Senior Director Finance

Professional Engineers Ontario; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior Director of Finance to lead financial operations and strategic initiatives. This pivotal role involves overseeing accounting functions, managing financial systems, and providing guidance to senior management. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in finance within a nonprofit or regulatory framework, strong analytical capabilities, and excellent communication skills. You will play a crucial role in ensuring the financial health of the organization while fostering collaborative relationships across departments. If you are passionate about finance and looking to make a significant impact, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of finance experience in a nonprofit or regulatory environment.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to present recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Direct all financial functions including month-end and year-end processes.
• Develop and maintain financial systems and internal controls.

Skills

Analytical Skills

Interpersonal Communication

Decision Making

Results-oriented

Supervisory Skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or business administration

Advanced finance or accounting degree (i.e. MBA, Master of Finance)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Accounting Software

Microsoft Excel

Job description

As we move through a period of exciting transformation and organizational change, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) has an immediate opening for a Senior Director, Finance.

Under the authority of the Professional Engineers Act, PEO licenses and governs over 91,500 license and certificate holders and regulates the practice of professional engineering in Ontario. PEO’s mission is to regulate and advance the practice of engineering to protect the public interest. With a talented, multidisciplinary staff of over 100, PEO’s vision is to be a trusted leader in professional self-regulation.

Reporting to the Vice President, Digital Transformation & Corporate Operations, the Senior (Sr.) Director, Finance is responsible for managing a team of finance professionals to oversee the financial operations of PEO. The Sr. Director will also provide strategic direction in the management of financial accounts and controls for the organization in alignment with PEO’s strategic plan and in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, accounting practices, and corporate policies and procedures. The Sr. Director provides thoughtful advice and guidance to the senior management team and Council and participates in the development and implementation of various operational and strategic initiatives to enable PEO to achieve its organizational goals and mandate.

Responsibilities:

• Direct all financial and accounting functions including month-end, year-end, accounts receivable, accounts payable, billing, and overall accounting function and timely government submissions and regulatory filings (except for submissions and regulatory filings related to payroll and pension plans).
• The incumbent will work closely with and form strong relationships with all other departments, including functions overseeing the administration of payroll and pension activities.
• Develop and maintain robust financial systems, internal controls, and policies and procedures to ensure the accuracy of accounting and financial data and records; Monitor variances and investigate as appropriate.
• Maintain relevant and appropriate financial dashboards, reporting and forecasting tools to support operational and strategic activities and planning.
• Lead the planning for the annual year-end audit, ensuring the audit is performed within established timeframes and guidelines.
• Continually assess business and departmental processes, including budget setting and management, and make changes to improve efficiency and productivity.
• Participate in strategic financial resource planning and provide advice and recommendations on financial matters to the senior management team and Council through analysis of financial data and statements and providing reports as needed.
• Liaise with auditors and outside consultants, banks, vendors and other institutions including but not limited to the CRA, ensuring that all federal documentation and filings are valid and correct.
• Develop annual operating and capital budgets in collaboration with department leads, staff, and stakeholders for proper cost and revenue management; providing expectations on profitability and comparing budgeted vs. actual spending.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and coaching to Finance team; evaluate staff performance and identify training and development opportunities for staff with their collaboration.
• Oversee the procurement function as managed by the Lead, Procurement, ensuring PEO obtains high quality goods and services in a cost-effective and timely manner.
• Oversee activities related to membership and license renewals and cancellations in accordance with the Professional Engineers Act, Regulations, and by-law No. 1.
• Participate in enterprise risk management by monitoring risk and maintaining adequate insurance coverage for PEO’s operations.
• Develop and review PEO’s investment policy and oversee investment funds (not including pension plan assets).
• Maintain all other relevant financial policies and procedures including but not limited to those pertaining to expense management, procurement and more.
• Develop and monitor the five-year financial plan and operating reserve policy and provide recommendations to the Finance Committee.
• Act as advisor to the Audit and Finance Committee(AFC); attend meetings and present as needed to the AFC and Council, Annual General Meeting, and other related forums as required.

Knowledge of:

• Finance, accounting, budgeting, and cost control principles and best practices.
• The mandate, policies, and programs of Professional Engineers Ontario including the Professional Engineers Act as it relates to financial matters.
• Strategic planning and execution, contracting, negotiating, and change management.

Skills and Qualifications Include:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or business administration
• Advanced finance or accounting degree (i.e. MBA, Master of Finance) is an asset.
• 7-10 years’ finance experience in a nonprofit or regulatory environment.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to present recommendations on key financial decisions.
• Results-oriented with the ability to work under tight deadlines and manage competing priorities.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office products and accounting software.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage and build collaborative relationships with a diverse group of people.
• Supervisory skills to produce high quality teams that achieve results and outcomes.
• Strong ability to develop others including the ability to delegate responsibilities to further develop team.

Accountability:

• Ability to exercise good judgment and decision making is crucial to ensuring the financial health of PEO.
• Must have excellent knowledge of relevant legal, regulatory and compliance requirements relating to the oversight and administration of the corporate Finance function.
• A dedicated approach to providing functional excellence and outstanding customer service to all interested parties, including applicants, licence holders, staff, Council and volunteers.
• Must use analytical and modelling skills to interpret financial data and present creative recommendations to support PEO’s strategic objectives.
• More complex issues may be escalated to the Sr. Director by other members of the Finance team. The incumbent must be resourceful and take a proactive approach in resolving issues. Determine appropriate response to unprecedented questions and/or unique situations with consideration for PEO processes, precedence-setting, and other factors.
• The quality of financial advice provided to the senior management team will impact the quality of decision making.
• Incomplete or insufficient financial controls may expose the organization to serious risks.
• Poor monitoring or mismanagement of financial systems and processes may result in overspending, mismanagement of finances, and inaccurate reporting of financial data.
• Errors made in this position could result in considerable damage for PEO. For example, issues with regulatory authorities such as the CRA could impact PEO’s NPO status.
• Manage the communication and complete function/process of the Finance department.
• In collaboration with senior leadership, this position is responsible for decisions with respect to Finance processes and the team.

We offer a hybrid work environment. This role is required to be on-site 2 days per week with additional days depending on work activities.

*Disclaimer: The selected candidate will be subject to a background check as part of the hiring process.

If you are interested in this role, please apply by February 24, 2025.

At PEO, we recognize that our people are our best asset, including employees from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We know life isn’t linear, so there may be gaps or ‘non-traditional’ employment, and we welcome applications from everyone. Accommodation is available upon request for candidates in all phases of the selection process.

Seniority level

• Director

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Accounting/Auditing and Finance
• Industries
• Non-profit Organization Management