Our Strategic Plan
Next up: Thoams Straley, Accounts Payable Manager shares how he takes accountability personally and professionally
Thomas is the AP Manager in UBC’s Financial Operations team, within the VPFO’s Finance & Operational Excellence group. If you have ever ordered or paid for goods or services, been reimbursed for an out-of-pocket expense, or used a UBC VISA card, you have likely interacted with Thomas’ team.
Come back next week to read how Thomas delivers his best for UBC through professionalism, commitment and accountability.
Time to review your updates in Envisio? Quarter ends this Thursday!
All updates for this quarter should be entered in Envisio by Thursday, November 24. Update notifications for Tasks , Actions, Objectives, Goals or Directions are sent over the final month of the quarter, with ~7-10 days between each level. Depending on your involvement you may have received multiple notifications.
The OpEx team has series of short videos to support the update process on the OpEx website.
Have questions or need assistance? Please email envisio.help@ubc.ca.
Operations updates
Building Operations, Custodial Services, Customer Services & Informatics, Energy & Water Services, Infrastructure Development, and Municipal Services
- UBC Facilities driving operational efficiency and resilience through the MacLeod Building renewal: Learn about how buildings are prioritized at UBC and the teamwork that went into transforming the historical MacLeod Building into a more efficient and sustainable facility in alignment with UBC's strategic goals. Read more
Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury
- October Financial Operations service delivery levels: The October dashboards are now available to view on the UBC Finance website. Learn more
- October Interest Rates: The October interest rates are now updated and available on the UBC Finance website
- Old per diem rates to be retired in Workday on Nov 30: Please ensure that any travel-related per diem that took place before September 1, 2022, is submitted and fully approved by November 30, 2022. Learn more
- Continuous Improvement Community of Practice (CoP) on Dec 1: Open to all Lean Six Sigma Yellow, Green, and Black Belt practitioners, hear from Sean Zheng, who was recently promoted in Municipal Services within Facilities, on how advancing his knowledge in Continuous Improvement helped advance his career. Learn more
Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services
- Are you prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours during a power outage: Ensure your household is prepared for an emergency before it happens by building or purchasing an emergency kit. Take advantage of Total Prepare’s Black Friday sale (until Nov 26). Don’t forget to include personal items (i.e. prescription medication, seasonal clothing and hygiene items)! Learn more
- Paid leave for staff between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day: With the holiday season approaching, please note that certain UBC staff are eligible for paid leave during the university’s seasonal closure (Dec 28, 29 & 30). Learn more
- Channels in the VPFO: Our channels are established ways you can connect to other teams in the portfolio, across UBC, or the wider public. Learn about our channels as well as when and how to use them.
People of the VPFO
At the VPFO we love celebrating success! Join us every week in recognizing the great work our VPFO team members are doing to support the university.
Finance & Operational Excellence
- Calin Rad, Senior Procurement Officer – Thank you for taking on three high-priority, time-sensitive, confidential sourcing projects over the last few months while already carrying a full workload. I appreciate your willingness to step into these projects, and your dedication to service excellence. Well done!
- Hasan Malik, Supply Chain Analyst – Thank you for your hard work, innovation, and creative thinking to find a way to identify Indigenous Suppliers used by the Community and additional potential Indigenous Suppliers. This has given us a great starting point for the Indigenous Procurement Program, and was not an easy task — well done!
- Sandra See Toh, Executive Assistant – A big thank you for all of your work and efforts to deliver a productive and valuable in-person AVPFO Managers Meeting and virtual Town Hall. Your dedication to working with the Leadership Team to make these events happen is much appreciated. Great job!
Safety & Risk Services
- Herbert Lai, Access Services Technician: While completing an installation of a video intercom unit at the President's Office in Koerner Library, Herbert went above and beyond to assist the library staff with adjusting their curtains. Shout out to Herbert for your commitment to providing excellent service to our community!
- Paul Wong, Advisor, Safety Programs Management & Systems: Kudos to Paul for the great work he has been doing with HR to revise and update the Hybrid Work Arrangement Program documentation and process. Excellent job!
- Evan Lloyd, Advisor, Emergency & Continuity Planning: Evan recently coordinated the Safety & Risk Services delegation for the National Research Council's (NRC) discussion on Safety & Emergency Management. This was a great opportunity to meet our neighbors along with first responders and first receivers and share approaches and concerns around safety practices – especially emergency procedures. Great job on building relationships for future collaboration, Evan!
Well done! Want to give someone a shout out in the next edition? Submit your kudos in your local recognition program or email communications@vpfo.ubc.ca
- Pavan Khiani and Shijie Yu join Operational Excellence as Data Analysts.
