Finance Business Partner

The CPA Western School of Business (CPAWSB) is seeking an experienced, collaborative Finance Business Partner to support a national exam provider portfolio within a high-stakes CPA assessment environment. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the financial stewardship and sustainability of a new and evolving business line supporting the CPA profession’s examinations across Canada.

The Finance Business Partner provides strategic financial leadership and operational oversight for all Exam Provider-related financial activities, reporting through the Corporate Services leadership structure. This includes budgeting, forecasting, cost modelling, financial reporting, and performance analysis supporting exam development, delivery, and marking operations. This role ensures informed decision-making, strong financial governance, and effective financial controls in a complex, regulated environment.

As part of the Corporate Services and Finance teams, the Finance Business Partner works closely with Exam Provider leadership, central Finance, operations teams, and external partners to deliver transparent, defensible, and scalable financial processes. This role contributes to enterprise-wide financial integrity while acting as the primary finance business partner with end-to-end accountability for the Exam Provider portfolio.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Leading the annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and multi‑year financial planning for exam development, delivery, and marking activities.
• Developing, maintaining, and refining scalable cost models to support a new and evolving national exam provider business line, including changes in exam volume, delivery formats, and resource requirements.
• Providing proactive financial analysis, scenario modelling, and decision support related to operational planning, pricing, funding models, and strategic initiatives.
• Preparing clear, defensible financial reporting, executive‑level dashboards, and variance analyses to support informed decision‑making by senior leaders and partners.
• Serving as a trusted financial advisor to Exam Provider leadership by translating complex financial information into actionable insights for non‑financial audiences.
• Overseeing financial reporting, reconciliations, invoicing, and cost‑sharing arrangements with contracted parties, ensuring compliance with contractual terms, internal controls, and accounting standards.
• Supporting period‑end, year‑end, and audit processes related to exam operations.
• Identifying opportunities to streamline financial processes, enhance reporting, and improve cost transparency and operational effectiveness.
  
  

What The Successful Candidates Will Bring

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required.
• CPA designation required.
  
  

Experience

• 5+ years of progressive experience in financial planning, analysis, reporting, or full-cycle accounting.
• Experience in a finance business partnering or advisory role supporting senior or executive leaders.
• Experience supporting new programs, evolving business models, or complex operational environments.
• Experience within education, professional certification, exam operations, or other regulated environments is an asset.
  
  

Skills And Attributes

• Strategic, analytical thinker with strong financial judgment and a governance-oriented mindset.
• Strong ability to translate complex financial information into clear, actionable insights for non-financial stakeholders.
• Advanced financial modelling skills and strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel; experience with Great Plains Dynamics is an asset.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with the ability to collaborate across internal and external teams.
• High degree of independence, discretion, and attention to detail.
• Ability to operate effectively in a dynamic, evolving environment.
• Effective written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to read, write and speak French is an asset
  
  

This role is eligible for hybrid work. The CPAWSB is based primarily in Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. If based outside of these centers, the successful candidate may be required to travel to a CPAWSB office from time to time, or as required.

The salary range for this role is $75,600 to $113,400. We recognize the value of directly comparable experience. Along with a comprehensive benefits package, CPAWSB offers an exciting and challenging work environment, as well as a company culture that values: Excellence, Integrity, Collaboration, Innovation, Responsiveness, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

If you believe that you could thrive in this exciting role, please submit a detailed cover letter and resume to humanresources@cpawsb.ca on or before April 29, 2026.

CPAWSB is committed to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and encourages applications from Indigenous peoples, women, persons with disabilities, members of racialized and other diverse groups. CPAWSB thanks applicants for their interest in this opportunity. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

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