Full-time Appointment
Vacancy Status: Existing position
Reporting to the Dean, the Business Manager provides daily confidential oversight of the Faculty’s administrative, academic, and financial operations. The incumbent ensures business continuity by managing and organizing complex processes including budgets for the Dean’s Office and its academic units and people resources, while contributing to strategic planning efforts; enhancing faculty operations and academic excellence.
The Business Manager supervises a diverse team, ensuring compliance with employment standards, collective agreements, and university policies, while overseeing the coordination of course offerings, faculty workloads and contracts as approved by the Dean. As a pivotal liaison, the Business Manager facilitates communication among stakeholders, collaborating with Human Resources for recruitment and with University departments to ensure efficient workflows and a respected operational environment.
Operational Management & Oversight
- Manage administrative operations by providing strategic oversight, delegation, and guidance to all staff and faculty members to ensure effective workflow and high-quality outcomes.
- Direct departmental staffing by overseeing recruitment efforts in collaboration with Human Resources and institutional partners, ensuring candidate evaluations align with departmental needs, university frameworks, and all applicable legislative requirements and regulations.
- Facilitate departmental onboarding and functional training to ensure all new hires are successfully integrated into the team’s specific workflows and operational requirements.
- Coordinate the administration of personnel records, including leave, vacation, and attendance tracking for all staff and faculty members, ensuring operational coverage and compliance with institutional, legislated and collective agreement requirements.
- Interpret and apply collective agreement provisions across all staff and faculty operations in collaboration with internal partners as needed to ensure consistent operational administration.
Academic Administration
- Manage the annual cycle for course offerings and faculty workloads by providing instructional memos, deadlines and guidance to School Directors and staff.
- Coordinate with the Dean and Directors to finalize academic planning, review program processes, curriculum committee filings, student academic integrity tracking.
- Track and coordinate owed credits, banked credits, credit releases, sabbatical and professional development leave requests, annual report submissions and appointment terms to maintain accurate faculty records.
- Review and audit timetables and overloads before final submission to the Registration Office to ensure institutional accuracy.
- Manage faculty workloads for full-time, part-time, and clinical members. Oversee the hiring and contracting of Sessional Instructors, the maintenance of the seniority rosters, the overloads, and the hiring of Teaching Assistants, in compliance with applicable collective agreements and University policies.
- Manage the entry of instructional and non-instructional data into the Assignment Contract system and utilize reporting tools to verify payroll accuracy.
- Facilitate the annual cycle for the Faculty Personnel Committee (FPC) by receiving applications, verifying eligibility, drafting the Dean's correspondence, managing all documentation and responses, organizing FPC meetings, and collaborating with internal partners.
- Communicate and promote university-wide training initiatives to all faculty and staff to ensure departmental alignment with institutional standards.
- Ensure the Faculty’s adherence to university policies and collective bargaining deadlines.
Budget Development & Management
- Track and reconcile operational, research, and sessional budgets by ensuring data collection and ongoing review in the Office of the Dean.
- Participate in strategic budget planning sessions with the Dean and University Administration to align fiscal resources with academic goals.
- Administer and approve financial transactions, including requisitions, budget transfers, and vendor payments.
- Review and approve reimbursement requests, travel expenses, and professional development allowances in adherence with university financial policies.
- Coordinate the collection of teaching assistance requests and manage the allocation of these resources in collaboration with Graduate Coordinators and the Schools.
- Monitor expenditures and approve transactions to ensure budget adherence and fiscal responsibility throughout the academic year.
Executive Support and Stakeholder Liaison
- Oversee the management of the Dean’s calendar, preparation of meeting materials, and provide administrative support for special projects or grant proposals.
- Provide direct administrative support for the preparation and submission of grant proposals and special projects as requested by the Dean.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, answering complex inquiries and drafting formal, often bilingual correspondence.
- Attend Executive Committee and Faculty Council meetings to contribute to strategic discussions regarding outreach, succession planning, etc.
- Assist the Dean in the Management of space allocations, facilitate office moves with the Facilities department, and approve all security access and key requisitions.
- Represent the Faculty to various university departments and external partners to maintain professional institutional relationships.
Other Duties
- Perform other duties within the professional scope and skill level of the position, in full compliance with applicable legislation, university policies, and collective agreements.
- Three (3) year college diploma in Arts, Management, Education or equivalent or in a related field. A Bachelor’s/Master’s degree is preferred.
- Five (5) to eight (8) years of progressive experience in a related field. Experience in an academic unit at a post-secondary level is preferred.
- Three (3) to five (5) years of experience in a management or a supervisory role preferred.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Demonstrated problem-solving, attention to detail, and conflict resolution skills.
- Excellent organizational and time management skills; ability to meet deadlines.
- Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills.
- Proven ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience in managing institutional records, adhering to retention policies, and ensuring data integrity.
- Proven ability to operate with high-level autonomy, demonstrating the professional maturity and self-assurance required to take initiative and lead teams effectively.
- Proven discretion and sound judgment when managing highly confidential business, financial, or personnel data.
- Knowledge of the collective bargaining process and experience working with collective agreements / unionized environment.
- Proficiency in budgeting and financial management within a university framework.
- Ability to take initiative and work effectively as part of an administrative team.
- Advanced interpersonal skills specifically applied to conflict resolution and the facilitation of healthy, collaborative team environments.
- Proactive approach in addressing issues, gaps, etc., in collaboration with internal stakeholders as appropriate.
- Ability to work fluently (verbal and written) in both official languages, French and English, is required.
Applications are being accepted to fill an active vacancy within the University.
***We are aware that some applicants are experiencing difficulty using our careers portal. Should you complete an application through our online form and receive an error, please submit your application to [email protected]***
The official University hours of operation shall be from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, during, and including, the months from September to April, and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m Monday through Friday during and including May to August., amounting to thirty-three and three-quarter (33.75) hours per week.
At Laurentian University, we recognize that work-life balance is essential for both personal well-being and professional success. Our policy offers employees some flexibility to better balance personal needs while maintaining effective service delivery.
Laurentian University is an inclusive and welcoming community committed to employment equity. Applications are encouraged from members of equity-seeking communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions. Laurentian University’s bilingualism policy provides a provision regarding the language requirement for persons self-identifying as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
Laurentian University is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free experience to applicants with accessibility needs. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact Human Resources for more information ([email protected]).
