Faculty Financial Officer

Overview:
The Faculty Financial Officer (FFO) is accountable to the Executive Officer for achieving service excellence in a complex, decentralized environment while ensuring that all financial activities in the Faculty of Engineering are properly accounted for and that available financial management tools are effectively applied. This position oversees all financial transactions for the Faculty of Engineering, including both operating budget and significant research funding. The incumbent provides strategic advice, information and support to the Faculty leadership and senior administrators and acts as a resource to departmental administrative staff and faculty for general and financial administration.

**Responsibilities**:
Financial Strategy and Long-Term Planning
- Provide input to the Executive Officer and the Budget Officer, and contribute to the multi-year projections of the Faculty’s financial position, identifying any concerns and proposing potential solutions
- Provides financial decision support and strategic advice to the Dean, the Executive Officer, the Associate Deans, Chairs/Directors of academic units, the Director of Planning, and the Director of Advancement
- Provides strategic guidance through preparation of complex reports with appropriate level of details
- Co-ordinates and directs the set-up of original financial structures to ensure financial results are properly reported and managed through its duration
- Contributes to the Faculty of Engineering’s process transformation initiative
- Develops financial plans and funding models for strategic initiatives, and is a key player in long-term planning decisions
- Conduct cost analysis if required to facilitate effective strategic decision making
- Prepares financial analysis or documentation to unit Chairs/Directors
- Ensures all expenses are properly coded and brings any significant variance (actual vs. budget) or other irregularities to the attention of the Executive Officer.
- At the Executive Officer’s request, co-ordinates the development of the Faculty of Engineering’s annual operating budget (particularly expenses) in consultation with appropriate stakeholders

Financial Management and Internal Control for the Faculty Non-Research Funds
- Regularly prepares an overall analysis of the financial status of the Faculty of Engineering’s operating, research, trust and endowment funds; identifies potential problems and proposes solutions to the Executive Officer
- Supports the Executive Officer and the Budget Officer in the day-to-day operation of the Waterloo Budget Model (WBM), the Engineering Budget Model (EBM) and related modelling, systems, databases, tools and processes as required
- In consultation with the Executive Officer, provides financial data, enrolment data, faculty and staff data, alumni data, other data to stakeholders as required
- Prepares analyses, reports, graphic illustrations and presentations as directed by the Executive Officer
- Administers the operating budget and expenses of the Office of the Dean (including all Faculty level service units), in consultation with the Executive Officer; This includes monitoring of scholarships awarded by Faculty and subsequent postings
- Monitors and forecasts the investment payouts of endowments to support decision making and provides strategic advice
- Assists with the development and configuration of new systems that may impact financial information within the Faculty.
- Provides guidance to Development Officers on the structure of scholarship endowment, and research chairs agreements etc.
- Meets regularly with the administrative staff in Engineering’s academic units (8) to support effective financial planning, management and internal control and to encourage the sharing of best practices throughout the Faculty
- Provides complex accounting advice and support to individual researchers and research groups and institutes regarding financial management and internal control of research funds
- Nurtures collaborative and productive working relationships with administrative staff across the Faculty

Financial Management and Internal Control for the Faculty Research Funds
- Oversees the monitoring and internal control of research grants throughout the Faculty
- Ensures that sufficient financial training and support is provided to researchers and research administrative staff to allow them to manage their research grants
- Liaises with the Associate Dean, Research and External Partnerships, and the Office of Research at the institutional level on the provision of Faculty-wide research support (e.g. training on financial management research funds)
- Identifies the reporting requirements of various research grants and works with Finance to develop effective financial reporting
- Ensures research funding activities are in compliance with university policies and procedures as well as those imposed externally by granting agencies
- Liaises with other units in cases where interdisc