Managing Director, Strategy, Planning & Performance

The University of British Columbia

pThe University of British Columbia (UBC) is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. UBC attracts, nurtures and engages over 70,000 students from 160 countries on two major campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna, located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Musqueam and Syilx people respectively. With 19,000 faculty and staff, a $3.98B annual budget, research funding at $773M, and 375,000+ alumni, UBC is Canada’s second largest university and North America’s most international university.

The Managing Director, Strategy, Planning and Performance is a senior advisor to the Vice-President, Finance and Operations (VPFO), supporting and prioritizing the VPFO’s vision and objectives to ensure they are delivered effectively and consistently across a complex, multi-unit, multi-campus environment. The Managing Director:

  • provides strategic leadership to advance the effectiveness and cohesion of the VPFO portfolio;
  • has responsibility for human resources, communications, and internal coordination;
  • leads the development, implementation and tracking of the VPFO strategic plan;
  • serves as a key integrator, translating the VPFO’s strategic vision into actionable goals and measurable results; and
  • drives operational impact, service excellence, and institutional alignment across the portfolio.

As the ideal candidate, you have proven your ability to balance long‑term strategic and systems thinking with a detailed grasp of operational processes – particularly in human resources, governance and communications – enabling solutions that work in a complex, decentralized environment. You demonstrate executive‑level judgment, confidently advising senior leaders while also having the capacity to engage and collaborate with a wide cross-section of people. You demonstrate inclusive leadership by building trust and strong partnerships across diverse teams and unions, fostering an environment where different perspectives are heard and people can thrive through ambiguity and change. You drive results‑oriented execution by turning strategy into clear plans, priorities, and measurable outcomes, resolving issues quickly so large teams deliver consistently high‑quality service. You have a grounding in strategic human resources and have built expertise in corporate strategy and governance. The senior level experience you bring from in a large, complex organization is augmented by your degree in business, public administration, or similar. A Masters degree would be an asset.

The anticipated hiring range for this position is $175,00 - $210,000 annually, supplemented by a competitive total rewards package.

If this is the next step in your professional career, please visit our website and submit your application to Shelina Esmail and Allison Rzen at www.pfmsearch.com.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence.  An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the BC Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

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