Job Description

Director of Infrastructure, Planning and Real Estate and Enterprise Project Management Office

Primary Purpose: The Director provides oversight to Infrastructure, Planning & Real Estate and the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) Construction units. In support of this mandate, the Director is the steward of capital (physical infrastructure) planning and management activities, working collaboratively with the key senior leaders to prioritize and operationalize institutional capital initiatives, while ensuring that the activities of both units are in alignment with key institutional drivers.
Reporting to the Associate Vice-President, Services, the Director spearheads the planning process for physical infrastructure through the development and establishment of a planning framework, taking into consideration stakeholder engagement but acting as senior subject matter expert with respect to capital planning principles, institutional alignment, real estate and institutional space optimization and best practice, with a keen focus on operational excellence, continuous improvement, and process effectiveness
The Director, as senior leader of the real estate, campus planning, capital planning and construction project management offices, is the primary point of connection to university-level decision-making relating to management of USask’s real estate portfolio, the university’s overall capital and campus planning frameworks, and execution of construction projects. The Director is the steward for management of the university’s physical assets to relevant internal and external bodies and agencies. The Director creates necessary frameworks and control processes with respect to university capital (physical infrastructure) and space plans and associated projects. Both units provide stability, consistency, and sustainability to capital and real estate management in an environment where continuous change, competitive priorities, and finite resources are inherent. With unique visibility to a long-term planning horizon in an academic setting and with the ability to glean the historic institutional knowledge of USask’s physical environment, the Director is positioned as a consultant to college and unit senior leaders on risk and opportunity. The university offers flexible work arrangements; access to the university’s recreation services; ongoing professional development and mentorship and a comprehensive benefits and pension program. Nature of Work: The Director provides leadership and direction to a team consisting of managers, professional, technical and administrative staff, many of whom work in matrix-like structures of client consulting. The Director effectively defines the services of the unit(s), attracts both human and fiscal resources and administers these resources effectively. Decisions ranging from the mundane to the critical are required on a routine basis. The Director functions in a highly demanding environment that requires constant scanning for issues and challenges against multiple priorities and demands on limited resources.
The Director must expertly balance stewardship and partnership, effectively maintaining a balance of collaboration and expectation setting both internally and externally. The work requires the ability to forge new and foster existing relationships, often requiring advanced negotiation of interests and the ability to navigate highly interdependent and interrelated structures of organization and governance. Effective collaboration with senior leaders, university-wide, is an essential part of the position.
The Director will offer visionary and strategic thinking skills, and the ability to identify risks and opportunities in an environment of continuous change. The position will offer an established view of the internal and external complexities of the academic environment and the unique considerations of the university, while not allowing these to set limits on courageous and ambitious change initiatives.

Accountabilities The Director is accountable for the following:
Physical Infrastructure (Capital) Planning & Investments

• Provides leadership in planning ensuring that requests for new capital ‘ideas’ follow the Capital Investment Framework; ensuring that requests to build, renovate and adapt space(s) on campus are planned effectively to balance stakeholder/client expectations, successful project execution and institutional priorities;
• Oversees and provides leadership and direction to continuous improvement to the university’s capital investment framework, and ensures adequate and appropriate governance throughout idea, through to concept, then feasibility and finally, execution;
• Develops a process to support an annual capital funding request, including specific funding for capital priorities that align with institutional priorities, as defined by the Strategic Capital Investment Committee (SCIC);
• Provides a portfolio wide view of long-term trends and outlook within capital planning and real estate, enabling senior leadership to collaborate and understand cross-functional impact;
• Facilitates the execution of the strategy by working collaboratively with the leadership team to ensure that the strategy is communicated and easily understood by all throughout the Finance and Resources organization;

People and Environment

• Leads and participates collaboratively as part of the Finance and Resources Directors team, and as a representative of the Finance and Resources portfolio;
• Creates healthy, respectful, inclusive and productive work and learning environments;
• Provides development goals and opportunities to direct reports through career engagement, including mentorship, coaching and performance feedback, supporting professional growth and development, managing performance improvement and addressing performance issues, as appropriate;
• Communicates regularly with colleagues within the university and broader community to share relevant information, support others’ success and build effective relationships

Project Delivery

• Provides oversight and leadership in the execution of construction/physical infrastructure projects;
• Oversees and provides leadership and direction to the development and operationalization of project management standards, implementing (relatively) standardized reporting and monitoring frameworks which proactively identify and offer mitigation strategies for both institutional and project-specific risks;
• Works collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to consider innovative solutions to issues that arise during project execution;
• Ensures the Board and its committees receive appropriate, consistent and regular reporting for capital programs and projects that are in execution through to close-out;
• Conducts regular analyses of the administrative landscape and environment amongst leading academic institutions, including performance metrics and comparisons of drivers and levers of success.

