Director of Business Operations, Ontario Agriculture College

General Purpose

The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) is one of the founding colleges of the University of Guelph and an internationally recognized leader in food, agricultural, environmental, and rural studies. OAC delivers a comprehensive suite of academic programs spanning two‑year diploma, undergraduate, and graduate education through to the PhD level, serving a diverse student population and a strong external stakeholder community. 

The College comprises six academic units and operates across the main Guelph campus and the Ridgetown Campus, a unique teaching and research location that plays a critical role in applied education, industry engagement, and regional impact. Together, these campuses support a broad portfolio of academic, research, and outreach activities closely aligned with provincial, national, and global priorities. 

OAC manages an annual operating budget of approximately $100 million and oversees complex administrative, financial, facilities, and human resource operations in support of its academic mission. The College is characterized by a highly collaborative culture, strong relationships with industry and government partners, and a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and evidence‑based decision‑making. 

The Director, Business Operations, is a senior leadership position reporting directly to the Dean. This role works closely with the Dean, Associate Deans, and all department heads to provide strategic oversight of the College's operational functions, including Administration, Human Resources, Finance and Accounting, Procurement, Facilities Management, and Project Management. 

This is a high-activity, high-accountability role that requires both strategic vision and operational precision. The Director will brief the Dean regularly to ensure alignment between business operations and the College's academic and research priorities. A key challenge of the role is to understand, communicate, and advance the College's priorities across a complex and diverse internal community, as well as with external partners and the broader University. 

The Director serves as the subject matter expert on the Ontario Agriculture Office’s strategic plan and organizational culture, always situating the College's work within the wider context of the University of Guelph. 

Duties and Responsibilities
Leadership and Management (40%) 

• Responsible for strategic non-academic operations management, including oversight of those accomplishing day-to-day operations.  

• Represent the College on multiple partnerships, by sitting on internal and external committees from a financial best practices perspective.  

• Provide leadership and mentorship to managers and professional staff by supporting the development of their leadership and management. This includes being responsible for the performance and results of multiple groups and teams.  

Financial Management (30%) 

• Play a key role in financial accountability for a complex portfolio. This includes ownership of the operating budget, resource allocation, revenue forecasts, and expenditures.  

• Operate as a strategic partner on financial matters for the College, ensuring operations support the overall goal.  

• Provide support to senior leadership and management on issues that need a strategic perspective. This includes providing financial mentorship to all senior leaders within the College. 

• Oversee the strategic development of tools, systems, databases.  

Facilities Management (15%) 

• Lead space planning meetings to assist with securing adequate learning space from a growth and learning perspective for students.  

• Is a key business partner to external stakeholders working with the College of Arts. This role oversees/monitors progress of any expansion or renovation project. 

• Supports projects involving space planning initiatives with central planning teams.  

Project Management (15%) 

• Leads the change management for major initiatives as required. This may include planning and oversight of information technology changes or various changes that need a strategic perspective.  

• Serving as a key resource within the College on special activities including search committees, development of funding initiatives, major research applications, department reviews and new program development.  

 
Requirements
The university recognizes that no one individual will have the following skills/experience in equal measure, but the qualifications below will be used to assess the suitability of candidates throughout the process: 

• A Master's degree in Business administration or related field. With 10 years' relevant experience in an operational leadership role.  

• Advanced knowledge of Policies, Procedures, Operating Requirements, and Governance Structure in a Post Secondary Environment. Including a sound understanding of collective agreements and their implementation. 

• A combination of Financial Management experience including budget management, financial planning, implementation of policies around financial controls, and expert knowledge on Financial Legislation.  

• A background in Strategic Management Principles, including situation analysis, strategic planning, human resource management and principles of organizational development.  

• Sound communication and relationship building skills. This must include mediation, conflict resolution and consensus building.  

• Ability to operate within a complex, multi-faceted and highly demanding work environment. Skilled in forging harmonious and supportive working relationships internally and externally. 

• Ability to deal with a heavy workload while still ensuring day to day activities are attended. Ability to prioritize the challenges of competing demands. 

• Solid negotiation skills with a proven track record of growth and responsibility.  

Why choose the University of Guelph 

• Comprehensive Extended Health Care Benefits: Immediate enrollment in extended health to cover yourself and your family 

• Time off: Strong vacation allocation, floater days, and paid time off during the December closure to ensure that you are at your best 

• Wellness: In addition to extensive wellness programming, the University offers a yearly flexible spending credit that can be allocated to any of the following: Health Spending, Wellness or Professional Development 

• Learning & Development: Learning and development curriculum and other professional growth opportunities 

• On-campus Activities: Discounts on food and apparel, fitness programming, access to networking events and team building opportunities 

• Improve Life: Work that directly impacts a brighter future by turning knowledge into action