Reporting to the Associate Director, Finance and Administration, while taking additional direction from the Manager, Research Engagement and Administration at the CAC (Centre for Advanced Research Computing), the Financial Officer will perform a wide range of complex duties in the analysis, preparation and maintenance of financial records in support of complex government grants and industry contracts. The Financial Officer plays a critical role in ensuring the overall integrity of both operating and research data within the financial system (PeopleSoft).

The Financial Officer works with a number of internal and external stakeholders (i.e. provincial government), leading specific initiatives to support the advanced research computing operations of the portfolio.

Job Description
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Performs routine to complex financial and accounting duties, including processing financial transactions and overseeing account management for high profile research projects. Ensures accuracy and integrity of related data within the financial system. Adheres to compliance and financial reporting requirements.
• Provides leadership and guidance to sub-contractor administrators in dealing with large, occasionally intricate transactions, with multiple funding agencies and / or multiple project partners.
• Administers and manages a portfolio of research projects, ensuring eligibility of expenses, collection of revenue, and administration of transfer payments to partners (based on milestones).
• Main point of contact and collaborator with external funding agencies and project partners, ensuring timely submission of relevant project deliverables to government ministries, i.e. quarterly financial reports, budget variances and annual financial statements.
• Identifies, creates and generates appropriate and relevant management reports based on required needs.
• Oversees audits and monitoring visits conducted by various funding or audit (internal/ external) agencies, preparing year-end working papers for external auditors. Works with various units within the VP (Research) portfolio to support overall process efficiencies and ensure appropriate and accurate data sharing.
• Assists in drafting and revising various financial policies and standard operating procedures on behalf of the VP (Research) portfolio, by obtaining input from many sources.
• Supports management in the overall budgeting strategy and financial reporting requirements for the portfolio, with a specific emphasis supporting the Centre for Advanced Computing.
• Function as a key liaison with Financial Services, Research Accounting and Strategic Procurement Services.
• Promotes a culture that supports diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Fulfills other duties and special projects as required within the VP (Research) portfolio finance and administration team.

SPECIAL SKILLS:
• Superior interpersonal, organization and time-management skills with the ability to cope with multiple demands, manage competing priorities, meet multi-faceted deadlines and deal with confidential material on a regular basis with discretion.
• Ability to interact with a diverse range of people at all levels of the University with the highest professional standards of conduct and with acute sensitivity to the political environment.
• Excellent judgment and clear and precise communication skills; written, verbal listening and presentation, including a high degree of diplomacy and confidentiality.
• Demonstrate strong analytical and problem-solving skills through researching and analyzing complex problems involving multiple relationships and interactions, where information is incomplete, missing or ambiguous, and pulls diverse information together to complete tasks.
• Sound project management skills with the ability to plan and coordinate multiple project/work initiatives effectively simultaneously.
• Ability to present financial information clearly to audiences with varying levels of financial sophistication.
• Ability to generate analyses and financial reports using data from financial accounting systems. Ability to draft policies/proposals and present reports /findings.
• Ability to work with complex software and run a wide range of queries with a corresponding ability to interpret the results.
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently or with little supervision
• Ability to create insights on how diversity and inclusion contributes not only to people and human resources strategies but to portfolio results as well.

DECISION MAKING:
• Utilizes professional accounting knowledge to make recommendations regarding best means to handle unusual or unique situations.
• Makes independent decisions as an integral part of daily duties.
• Resolves issues based on generally accepted accounting guidelines, funding agency eligibility, or University policies and procedures.
• Decides on best alternatives or a range of solutions to a given problem, identifying potential risks and benefits of each.