OPPORTUNITY PROFILE Vice President

OPPORTUNITY PROFILE
Vice President, Administration and Finance
THE ORGANIZATION LANGARA COLLEGE
Located in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada, Langara College started in 1965 as part of Vancouver
City College and in 1970, it opened its West 49th Avenue campus. On April 1, 1994, Langara
College was established as an independent public college under the Provincial College and Institute
Act. Today, Langara is one of BC's leading undergraduate institutions providing University Studies,
Career Studies, and Continuing Studies programs and courses to more than 23,000 students
annually.
Langara College’s Strategic Plan was developed in 2009 and had its priorities renewed in 2013. It is
the vision for the future. It builds upon the regional reputation as a leading undergraduate college by
focusing on existing strengths, while growing new programs and services.
To achieve this vision, Langara is focusing on three key areas over the next several years:
Opportunities for learners: Develop and implement relevant programs and services that support
the increasingly diverse student body.
Institutional capacity: Continue to develop a working environment that attracts and supports
leading faculty, staff, and administration, and develop facilities, technology and financial resources
that can accommodate ongoing growth.
Reputation: Expand the reputation nationally and beyond and pursue community relations and
partnerships in circles that support the vision and strategic priorities.
Langara’s Mission Statement
Langara College provides accessible undergraduate education opportunities that meet the needs of
our diverse community. This means the offering of a variety of programs and services focused on
university, career, and continuing studies at an undergraduate level.
For more information, go to www.langara.bc.ca
THE OPPORTUNITY VICE PRESIDENT, ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
The Vice-President Administration and Finance is the chief administrative and financial officer of the
College and plays a critical role in supporting the provision of exceptional teaching and learning
experiences for students and faculty, as well as the delivery of responsive and accessible essential
institutional services for all campus constituents. He/she is an essential change management agent
as the College evolves and grows.
Reporting to the President and working closely with the senior leadership team, the Vice-President
helps to establish and actualize long-term vision and strategic planning of Langara. The Vice-
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President is also an advisor to the Board of Governors on financial matters and capital projects and
works closely with the provincial government to foster efficiencies and innovations within the College
and across the sector.
As chief financial officer, the Vice-President has overall responsibility for the effective stewardship of
the College’s financial resources. He/she ensures the current and long-term effectiveness of all
financial functions of the College and the Foundation, including accounting, asset and debt
management, investments, financial statements, insurance, risk management, contracts, operating
and capital budgeting, and auditing.
The following units report directly to the Vice-President, Administration and Finance:
Services, Facilities, Finance, and Risk and Internal Control.
Ancillary
Duties and Responsibilities
Provides strategic leadership and direction for the College
Participates in the preparation, implementation and evaluation of the College’s strategic and
other major plans.
Assists in the development of goals and actions to support the College’s Strategic Plan and
Academic Plan.
Oversees the development and implementation of the College’s master facilities plan and
associated long-term capital planning.
Leads the financial management of the College including budget planning and development
and management of the College’s operating and capital budgets in support of the College’s
Strategic and Academic Plans.
Ensures that the College operates under the provisions of the College and Institutes Act,
directives for the relevant Ministry(s), and generally accepted business standards of a publicly
funded institution.
Promotes excellence in general management practices of the College.
Ensures financial strength and stability of the College
Provides executive management and accountability for investment of the College’s funds.
Ensures the College’s financial performance in the form of operating revenues and
expenditures are consistent with its financial plans and budgets.
Champions entrepreneurial approaches to campus operations where appropriate.
Coordinates a systematic internal audit function to assist with campus operations.
Ensures that parameters and safeguards are provided for institutional contracts and provides
advice and support to the College with respect to major contracts and matters of legal liability.
Leads the application of risk management throughout the organization.
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Establishes effective policies and procedures for purchasing and acquisition of College goods
and services.
Provides leadership for pertinent process improvement projects that will reduce costs and
improve services.
Acts as the senior representative for the maintenance and construction activities of the
College.
Supports the academic mission of the College
Ensures that financial resources are provided that encourage excellence in teaching and
learning.
Plans, finances, and develops new buildings, in concert with the master facilities plan and in
consultation with campus stakeholders.
Leads, guides and directs the operations of the Administration and Finance Division
Plans, supervises and directs the activities of staff, working with direct reports, within the
Division.
Recruits and develops an effective and competent administrative team that will be respected
throughout the organization.