- Riccardo Palumbo joins Building Operations within Facilities as a Bricklayer today.
- Rishi Purohit is joining Municipal Services within Facilities as the Fleet and Asset Manager on Nov 24.
- Gardenia Honório transitions into new role as Business Operations Manager in Customer Services & Informatics within Facilities.
- Joanna Huang has accepted the permanent Finance Manager role supporting the VPHR and VPFO Admin portfolios. Congratulations, Joanna!
Read more about our people on the VPFO website.
All positions at UBC are available on the UBC HR Careers website, or through the career application in your Workday account. Please note that applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on the day prior to the posting end date. The following VPFO positions are currently open:
- Digital Payments Manager (JR10401) – 11/22/2022
- Head Service Worker (JR10486) – 11/22/2022
- Relief Shift Team Leader (EWS) (JR10427) – 11/23/2022
- Supply Chain Analyst (JR10330) – 11/23/2022
- Tool Crib/Store Operator (JR10442) – 11/24/2022
- Accessible Buildings Planner (JR10502) – 11/28/2022
- Day - Full-Time Service Worker (4 Positions) – 11/28/2022
- Payroll Partner - Analyst (JR10510) – 11/30/2022
- Millwright (JR7181) – 12/1/2022
- Millwright (Building Operations) (JR10231) – 12/2/2022
- Trades 2 - Steamfitter / Pipefitter (JR7935) – 12/2/2022
- Assistant Supervisor, Custodial (JR10571) – 12/2/2022
- Trades 2 - Bricklayer (JR8528) – 12/30/2022
- Labourer 2 (JR10120) – ongoing
- Labourer 3 (JR8504) – ongoing
Don't forget to apply as an internal candidate! Please review the Apply for an Internal Job Posting guide in the Workday Knowledge Base for instructions on how to apply. Reminder to attach a copy of your resume when you apply for a career opportunity in Workday.
Stand against violence towards women on November 30
The Engineering Undergraduate Society and Faculty of Applied Science invite UBC students, faculty and staff to join them on November 30 for the annual 14 Not Forgotten ceremony. The event is an opportunity to honour the women who lost their lives in an engineering class at I 'école Polytechnique de Montréal on December 6, 1989.
Attending this event and standing in memory is one small thing you can do to show your commitment to ending all forms of violence.
Learn more
The UBC Staff Pension Plan celebrates 50 years
On January 1, 2022, the UBC Staff Pension Plan (SPP) turned 50 years old. Help celebrate this important milestone by learning more about your pension plan and benefits. Here are some great ways you can learn more:
Learn more
Find out how substance use might be affecting your wellbeing
Take the confidential, ALAViDA self-assessment, which will provide you with personalized insights about your substance use, life functioning, and wellbeing. When you complete the self-assessment, you will also receive a self-care gift and an optional session with an ALAViDA coach to help redefine what wellness is for you.
Take self-assessment
Food Hub Market Re-Opens at UBCV
The Food Hub Market is a student-led grocery store aiming to provide at-cost foods in a welcoming community space at the UBC Vancouver campus. Located in the CIRS Building (2260 West Mall), the market is open from 10:30 am–6:30 pm, Monday to Thursday.
Join us on November 23rd from 1-3 pm for our launch celebration to enjoy free snacks and coffee and to be entered to win door prizes! Everyone is welcome at this FREE drop-in style event.
Learn more
Introducing Workday Student 101
There is a lot to learn about Workday Student – UBC’s renewed student information system set to be launched in phases starting October 2023.
Workday Student 101 will be delivered through webinars, blog posts, and web content to provide you with foundational knowledge before the launch!
Attend the Community-wide Virtual Workday Student 101 session to:
- Receive high-level, foundational knowledge about Workday Student
- Understand the differences from our current SIS
- Learn core concepts
- Get an overview of how you will be trained
Date: Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Time: 11:00 am–12:30 pm
Register and learn more about Workday Student
Some interesting news articles our team members have found informative, helpful, or fun! These are provided for information and entertainment only. Unless noted, UBC doesn’t specifically endorse or supply this content.
- As a leader, the challenge is not only to spot talent but also to convince your people that you value their talents and that they should, too. Begin by identifying the strengths of each member of your team. Read more
- Scrabble fans: New words have just been added to ‘The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary’ in the newly released 7th edition. Learn more
HR has collected mental health resources to help you manage your ups and downs. To view workshops, webinars and events visit the HR event listing.
Our VPFO HR staff is always available for a confidential conversation. Refer to this service map to connect with the HR Advisor supporting your area.
Access the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) confidential services, through LifeWorks, by calling 1-866-424-0770.
