expected to bring a highly collaborative approach, modelling the university’s values and expected leadership culture and working in tandem with other executives and across academic and administrative units to improve communication, strengthen relationships, and align resources with institutional priorities. They will provide integrated advice to the President and the Board, identifying and managing institution-wide risks, making recommendations about priorities and resource allocation, accepting accountability for institutional results, and building trust with the King’s community and governance bodies.

At a time of significant change across the post-secondary sector, the Vice-President is a senior institutional leader and the executive responsible for providing enterprise-wide leadership across Human Resources, Finance, Physical Plant, and Information Services, ensuring these functions work together to support King’s mission, academic priorities, and long-term sustainability. They will engage with the entire community to strengthen King’s operational foundations while building confidence in the institution’s financial stewardship. They actively foster a healthy and engaged workplace culture and advance technology, information systems, and physical spaces that support employee well‑being, administrative effectiveness, and academic excellence.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Strategic Leadership and Institutional Stewardship: Serve as a member of the senior leadership team that is charged with shaping and advancing the College’s strategic direction. Partner with the President, Board, and senior leaders to align resources, priorities, and institutional planning with King’s mission, values, and long-term sustainability. Provide thoughtful counsel on organizational risks, opportunities, and emerging trends affecting higher education.
• Portfolio Leadership: Provide informed executive oversight across Human Resources, Finance, Physical Plant and Information Technology Services, fostering a cohesive portfolio with a shared commitment to institutional priorities. Build and lead a cohesive, high‑performing team and establish a shared purpose, clear accountabilities, strong working relationships and a culture of trust and collaboration. Leverage the combined expertise and resources across the portfolio to strengthen institutional effectiveness and advance Kings mission.
• Financial Sustainability and Operational Excellence: Drive sustainable approaches that balance financial responsibility with investment in the student experience, employee culture, academic mission, and organizational capacity. In collaboration with the President and the senior leadership team, strengthen the College’s operational foundations through alignment, clear accountabilities, and strong working relationships.
• Innovation, Change, and Future Readiness: Lead institutional modernization efforts that enhance effectiveness, improve service delivery, and position King’s for long‑term success. Champion innovation, digital enablement, process improvement, and data‑informed decision‑making while helping the institution navigate complexity and adapt to a rapidly changing post‑secondary landscape.
• People, Culture, and Community: Prioritize a healthy and safe workplace, strong staff and faculty engagement, and a reputation as a top employer. Foster trust, strengthen morale, and promote a shared sense of responsibility across the institution, while mobilizing community to actively cultivate a collaborative, and values‑driven organizational culture. Prioritize the development and maintenance of facilities as places that influence learning, work, and financial health.
• Governance and Institutional Engagement: Build productive relationships across the College and serve as a connector among faculty, staff, administration, governing bodies, and external partners. Lead through trust‑building, influence, transparent communication, and collaboration within a collegial governance environment. Facilitate constructive dialogue, navigate complex issues, and help bring diverse perspectives together in support of informed decision‑making and institutional success.

The Ideal Candidate

As the ideal candidate, you are a strategic and values‑driven leader who can balance financial stewardship, people leadership, and operational excellence within a complex and resource‑constrained environment. You understand that as a values‑based leader at Kings you build commitment through credibility, trust, relationships and a clear sense of shared purpose rather than relying primarily on positional authority. You listen carefully, engage others in shaping decisions, communicate the rationale for change, and create the conditions for people to contribute their expertise and take ownership of results.You know how to foster sustainability by building trust, creating alignment, developing people, and ensuring decisions support the long‑term health of the institution. You are known as a transparent communicator who can explain complex issues clearly. You are comfortable making difficult decisions when required, while maintaining empathy, humility, and respect for collegial governance and consultation. You lead through influence alongside authority and have demonstrated success building collaborative cultures during periods of change. You appreciate the unique context of higher education and understand the importance of balancing operational realities with academic priorities, institutional mission, and community values. You are energized by opportunities to modernize systems, improve processes, and help organizations navigate complexity while remaining focused on people and purpose.

Qualifications and Experience

• Significant leadership experience in one or more of the portfolio areas, including finance, human resources, information services, technology, administrative operations, or enterprise services.
• Demonstrated expertise in financial management, budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and organizational stewardship.
• Experience leading human resources functions, workforce planning, employee relations, talent management, and labour relations within a unionized environment.
• Experience overseeing information technology, enterprise systems, digital transformation initiatives, data governance, cybersecurity, or related functions.
• Experience leading complex organizational change and fostering collaboration across diverse groups.
• Experience working effectively with executive leaders, boards, governance bodies, and community.
• Experience within post‑secondary education is strongly preferred; however, candidates with experience in other complex, mission‑driven organizations will also be considered.
• Sound understanding of the legal and regulatory environment affecting educational institutions, including employment law, privacy legislation, contract management and risk, is considered an asset.
• Legal credentials are not required but the ability to work fluently with legal counsel and translate legal considerations into sound operational decisions is considered an asset.
• Financial literacy is required, which could be demonstrated by a professional financial designation (CPA, CFA), advanced degree and/or equivalent experience.
• Additional designations or certifications relevant to the portfolio are considered an asset.

Skills and Attributes

• Strategic thinker capable of integrating people, financial, and technological considerations into a coherent institutional vision.
• Exceptional communication, relationship‑building, and community engagement skills.
• Courage, judgment, and confidence to make difficult decisions while maintaining trust and credibility.
• Demonstrated commitment to transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship.
• Strong conflict resolution and change leadership capabilities.
• Ability to build high‑performing teams and foster collaboration across organizational boundaries.
• Humility, emotional intelligence, and a service‑oriented leadership style.
• An understanding of, and appreciation for, the mission, values, and culture of a Catholic university college.

Why Join King’s?

This is an extraordinary opportunity to help lead a thriving university community at a moment of renewal. As Vice‑President, People, Finance and Information Services, you will help lead the next chapter of King’s history and evolution, deepening its impact on students’ lives and on society. You will join a welcoming, close‑knit academic community that values scholarship, faith, and the dignity of all people.

Vacancy Type: Currently vacant

KBRS does not use artificial intelligence to screen candidate applications.

King's University College is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including but not limited to women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, and persons of any gender identity and sexual orientation. Rooted in a Catholic intellectual tradition, King’s welcomes candidates of all backgrounds who demonstrate an appreciation for and commitment to its mission, values, and community.

King's University College is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier‑free experience to all applicants. Requests for accessibility information and accommodation can be made at any stage during the recruitment process by contacting accommodations@kbrs.ca.

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