Space Management, Real Estate & Campus Planning

• Provides leadership in the development and operationalization of appropriate frameworks and processes to enable optimization of space as a key institutional resource;
• Provides leadership and ensures adequate resources are available to support the planning phase of physical infrastructure requests to build, renovate and adapt space(s) with an interest in ensuring space optimization and a holistic approach to effective space management;
• Provides oversight and leadership for all real estate transactions, ensuring alignment between real estate as a space management solution and overarching institutional space management strategies;
• Leads the development of institutional campus planning initiatives, ensuring a long-term and consistent approach across urban lands including the core campus precincts, core agriculture lands and endowment lands, as well as rural lands;
• Ensures the Board and its committees receive appropriate and consistent information regarding USask campus planning;
• Ensures all legal, regulatory, audit and government-related risks are identified and appropriately mitigated or accepted.

Resource Management

• Develops and implements a sustainable people and funding plan for units of IP&R and EPMO (construction) to support established goals;
• Co-creates innovative and creative solutions to resource challenges, coordinating between stakeholders to foster ingenuity and consider long-term resource sustainability.

Risk Management

• Communicates university policies and regulations and ensures compliance with provincial laws, regulations and collective agreements;
• Implements and maintains an effective system of internal controls with respect to financial management and assets, which includes general safeguarding and stewardship of all resources (financial, informational, physical, and human resources).

Communications and Stakeholder Relations

• Communicates effectively at all levels and across all areas of the university to ascertain the needs of users, and to build support for capital related policies and processes;
• Finds opportunities to partner with government (at all levels) and other institutions in a collaborative and cooperative manner;
• Ensures the Board and its committees receive appropriate and consistent information in both the preliminary and final approval decisions regarding capital projects, infrastructure, real estate and institutional space;
• Prepares and delivers related communications and presentations to internal and external stakeholders including Board Committees, and attends the Board of Governors meetings;
• Represents USask on internal committees, board level committees and external committees;
• Provides senior level advice and support to the AVP Services other senior leaders, and Board and University committees;
• Understands the dimensions of service delivery and supports a diverse group of stakeholders in a multi-campus environment;
• Works collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to consider innovative solutions to capital funding challenges;
• Develops and manages relationships with external providers including individuals in various levels of government and government agencies;
• Sets and promotes service standards to ensure high-quality user experience, prioritizing a cohesive, service-oriented approach to delivery of project management services.

Education and Experience An advanced degree (or equivalent credentials) and 5-10 years progressive experience in an academic or public (or related) environment, at a leadership level, are required.
Proven ability to successfully promote a working environment that rewards new ideas and innovation, builds collaborations, encourages teamwork, and promotes diversity.
Proven ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse internal and external constituencies, and to collaborate across a wide range of organizations and stakeholders. Inquiries regarding this position can be directed to Sarah Poelzer at sarah.poelzer@usask.ca. Department: Vice-President (Fin&Resources)
Status: Permanent
Employment Group: Exempt
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0
Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $113,500.00 - 190,000.00 per annum. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Salary Phase/Band: Salary Band 5
Posted Date: 8/11/2022
Closing Date: 8/31/2022
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: May be eligible for hybrid work under the terms of USask's Alternative Workspace Guidelines
The successful applicant will be required to provide the following current verification(s) where 'Yes' is indicated below. Further information is available at: https://careers.usask.ca/tips-for-applying.php Criminal Record Check: Not Applicable
Driver's License and Abstract Check: Not Applicable
Education/Credential Verification: Yes
Vulnerable Sector Check: Not Applicable Please review the University of Saskatchewan's health and safety requirements for faculty, staff and students in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The University believes equity, diversity, and inclusion strengthen the community and enhance excellence, innovation and creativity. We are dedicated to recruiting individuals who will enrich our work and learning environments. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. We are committed to providing accommodations to those with a disability or medical necessity. If you require an accommodation in order to participate in the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work together on the accommodation request. The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respects to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. Together, we are uplifting Indigenization to a place of prominence at the University of Saskatchewan.