Director, Business Planning

 

Business Planning

Vancouver, BC

 

Reporting to the Provincial Director, Business Planning, the Director of Business Planning is part of the corporate team providing business planning support to programs across PHSA. The Director, Business Planning works as a strategic business partner with the program’s Executive Vice President/Chief Medical Officer, Chief Operating Officer and other senior executives within the program as well as the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) executives to oversee plans and strategies to achieve organizational goals.

Working closely with the operations, the Director of Business Planning is responsible for creating and managing effective planning in alignment with the program and organizational strategies and monitors and reports on performance milestones and metrics through periodic and quarterly reports for PHSA’s Executive Team. They evaluate funding from funding agencies, recommending resource allocation, and providing other business advisory services to aid the business in decision making. They play a key role in the provision of financial cost calculations for new services including in business cases submitted for PHSA Executive leadership and for government consideration for funding.

As a member of the Business Planning Team; plans, implements, and evaluates related physical, financial, and human resources in support of the strategic and operational needs of PHSA; participates in the development of the mission, strategies and goals to ensure the optimum delivery of appropriate financial services for PHSA. Leads a team of finance professionals, to provide client support at different levels throughout the program to ensure fiscal accountability and responsibility.

The Director, Business Planning is an integral part of the Business Planning team supporting the BC Cancer Program. This role is primarily responsible for ensuring accurate financial planning and supporting operational decision-making that directly enhances patient care across BC Cancer’s health facilities. The position provides critical analysis and strategic guidance to clinical leaders, identifies opportunities to optimize program operations and resource utilization, and reviews internal controls to ensure deficiencies are promptly identified and addressed. Provides strategic oversight to direct reports by delivering training, guidance, and consultation; defines clear roles and accountabilities; optimizes workload distribution to meet operational demands; and ensures comprehensive understanding of program operations and financial performance. The individual in this role is a highly motivated self-starter with strong curiosity, able to work effectively in a fast-paced environment while proactively seeking opportunities to improve financial insights and operational effectiveness.

 

Scope and Complexity

 

Operating at a strategic level, the Director, Business Planning participates in senior management decision-making processes providing strategic financial and business planning advice to the President and their staff. At the corporate level, the Director works with senior executive staff on strategic financial and business planning issues for the PHSA. The Director highlights and reports on the fiscal performance of the agency with respect to resource utilization, expenditure patterns, statistical and critical indicator data/ information, and the meeting of budgetary targets. Where appropriate, the Director recommends corrective action to both PHSA and agency senior management and their direct reports.

 

The Director, Business Planning is customer focused and interacts at the most senior levels of the health authority recognizing and balancing organization-wide and agency perspectives. The Director provides financial expertise in an environment that constantly changes and must be able to assist with decision-making in the context of limited resources.

 

The Director has a comprehensive multi-layered understanding of financial and business planning processes and tool, skills in staff training and leadership, and works independently in a strategic capacity. Timelines for the completion of financial and operational reports are very tight and require strong organizational skills.

 

Reports, analyses, advice and recommendations prepared/provided by this position are used by senior executive in the PHSA, the agency and the Ministry of Health (MOH). Judgement is required to assess resource requirements for the agency, programs and departments, the reasonableness of resource requests and in the communication of those requirements. Errors or miscommunication could result in inadequate agency funding, program or departmental funding, reducing agency or corporate credibility, incorrect payments to physicians or their employers, other suppliers and service providers, under recovery or loss of funding.

 

Major segments of the work performed by this position are confidential directly supporting the management committees of both the PHSA and the agency. Inappropriate release of information could compromise strategies and initiatives and seriously impact the agency’s and the PHSA’s abilities to deliver its mandate.

 

Communications

 

The Director, Business Planning communicates with senior staff at the corporate level and senior and line staff of the agency. The Director is an active member of the agency’s management committee and other committees deemed necessary by the agency President or Executive Director or the Corporate Director, Business Planning. Communication usually involves negotiating and facilitating consensus on issues such as financial resources, program and service delivery changes, new and enhanced programs, physician services and funding, operational reviews, implementation of services and progress on cost savings/revenue generation initiatives.

 

External communication involves contact with representatives from external agencies such as the MOH and other health authorities and usually involves negotiating and facilitating consensus on issues such as program transfers, development of inter-authority programs and services, service redesign and operational reviews.

 

