Finance Modernization Implementation Manager

University of British Columbia•Vancouver, BC

22d•Onsite

About The Position

The Finance Modernization Implementation Manager will lead enterprise-level transformation initiatives, focusing on process improvement and program delivery for finance transformation. This role involves close collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders including Finance, IT, HR, and various business units to coordinate and drive modernization efforts across financial processes, reporting structures, and operating models. The position emphasizes project and program management leadership over technical systems design, requiring strong project management expertise combined with deep knowledge of finance operations, data flows, system design, and integration to modernize and streamline the finance function for improved decision-making, operational efficiency, and scalability. This position reports to the Associate Director, Decision Support, and involves extensive liaison and communication with campus departments, internal UBC organizations (central finance, HR, IT, Provost & VP Academic, UBCO, VP Students), and engagement with external consultants, faculty, staff, students, and the general public. The Manager will oversee numerous resource people, including staff, consultants, and contractors, depending on project complexity.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline.
Minimum of seven years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.
Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams through complex change initiatives.
Strategic thinking and business acumen to align transformation with organizational goals.
Analytical and problem-solving mindset to navigate complex dependencies and identify opportunities for innovation.
Adaptability and organizational agility to operate effectively in dynamic, evolving environments.
Strong knowledge of project management methodologies and tools (e.g., MS Project, JIRA, Smartsheet).
Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to analyze processes, identify improvement opportunities, and drive practical solutions.

Nice To Haves

PMP, PRINCE2, PSM or other project management certification preferred.
Experience with ERP (e.g., Workday, SAP, Oracle) or EPM (e.g., Anaplan, Hyperion, OneStream) implementations or enhancements is highly valued.
Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Information Systems, or related field (Master's degree or MBA an asset).
Extensive experience in project management experience, ideally in large-scale transformation or finance-related projects.
Familiarity with change management principles (e.g., Prosci/ADKAR) is an asset.

Responsibilities

Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of finance modernization initiatives, ensuring clear scope, timelines, deliverables, and governance.
Identify and assess new project opportunities aligned with strategic and operational needs.
Develop new business cases and project proposals, including recommendations on which initiatives should proceed.
Oversee the launch and initiation of approved projects, ensuring strong project controls and alignment with enterprise priorities.
Makes decisions related to project management approaches, budgets, and the confirmation of resource needs (people, financial and logistical).
Facilitate decision‑making across Finance, HR, IT, and business units to align project activities with strategic objectives.
Manage project risks, interdependencies, and resource needs across multiple workstreams.
In collaboration with technical leads and key stakeholders, ensure shape and direct the implementation or optimization of finance systems and tools (e.g., Oracle Cloud, SAP S/4HANA, Workday Financials, Anaplan, OneStream, Hyperion), without owning technical design or systems architecture.
Work with technical teams to support activities such as data migration, system configuration, testing, and deployment.
Define and oversee system integration points with HR, procurement, grants, enrollment, as required.
Analyze existing finance processes (e.g., close, consolidation, planning, reporting) to identify inefficiencies and standardization opportunities.
Provides strategic direction for workstream activities focused on automation solutions in partnership with process owners and technical specialists (e.g., RPA, workflow tools, data pipelines) to reduce manual effort and improve data accuracy and timeliness.
In consultation with key stakeholders, drives the creation of a global chart of accounts, standardized data models, and common reporting hierarchies.
Ensure transformed processes incorporate strong internal controls, compliance standards, and audit readiness.
Support the design of role-based access, segregation of duties (SoD), and controls within financial systems.
Work with finance leadership, IT, and external vendors to manage priorities, scope, and resource alignment.
Provide updates to steering committees, sponsors, and executive stakeholders.
Develop communication strategies and plans to support coordination across teams, senior leaders and the campus community.
Assess organizational readiness and lead change activities by creating a clear vision and fostering a collaborative, collegial environment across all levels within the university.
Ensures support of change management efforts to promote user adoption and training across the finance organization.