Financial Innovation Associate

Shorefast Social Enterprises Inc; Toronto; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental benefits

Employee assistance program

Team discounts

Travel allowances

Technology provided

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Shorefast Institute is seeking a Financial Innovation Associate to grow with our program. The role combines accounting expertise with program analytics, supporting certification and regional investment insights across Canada.

Reporting to the Manager, Financial Innovation, you will contribute to program delivery and operations, collaborating with a national team to build new economic tools and reports from accounting data.

Qualifications

• Two to three years of accounting or finance experience.
• CPA designation or actively pursuing it.
• Strong analytical skills with financial statements.
• Excellent communication skills, able to explain financial concepts to audiences who are not finance specialists.
• Bilingual English and French would be an asset.
• Willing to travel occasionally for workshops and team gatherings, including to Fogo Island.

Responsibilities

• Certification analysis: review Economic Nutrition certifications, validate inputs, prepare certifications for senior approval.
• Renewals and standards: lead annual renewals and help maintain certification standards documentation.
• Insights and advocacy: analyze regional data to support advocacy reports and investment recommendations.
• Large business engagements: provide financial analysis support for larger enterprises undergoing certification.
• Program delivery: assist in financial and data sections of the program, teaching owners and partners to read their numbers.
• Program operations: assist with contracts, payments, onboarding, scheduling, and KPI tracking.

Skills

Accounting experience

CPA candidacy

Financial analysis

Communication skills

Bilingual English/French

Education

CPA designation

Job description

Salary Range: $65,000.00 To $75,000.00 Annually

The Shorefast Institute for Place-Based Economies

About the Role

Team: Shorefast Institute

Location: Remote work position, available to applicants based in Fogo Island or St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, or in the Toronto (GTA) region of Ontario.

Who We Are

The Shorefast Institute for Place-Based Economies is a national initiative to build, learn, and share practices that strengthen local economies in service of place. The Institute's work is organized around three interconnected programs — Economic Nutrition, Shorenet, and The Forge.

Modeled on food nutrition labelling, the Economic Nutrition Certification Mark reveals the economics beyond price for any product or service: what every dollar pays for and where it goes. Following a successful national pilot in 2025, Economic Nutrition is scaling across Canada and drawing international attention, including selection in 2026 as a top ten Edge of Government innovation by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation and Apolitical.

The Shorefast Institute is part of Shorefast, the charity behind Fogo Island Inn. 100 percent of Shorefast's operating surpluses are reinvested into building a resilient future for Fogo Island. Learn more about us: institute.shorefast.org

TheOpportunity

The Financial Innovation Associate grows with the program: an accounting professional who wants to use their financial skills to contribute to a program directing investment back into the places we live. This is not a typical accounting role. The Associate is the analytical backbone of the certification process, working directly with businesses from single-location social enterprises to large national companies, and helps redefine what it means to be a “creative accountant” by developing new economic tools and reports powered by accounting data for businesses and regions across the country.

Reporting to, and mentored by, the Manager, Financial Innovation, the role contributes to program delivery and operations alongside an ambitious team.

What You'll Do

• Certification analysis. Complete the first pass review of every Economic Nutrition certification: analyzing business financial data, validating inputs, and preparing certifications for senior approval. Serve as the primary point of contact for businesses during their certification window, guiding them through the process with clarity and care.
• Renewals and standards. Lead annual renewal reviews and help maintain the certification standards documentation. As new edge cases and business models emerge, contribute to writing the rulebook for a first of its kind certification.
• Insights and advocacy. Dig into regional certification data to surface the insights that power the Institute's advocacy reports and point to targeted areas for investment that strengthen local supply chains.
• Large business engagements. Provide financial analysis support on engagements with larger enterprises, where certification becomes a deeper consulting relationship.
• Program delivery. Over time, facilitate the financial and data sections of the Economic Nutrition program, teaching business owners and regional partners how to read and act on their own numbers.
• Program operations. Share in the administration that keeps a growing national program running, including contracts and payment tracking, participant onboarding, scheduling and KPI tracking alongside the program team.

Qualifications and Experience

• Two to three years of accounting or finance experience.
• CPA designation or actively pursuing it. Recent CFE writers are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Strong analytical skills and fluency with financial statements, with the ability to work confidently with imperfect, real-world business data.
• Excellent communication skills, especially the ability to explain financial concepts to audiences who are not finance specialists, with patience and warmth.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, and comfort balancing analytical work with program administration.
• Bilingualism in English and French would be an asset.
• A genuine interest in community economic development, social enterprise, or place-based economies, and in building creative financial tools that direct money into the places we live.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity in a growing program and working closely with a team.
• Willing to travel occasionally for workshops, cohort delivery and team gatherings, including to Fogo Island.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and positive attitude.
• Commitment to upholding the vision and goals of Fogo Island Inn, Shorefast Foundation, and other affiliated organizations.
• Ability to excel in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• Sensitivity to the history and culture of rural Newfoundland.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary ($65,000–$75,000 per annum), full-time, permanent position
• Health and dental benefits, along with access to an employee assistance program for mental health support and work/life services
• Team member discounts within our businesses (Fogo Island Inn and Fogo Island Workshops)
• Travel to Fogo Island, and allowances for travel
• The technology necessary to complete your work
• An engaged, highly supportive, and collaborative environment that encourages creativity and curiosity
• The opportunity to work in a thriving social enterprise
• Continued learning and professional development opportunities

Deadline for Applications: 10:30 am (NDT) / 9:00 am (EST) Tuesday September 8, 2026

We are grateful for all applications, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

At Shorefast, we endeavour to foster an accessible work environment and to ensure all in our care feel safe and valued. Please reach out if there is anything we can do to accommodate a more accessible or inclusive application process.