Ensures regular evaluations and professional development for staff.
Develops and implements appropriate administrative policies and procedures.
Serves as a resource to the Board of Governors and its committees
Regularly attends Board and Board Committee meetings.
Prepares reports and submissions to the Board as directed by the President; and participates
in presentations to the Board and government agencies as required.
Provides advice as requested, at all public, in-camera and subcommittee meetings of the
Board.
Ensures that the College obtains appropriate legal or professional advice in order to validate
administrative and Board decisions.
Acts as a College signing authority.
Performs other assigned duties
Undertakes special projects and responsibilities, as assigned by the President.
Participates on selection committees as delegated by the President.
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Assumes the duties of the President when required, at the discretion of the President.
Attends and participates in Senior Leadership Team meetings and other administrative
committees.
Develops and maintains essential relationships with Ministry officials and other senior
financial personnel.
Represents the College in liaison with other colleges, institutes, universities, governments
and other public and private institutions.
Represents the College on committees and task forces at the regional, provincial, and
national level.
Assists in the interpretation and costing of provisions in the College’s collective agreements,
in consultation with the Associate Vice-President, Human Resources.
Represents the President at official College, Board and community functions and meetings as
required.
Performs other duties as assigned by the President.
THE PERSON
Required Qualifications
The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and experience:
Member in good standing of an accounting profession (CPA-CGA, CMA).
Undergraduate degree; graduate degree such as MBA or related area preferred.
Ten (10) years of experience in a senior financial officer role including responsibilities for the
production of financial statements, investment management, budget projections, risk
management, working directly with Boards/Board Committees and supervision of senior staff.
An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
Demonstrated progressive managerial experience, preferably in a unionized, public sector
environment.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Extensive knowledge of financial systems, budgetary processes, information systems such as
Ellucian and administrative models.
Broad knowledge of current developments in finance and corporate administration.
Politically and corporately astute.
Superior strategic thinking, analytical and organizational skills.
Superior written, presentation and oral communication skills.
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Ability to lead and work collaboratively with a diverse group of stakeholders in a collegial
setting.
Strong consultation, facilitation, conflict resolution and relationship building skills.
Ability to negotiate and manage complex contracts and relationships.
Ability to develop, interpret and apply College, government, agency, and departmental
policies, procedures, and guidelines.
Ability to work effectively and productively with considerable independence and the ability to
work as a committed team member who shares responsibility.
Ability to achieve continuous improvement and to exemplify a customer service focus.
Ability to mentor, motivate and manage employees.
Ability to multi-task and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
Ability to function with a high degree of tact and diplomacy.
Competencies and Personal Characteristics
Collegiality – values and demonstrates inclusivity, openness, civility and respect.
Problem solving and decision making – considers a wide range of information and perspectives to
solve problems and make reasoned decisions; demonstrates a comfort with uncertainty and
ambiguous conditions.
Organizational awareness – understands and appreciates an organization’s internal culture and
operating practices as well as the political and business climate in which the organization operates.
Innovation – welcomes, generates, and implements new ideas and solutions that help to achieve
and organization’s strategic goals.
Student focus – making decisions with the students in mind, focusing on providing the best possible
experience for the student.
Integrity – acts with openness, honesty and respect to build and maintain an environment of trust.
Professional maturity – demonstrates courage to take on issues and make tough decisions while
managing self with aplomb and emotional maturity.
Tenacity, resilience and patience – believes that own actions and efforts will overcome obstacles,
make progress and attain successful results.
Business awareness – considers and understands the financial, operational and human
perspective and impact of decisions.
Visioning and strategic thinking – energizes people around the vision and keeps the bigger picture
in mind.
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Team leadership – creates team spirit and helps to direct individuals toward achievement of team
and organizational goals. Inspires others to do their best, develop professionally and contribute to the
success of the leadership team.
Relationship management – builds and maintains a crucial network of contacts both internally and
externally.
Communication – uses the power of personal interaction and language to effectively influence,
inspire and lead others.
Achieves results – goal-oriented individual who thrives on achieving outcomes through consultative
and collaborate methods.
COMPENSATION
A competitive compensation package will be provided including an attractive base salary and
excellent benefits. Further details will be discussed further in a personal interview.
FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Julia Maxwell or Greg Longster
Davies Park Vancouver
#880 – 609 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V7Y 1G5
Phone: (604) 688-8422
Email: [email protected]
Additional information can be found at: www.daviespark.com
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