What you’ll do

• Manage the process for the development and compilation of the agency annual and multi-year operating budgets included in the PHSA Service Plan and Budget Management Plan. Ensure the financial impacts of operational decisions are appropriately reflected in the budgets.
• Oversee the timely preparation and/or compilation of the agency’s interim and year end financial statements and written variance analysis. Highlight and report on the fiscal performance of the agency with respect to resource utilization, expenditure patterns, statistical and critical indicator data/information. The onus is on the Director, Business Planning to ensure the historical and forecast financial statements are materially correct and fairly presents the agency’s operations in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
• Provide assistance and support to the agency President/ Executive Director and their staff in areas such as establishing short and longer term financial objectives, identifying key performance measures, developing operating and capital budgets, monitoring and interpreting financial and utilization information, analysing deviations from plan and investigating causes. Ensure that appropriate resource management competencies and skills exist in the agency.
• In the event there are material changes in funding and/or expenditures during the fiscal year, reforecast the annual budget for the agency. Working in collaboration with agency executive, identifies and implements corrective action to ensure the agency meets its financial and operational goals during the fiscal period.
• Working in collaboration with agency senior and line staff, identifies opportunities for increased agency operational and financial resource utilization. Contribute financial expertise to agency service delivery modeling, funding applications, operational reviews, and business process improvement reviews.
• Assists agency staff by:
  • Identify resources required;
  • Research, identify alternatives, writing, providing a recommendation;
  • Developing financial analysis and/ or forecast incorporating appropriate funding or costing methodology;
  • Participating in the negotiation of inter-health authority, vendor and/ or third party partnership contracts and agreements;
  • Coordinating the financial aspects of implementation, and
  • Monitoring the outcome on the service(s) and the agency.

• Working in collaboration with agency executive and/or cross-agency corporate support services provides financial expertise in support of contract negotiations.
• For all direct reports, train, provide support, consultation and guidance, establish clear definition of responsibility, review assignments and adjust workload to ensure levels meet operational requirements. Ensure the agency Financial Analysts have a thorough understanding of the operating and financial issues of the programs under their administration. Cross-trains staff to develop operational capacity, review work coverage and develop succession plans for staff. Utilize performance enhancement mechanisms, provide ongoing feedback and complete performance reviews of staff to encourage continuous skill development, enhance staff morale and foster initiative and team spirit
• Identify human resource needs for agency business planning staff and participates in sourcing and interviewing internal and external applicants. Make final hiring decisions and utilize retention and performance reward strategies to manage staff resources to the advantage of the PHSA.
• For all direct reports, investigate work and staff issues and, when necessary, initiate disciplinary action up to and including termination. Participate in the management of grievances and labour relations matters in conjunction with Human Resources.
• Develop, implement and evaluate strategic plans, goals and objectives for area of responsibility, consistent with the mission and strategic plans of the Finance Division and the PHSA. Evaluate performance within area of responsibility, responding to changing customer needs by continually assessing the team’s activities, facilitating feedback processes within and across the agency and responding to changing demands.
• Review agency internal controls to ensure deficiencies are identified and corrected.
• Represent the Business Planning team on agency committees including the Management and Budget Committees and represent the agency on external committees.
• Oversee the budget for area of responsibility, including allocating resources, monitoring budget performance, planning and adjusting operations and/or staffing to meet departmental targets, approving expenditures and preparing summaries for fiscal reporting as required.
• In collaboration with the Financial Analysts and agency executive, manage the capital budgeting process for the agency. Identify and prioritize capital requests, providing information as requested by the Corporate Director, Capital Planning.  
• Assist Financial Services with completion of the year end audit.
• Working in collaboration with Decision Support Services, assist with the development and maintenance of data collection for information required by the Business Planning Division.
• Maintain continuing contact with representatives from the agency to ensure both the agency and representatives of the PHSA’s corporate office are aware of changes in business operations.
• Work in collaboration with Financial Services, identifying and implementing improvements to Finance Division processes, assist with problem resolution.
• Maintain a quality communication strategy in conjunction with other agency Directors, Business Planning to share and engage the organization in matters of financial, divisional and organizational importance.
• Undertake special projects, as required by the Chief Financial Officer or Corporate Director, Business Planning & Financial Management to address agency, program and departmental issues.
• Perform other related duties as required.

What you bring

 

Qualifications

• A level of education, training and experience equivalent to a professional accounting designation (CMA, CGA, or CA) or a Masters Degree in Business Administration or a related field of study plus a minimum of twelve (12) years of progressively senior management experience within a large complex multi-site organization.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the historic and ongoing impacts of settler colonialism on Indigenous Peoples in social and health contexts, including supported by significant knowledge of Indigenous-specific mandates, including clear understanding of and commitment to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination and embed Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility. Demonstrated knowledge of the historic and ongoing impacts of settler colonialism and systemic racism on Indigenous Peoples within social and health contexts, underpinned by significant expertise in Indigenous-specific mandates. This includes a clear understanding of and commitment to eradicating Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination. Additionally, it involves embedding Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility, and an advanced expertise and unwavering dedication to engaging with diversity, centering equity, and advancing inclusion (DEI).
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of legislative obligations and provincial commitments within Business Planning contexts found in the foundational documents including Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study, Anti-Racism Data Act, BC Human Rights Code - and how they intersect across the health care system.

Core Competencies:

• Brings an understanding of the Indigenous specific racism and the broader systemic racism that exists in the colonial health care structure, and has demonstrated leadership in breaking down barriers and ensuring an environment of belonging and Indigenous Cultural Safety. Demonstrates action-oriented practices addressing Indigenous-specific racism and dismantling systems of oppression, as well as confronting/addressing broader issues of racism and discrimination. Exhibits strong DEI and anti-racism competencies/skills to lead by example fostering a culture of continuous learning, equity, inclusion and belonging.
• Indigenous-specific anti-racism, anti-racism and Indigenous Cultural Safety and foundational documents and legislative commitments (the Declaration Act, the Declaration Action Plan, TRC, IPS, Remembering Keegan, etc.).

