OUR COMPANY BACKGROUND & CULTURE

UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario’s university sector, proudly serving over 41,000 members across five universities and fourteen sector organizations. Our purpose is to bring greater retirement peace of mind to the university sector by investing with integrity and serving members with care. As a sector-wide plan designed for growth, our doors are open to all Ontario universities.
Together, we’re a team of progressive thinkers and agile doers operating within a fast-paced culture of collaboration and respect. We believe in bringing smart and capable people together to create, solve, and grow with a clear shared vision and values of integrity, inclusivity, ingenuity, and impact. Our culture is intentionally welcoming and purposefully rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDI&R). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace.
As a pension plan, UPP approaches investing through a long-term lens to generate and safeguard value. Our commitment to investing responsibly accounts for material risks that impact our investment portfolio to generate sufficient risk-adjusted returns to meet the pension needs of our members.
Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Professional accounting designation (CPA) or MBA is considered strong assets
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, commerce, business administration, or related
• 3-5 years of progressive experience in Finance operations, FP&A, Corporate Finance or accounting.
• Proven experience with budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting processes
• Hands-on experience in financial modeling and data analysis
• Solid understanding of accounting principles (GAAP/IFRS) and month-end close processes
• Experience in a business partnering role, working cross-functionally with various teams
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., pivot tables, scenario modeling)
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or similar
• Familiarity with financial planning tools (e.g., NetSuite Planning and Budgeting, Workday Adaptive Planning)
• Comfortable with data visualization or reporting tools (e.g., DOMO, Power BI, Tableau) and AI technology (e.g. Copilot and Chat GPT).

THE ROLE

This is a fantastic opportunity for to join a team of high performing professionals to make a great impact. Reporting to the Director, Finance Operations, the Senior Analyst, Finance Operations is to lead key financial processes including budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, and ledger management. This role plays a pivotal part in partnering with cross-functional teams to deliver timely insights, drive operational efficiency, and support strategic decision-making. The ideal candidate will bring strong technical expertise, business acumen, and leadership in finance operations. Strong relationship management and a continuous process improvement mindset are essential.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior Analyst, Finance Operations will have responsibility for but not limited to the following:

• Lead the timely delivery of the UPP Annual Budget and monthly management reporting, including presenting to and responding to queries from the business and various finance partners.
• Develop and maintain financial models to support budgeting, forecasting, business cases, and strategy analysis.
• Support the preparation of management reports, board presentations, and financial packages, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and business relevance.
• Serve as a finance business partner to the Finance and Operational and Investment functions, offering insights and subject matter expertise across key components of the P&L.
• Analyze and interpret key financial drivers and performance metrics, sharing benchmark, industry, and best practice insights with relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure timely and accurate month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes, including journal entries, general ledger reconciliations, and variance analysis.
• Maintain and monitor the integrity of the accounting ledger, resolving discrepancies and ensuring compliance with GAAP.
• Collaborate with partners across Corporate Finance to leverage organizational resources and deliver impactful results.
• Provide leadership in developing and implementing Finance Operations business priority projects, such as new financial models, system implementations and reporting methodologies.
• Contribute to a positive and high-performing Corporate Finance team culture, mentoring colleagues and supporting initiatives that drive engagement and operational excellence