Finance Analyst Team Lead - Queens University

The Department of Family Medicine delivers the largest postgraduate residency program in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen's University through a distributed education model with its primary site at Kingston and the Thousand Islands and satellite offices in Belleville, Peterborough, and Oshawa. It is home to the Centre for Studies in Primary Care. It operates the Queen's Faculty Health Team located in Kingston and Belleville, an inter-professional health care centre servicing the Kingston and Belleville communities.

Reporting to the Finance Manager, the Finance Analyst Team Lead is responsible for applying specialized knowledge to coordinate, process, and report on financial duties at the department. Analyzes, records, classifies, and summarizes accounting data according to established procedures. Ensures accuracy and compliance with existing guidelines, policies, and procedures. Provides guidance and training to staff, residents and physicians on proper use of financial systems.

View full job description on our Careers webpage.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Coordinates all Finance Office activities and associated risks within the DFM, including the preparation of relevant management reports and systems to assist the Finance Manager and leadership team in monitoring the DFM’s budget, financial performance and staffing costs.
• Sets objectives in order to ensure the financial health of the unit. Delegates and oversees the processing of departmental financial transactions, including cheque requisitions, invoices, deposits, journal entries and reconciles statements. Prepares, collects and analyzes statistics, maintains accurate financial records and monitors payroll transactions to ensure correct allocation. Investigates and resolves financial anomalies and ensures adherence to the university’s financial policies and procedures.
• Acts as a resource person, provides financial support and financial information, as well as reviews resource allocation and financial policies and procedures and make recommendations to the Department Head, managers and various committees within the department.
• Drafts and recommends changes to policies related to finance, while ensuring to obtain input from the internal departments, as well as satellite teaching sites and the Queen’s Family Health Team. Implements changes to financial process and workflow changes to support successful initiatives within the department’s Finance Office.
• Prepares complex budget proposals and oversee budget management and allocation, as well as complies with the varying reporting requirements and deadlines of the various budgets.
• Participates in short and long-term financial and strategic planning by developing and maintaining cost and revenue models and conducting reporting and variance analysis.
• Provides work direction, and technical/functional guidance to staff. Schedules and assigns work, and oversees its completion. Coordinates and monitors work flow, schedule and duties.
• Provides orientation and on-the-job training to employees in the DFM financial unit. Provides coaching and feedback on work quality issues, providing related day-to-day supervision. Escalates unresolved performance and/or disciplinary matters to the Finance Manager.
• Perform general administrative duties, including initiating or preparing correspondence, word processing, report preparation, filing, correspondence/e-mail, scheduling, screening, purchasing, inventory monitoring, record keeping and departmental resource for maintenance and repairs.
• Provides back-up support to the Finance Manager as required.
• Undertake other duties as required in support of the department.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor of Commerce and/or Business Administration (Accounting) Degree is required.
• Professional accounting designation or enrolment in the Chartered Professional Accountant program considered an asset.
• 5 plus years of experience in a similar environment, preferably in a health sciences setting is required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of standard accounting practices, proven budget management skills and account administration experience.
• Knowledge of Queen’s policies, procedures, financial and administrative systems (i.e. PeopleSoft) is considered an asset.
• Satisfactory Criminal Record Check required.
• Consideration may be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.

SPECIAL SKILLS:

• Respects diversity and promotes inclusion in the workplace.
• Sound knowledge of accounting practices and principles with the ability to produce complex financial statements and reports, with superior attention to detail.
• Strong project management and organization skills required to address multiple competing demands, priorities, and deadlines. Ability to work well under pressure to accommodate and manage shifting priorities and diverse demands, as well as delegate tasks.
• Ability to analyze, interpret, and problem solve complicated accounting processes to ensure compliance with Queen’s financial structures and reporting requirements.
• Advanced computer skills, including word processing, the use of Excel spreadsheets, and database construction and management.
• Ability to adapt to change to both processes and technology, as well as changes in funding source requirements.
• Strong communication skills (oral and written) to interact with a diverse group of individuals with tact and diplomacy.
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to work well independently and within an interactive team and have the flexibility to deal with evolving requirements in a timely and tactful manner.
• Excellent judgement and discretion when making decisions and recommendations about the financial administration of the department. Proven ability to maintain confidentiality with highly sensitive data and information.

DECISION MAKING:

• Determines most effective approach for financial planning and management and works in consultation with the Finance Manager and leadership team on matters relating to financial practices.
• Based on accounting knowledge, determines how accounting problems or errors should be corrected and finds solutions to unanticipated problems and to mitigate both financial and legal risk to the department; decides whether complexity of the problem warrants the involvement of more senior staff.
• Interprets and implements policies or analyzes procedures related to financial management within the department and recommends changes or amendments within the guidelines of the Ministry of Health (MoH), the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Association (SEAMO), and Queen’s University.
• Determines methodology in data evaluation and compilation of reports to increase department/unit organizational effectiveness and identify inefficiencies.
• Prioritizes workload to ensure that all deadlines and deliverables are met.
• Determines priorities and makes decisions about staff utilization and the assignment of work to achieve optimum efficiencies and productivity.
• Assesses employees’ training needs and makes recommendations for internal or external training to attain proficiency.
• Monitors and assesses output and the quality of employees’ work and recommends need for formal training or development plans to Finance Manager and identifies possible staff performance and/or disciplinary issues.