Skills & Knowledge

• Consideration will be given to recent related leadership and managerial experience, with an emphasis in business planning, financial planning, business process engineering and/or business case development. Other key attributes include in depth knowledge of Canadian generally accepted accounting principles and practices, and management accounting concepts and practices. Demonstrated experience supervising staff including hiring, training and completing performance reviews. Superior writing and presentation skills with experience in program and business case research and development. Superior analytical skills including the ability to comprehend complex issues and related data/information and present information in concise meaningful ways. Strong computer and financial application skills including demonstrated ability to productively use spreadsheet, word processing and database applications. Customer focused with ability to facilitate and encourage co-operation between diverse operational groups and skill sets. Excellent organization skills including the ability to prioritize workload and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work under pressure and multi-task without direct supervision.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the job.
• Demonstrated deep understanding of their personal learning/unlearning journey in relation to Indigenous-specific racism and dismantling systems of oppression, as well as addressing racism more broadly. Able to articulate and share this journey to motivate and inspire others enhancing a culture of learning/unlearning and self-reflection.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the social, economic, political realities of settler-colonialism and impacts on Indigenous peoples in social and health contexts as well as knowledge and understanding of, and commitment to upholding legislative obligations and provincial commitments in the foundational documents: Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan, Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study, and the Distinctions Based Approach.

What we bring

 

Every PHSA employee enables the best possible patient care for our patients and their families. Whether you are providing direct care, conducting research, or making it possible for others to do their work, you impact the lives of British Columbians today and in the future. That’s why we’re focused on your care too – offering health, wellness, development programs to support you – at work and at home.

• Join one of BC’s largest employers with province-wide programs, services and operations – offering opportunities for growth, development, and recognition programs that honour the commitment and contribution of all employees.
• Access to professional development opportunities through our 2,000+ in-house courses including a range of experience level, profession-specific, or other essential training on Indigenous Cultural Safety; Indigenous-specific anti-racism; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and accessibility, mental health and well-being, and more.
• Enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including municipal pension plan, and psychological health & safety programs and holistic wellness resources.
• Annual statutory holidays (13) with generous vacation entitlement and accruement.
• PHSA is a remote work friendly employer, welcoming flexible work options to support our people (eligibility may vary, depending on position).

Job Type: Temporary, Full-Time (Until May 2027 or Until Return of Incumbent)

Salary Range: $118,923- $170,951 /year. The starting salary for this position would be determined with consideration of the successful candidate’s relevant education and experience, and would be in alignment with the provincial compensation reference plan. Salary will be prorated accordingly for part time roles.
Location: 686 West Broadway, V5Z 1G1 Vancouver 
Closing date: Applications accepted until position is filled
Hours of Work: 08:30 -16:30 (Monday to Friday)
Requisition #: 198371E

 

What we do

 

The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) plans, manages and evaluates specialized health services with the BC health authorities to provide equitable and cost-effective health care for people throughout the province. Our values reflect our commitment to excellence and include: Respect people – Be compassionate – Dare to innovate – Create equity – Be courageous.

 

Learn more about PHSA and our programs: jobs.phsa.ca/programs-and-services

 

PHSA is committed to anti-racism and equity in our hiring and employment practices. With learning and compassion, we are addressing existing inequities and barriers throughout our systems. PHSA is seeking to create a diverse workforce and to establish an inclusive and culturally safe environment. We invite applications and enquiries from all people, particularly those belonging to the historically, systemically, and/or persistently excluded groups identified under the B.C. Human Rights Code.

 

One of PHSA’s North Star priorities is to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism, which includes ongoing commitments to Indigenous recruitment and employee experience as well as dismantling barriers to health care employment at every level. We welcome Indigenous individuals to apply and/or contact the Sanya’k̓ula Team (Indigenous Recruitment & Employee Experience) for support at indigenous.employment@phsa.ca.

 

Indigenous-specific anti-racism initiatives are rooted in addressing the unique forms of discrimination, historical and ongoing injustices, and exclusion faced by Indigenous peoples. These initiatives align with an Indigenous rights-based approach, recognizing the inherent rights and title of BC First Nations and self-determination of all First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. PHSA is mandated to uphold legislative obligations and provincial commitments found in the foundational documents including the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study.

 

Attention current employees of PHSA:

 

You must apply via your internal profile at http://internaljobs.phsa.ca.

 

The internal job posting expires on May 11, 2026 and will no longer be accessible. If the internal job posting has expired, please e-mail internaljobshelpu@phsa.ca with the six-digit job requisition number and your PHSA employee ID number to be considered as a late internal applicant. Please do not apply for the external job posting.

 

If you have not yet set up an internal profile, please e-mail internaljobshelpu@phsa.ca with your PHSA employee ID number to obtain your temporary password. Our business hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm, excluding Statutory Holidays and a Help Desk Representative will respond to you with 1-2 business days.

 

If you are not a current employee of PHSA and require assistance with your application, please contact the External Careers team at careers@phsa.ca.