Office of the Vice-President Administration

The Vice-President Administration is the Chief Financial Officer for the Polytechnic, serving as the fiscal integrity steward and an essential member of NWP's executive leadership group.

The position is responsible for championing the most effective and efficient use of fiscal and capital resources while supporting NWP's mandate and strategic initiatives. In addition to ensuring business moves smoothly and in compliance with the regulators and stakeholders, the Vice-President Administration is also responsible for maintaining positive and constructive relations with executive colleagues, direct reports and administrative division staff.

Leading a varied portfolio, including Financial Services, Information Technology, Facilities, Maintenance and Operations, this position is responsible for the overall quality of services, risk identification and mitigation, legal and reporting requirements, and resource deployment and planning.

Portfolio

Institutional Planning & Research

The Office of Institutional Planning and Research provides analytical insight, value-added information, and performance monitoring to support strategic planning and evidence-based decision-making.

Information Technology

I.T. maintains NWP's technology services, telecommunications, network and server infrastructure, and hardware. It is also home to NWP's Help Desk, the one-stop shop for all tech-related queries.

Enterprise Risk Management

Enterprise Risk is responsible for the leadership, innovation, governance and management necessary to identify, evaluate, mitigate and monitor risk across the Institution's multi-campus organization.

About Thomas Watts

Thomas Watts is currently the Vice President, Administration. His career with Northwestern Polytechnic began in 2011 as Capital Manager before transitioning into the role of Director, Facilities Maintenance and Operations in 2020, and most recently as Acting Vice President, Corporate Services. Before coming to NWP, he worked as a Senior Financial Analyst and Accounts Payable Manager at Alberta Health Services. Thomas is a strong advocate of financial stewardship and focusing resources to grow and improve program delivery, improving institutional sustainability and enhancing student life.

Thomas holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Thompson Rivers University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Memorial University. His professional work experience fostered a strong background in financial and business analysis, and he is well-suited to lead the Administration portfolio, which includes the departments of Financial Services, Information Technology and Facilities Maintenance and Operations.