Vice President, Finance and Administration

Kwantlen Polytechnique University; England; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Canadian university is seeking a Vice President of Finance and Administration to join its executive leadership team. This role involves guiding financial strategy, supporting the Board of Governors, and managing diverse campus operations. The ideal candidate has over 10 years of senior leadership experience in similarly complex environments and holds a graduate degree with CPA designation. This position requires a trusted leader who can foster inclusive workplaces and guide KPU through its strategic transformation.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of senior finance and administration leadership in a complex environment, preferably in post-secondary.
• Experience in unionized public sector settings.
• Ability to inspire confidence at every organizational level.

Responsibilities

• Guide the university's executive leadership through a period of reinvention.
• Provide proposals and recommendations to the Board of Governors.
• Manage finance and procurement services along with various campus operations.

Skills

Strategic foresight

Operational expertise

Building strong teams

Fostering inclusive workplaces

Integrity

Sound judgment

Education

Graduate degree in a relevant discipline

Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) designation

Job description

About KPU

For more than 40 years, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) has been proudly serving the South Fraser region. As Canada’s only polytechnic university, we combine academic excellence with applied learning, innovation, and strong connections to industry and community. With campuses in Surrey, Richmond, Langley, and Cloverdale, we are deeply embedded in the communities we serve. Surrey, our largest campus and one of the fastest-growing cities in the province, reflects the energy and diversity that define KPU as a whole. Our students bring a wide range of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences — and their success is at the heart of everything we do. KPU is honoured to partner with local First Nations, including the Kwantlen First Nation, whose name we carry. These partnerships, along with our commitment to equity, inclusion, and reconciliation, are central to who we are as an institution. Our programs span arts, business, science, health, trades, design, and emerging fields — reflecting the diversity of our communities and the needs of a rapidly evolving workforce. That breadth and flexibility make KPU unique, offering pathways that meet students where they are and prepare them for where they want to go. As an open-access institution, we are dedicated to student success and know that our people are essential to achieving it. Building a workforce that is diverse, inclusive, and engaged is key to KPU’s continued impact. KPU is entering an exciting period of change and renewal. With a new President and evolving strategic priorities, we are focused on strengthening our student‑centered mission, deepening community connections, and shaping an engaged, inclusive workplace for the future.

Vice President, Finance and Administration (VPFA)

This is a pivotal moment to join Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s executive leadership team. We are looking for a senior leader to guide KPU through a period of reinvention. As the VP Finance and Administration, you will report to the President and Vice Chancellor and directly reporting to you are the Associate Vice President Finance, Chief Information Officer (CIO), the Associate Vice President Campus and Community Planning, the Executive Director Facilities, the Divisional Business Manager and the Executive Assistant. The Director, Internal Audit reports operationally to the VPFA. As the VP Finance and Administration, you are the Chief Financial Officer of the University and have executive responsibility for the functions of Finance and Procurement Services, Information Technology, Campus and Community Planning, Facilities, daily operation of KPU’s five campuses, and Ancillary Services. As a member of the senior leadership team, you have shared responsibility for the overall leadership of KPU in a manner that achieves its goals and objectives. You are responsible for providing proposals, reports and recommendations to the Board of Governors, and its Finance and Audit Committee, as directed by the President. You will provide support to the Board of Governors and its committees in the fulfillment of its governance responsibilities. You will contribute to the development, and have shared responsibility for, the successful implementation of a strategic plan that establishes goals, identifies key strategic issues and sets objectives and plans. In the context of KPU’s strategic and operating plans, the VP Finance and Administration recommends annual personal performance objectives to the President and reports on progress against those objectives quarterly and annually.

What KPU is looking for

• A seasoned executive who thrives in complex environments and sees opportunity in times of change. Someone that brings strategic foresight, operational expertise and a track record of leading transformation, building strong teams, and fostering inclusive workplaces.
• A trusted leader with integrity, sound judgment, and ability to inspire confidence at every level of an organization.
• A Graduate degree in a relevant discipline and a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) designation (or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience)
• A minimum of ten (10) years Senior Finance and Administration leadership in a complex environment, preferably unionized public sector or post‑secondary environment.

The Location

KPU is a multi‑campus institution. The senior leadership team is located at the Surrey Main Campus. The Finance and Administration teams are located at various campuses; frequent travel between campuses is required.

Application Process

To apply for this opportunity, please submit your cover letter and resume as one document via KPU’s Career Centre. Resume review will be conducted on January 23, 2026. The competition will remain open until filled.

If you have questions or a recommendation related to this position, please contact Dawn Bartnik Talent Acquisition Specialist Email:[e-mail]

Salary Information

The above compensation range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. Typically, initial salary placement is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum. This represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications, and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred, or promoted between the minimum and approximately halfway of the salary range for a job with consideration given to internal equity.