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Posting Reason:

Replacement of a regular position

Job Type:

Employee

Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments):

N/A

Job Family:

Financial Aid

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

Registrar

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

N/A

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/04/02

Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/04/17

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

Non-Union Grade NM3

Salary Range:

$129,272.00 - $161,590.00About Student Affairs:

Student Affairs is at the very heart of the student experience at the University of Ottawa. We recruit the very best future students, support them throughout their university years and leave them well-prepared for fulfilling careers and future studies. Our team of more than 600 dedicated staff provides the services that keep students happy, well and thriving as they pursue their ambitions. We help them apply and enroll for courses, we oversee 11 residences and an award-winning Dining Hall, we organize fun events, we provide extensive recreation program opportunities and varsity sports activities, we run an innovative career development and experiential learning program and much more!

There’s nothing more rewarding than helping future generations reach their full potential at a world-class university. With our wide variety of career opportunities and professional development pathways, we’re sure that you’ll enjoy the experience as much as our students do.

Position purpose :

This role is responsible for the strategic vision, planning, management, and optimization of financial aid and scholarship services across all academic levels. It serves as a strategic advisor to senior leadership, faculties, and external partners. As an expert in financial analysis, the role develops scenarios and recommendations to guide institutional decision‑making. It oversees complex programs and exercises significant decision‑making authority regarding resource allocation.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• Act as the principal strategic advisor to senior leadership by providing complex forward‑looking financial analyses, decision‑making scenarios, and high‑impact recommendations related to institutional resource allocation.

• Lead and oversee the awarding of financial aid, University scholarships, and donor-funded scholarships. Determine awarding criteria to ensure compliance. Conduct financial analyses, propose optimal strategies, and maintain rigorous budget control in accordance with University policies and regulations, as well as those of the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, Excellence in Research and Security (MCUERS), and donor requirements.

• Optimize scholarship funding envelopes through advanced analyses of student needs and profiles, maximizing accessibility, equity, and institutional impact to support the University of Ottawa as a top choice.

• Negotiate with MCUERS regarding the reallocation of scholarships to address specific strategic needs: legal status, exceptional accommodations, Indigenous initiatives, elite athletes, and other targeted categories.

• Serve as the institutional authority and subject‑matter expert on the interpretation and evolution of financial aid and scholarship frameworks, providing analyses and strategic, sustainable recommendations to senior leadership and faculties.

• Lead, in collaboration with Legal Services, the interpretation of guidelines and parameters for scholarship awarding to ensure compliance with donor intent, access‑to‑information legislation, and all other applicable requirements. Oversee guidelines, methods, and procedures to ensure rigorous and compliant file processing.

• Approve marketing and promotional strategies for scholarships to enhance the visibility of the Financial Aid and Awards Service and support student recruitment and retention efforts.

• Oversee the strategic and integrated management of the Service’s human and financial resources, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities, optimization of organizational capacity, sustainable performance, and long‑term resource viability.

• Provide leadership in continuous improvement and modernization of financial aid and scholarship processes and systems by identifying optimization opportunities, implementing innovative solutions, and ensuring tools and methods remain effective, agile, and aligned with the University’s strategic objectives.

What you will bring :

• University degree, preferably at the graduate level such as an MBA, in a relevant field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Professional designations such as CPA/CA, CPA/CMA, or CPA/CGA are considered assets.

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in a financial management role with increasing responsibilities, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills in both official languages

• Demonstrated leadership in organizational transformation, including continuous improvement, strategic process optimization, and system modernization.

• In‑depth knowledge of provincial government financial aid, endowment funds, and interpretation of scholarship awarding parameters.

• Extensive knowledge and experience in developing and implementing large‑scale policies and strategies.

• Experience in project and program management.

• Ability to analyze complex and varied data and documents, and to interpret their meaning to apply appropriate rules and procedures in accordance with MCUERS and donor parameters.

• Strong analytical and synthesis skills, with the ability to maintain a comprehensive view of interconnected elements.

• Knowledge and understanding of the University’s mandate, vision, and culture, as well as the vision and objectives of the faculties.

• Strong problem‑solving and decision‑making abilities, with the capacity to work under pressure and manage multiple, sometimes conflicting, deadlines.

• Advanced proficiency with computer tools, particularly spreadsheets (Excel and data analysis tools), essential for financial modeling, scenario development, trend analysis, and decision‑making.

Key Competencies at uOttawa:
Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa:

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact hrtalentmanagement@uottawa.ca to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.