Senior Manager, Finance CPA

Algonquin Students' Association; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Algonquin Students’ Association is seeking a Senior Manager, Finance to lead financial stewardship, strategic planning, and the governance of enterprise financial systems. You will oversee budgeting, forecasting, reporting, cash flow management, investments, and audit coordination in a unionized, student-governed setting.

This role partners with the General Manager/CEO and the Board, driving data integrity, system optimization, automation, and integration across finance and payroll platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or Commerce.
• Minimum five years of progressive senior financial management experience with budgeting, forecasting, audit coordination, and internal controls.
• ERP experience with SAGE and payroll systems such as Deputy, including configuration, reporting, controls, and system optimization.
• Proven experience leading financial reporting, compliance and statutory remittances in a complex organizational environment.
• Advanced Excel and financial analysis skills, including variance analysis, forecasting, and scenario modeling.

Responsibilities

• Lead long-term financial strategies, multi-year forecasts, reserve plans and asset replacement strategies.
• Oversee annual operating and capital budget processes and ongoing forecasting across diverse operations.
• Ensure preparation of accurate monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements.
• Direct treasury and corporate financial resources, including cash flow, liquidity, banking and investments.

Skills

Excel proficiency

Financial analysis

Strategic planning

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or Commerce

Professional designation preferred (CA/CGA/CFA)

Tools

SAGE ERP

Deputy payroll

Job description

Reports To: General Manager and CEO or designate

Mission: To create an environment that inspires a passion for student success.

Desired Results of the Position:

• A financially stable and well-governed organization supported by strong internal controls
• Accurate, timely, and decision-ready financial reporting for Executive Leadership and the Board of Directors
• Modern, integrated, and reliable financial systems that support efficient operations
• High confidence in financial compliance, audit readiness, and risk management
• Finance positioned as a trusted strategic partner supporting organizational sustainability and growth

Nature and Scope

The Senior Manager, Finance is the organization’s senior financial leader responsible for financial stewardship, strategic financial planning, governance, enterprise financial systems, internal controls, treasury management, and executive decision support. The role oversees all financial operations of the Algonquin Students’ Association, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, cash flow management, investments, reserve planning, audit coordination, compliance, and financial systems governance. In addition to core accounting responsibilities, the Senior Manager serves as the organization’s subject matter expert for financial and payroll systems, ensuring data integrity, system optimization, automation, and integration across the organization. Operating within a complex, multi-service, unionized, and student-governed environment, the role partners closely with Executive Leadership and the Board of Directors to ensure the organization’s long-term financial sustainability.

Job Duties

Financial Leadership and Stewardship

• Lead the development and execution of long-term financial strategies, multi-year forecasts, scenario analyses, reserve plans, capital renewal forecasts and asset-replacement strategies that support the SA’s financial sustainability and organizational priorities.
• Lead the annual operating and capital budget processes and oversee ongoing forecasting and financial-performance monitoring across the SA’s diverse operations, including variance analysis, corrective recommendations and resource-allocation advice.
• Ensure the preparation of accurate and timely monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements and supporting information.
• Direct the SA’s treasury and corporate financial resources, including cash flow, liquidity, banking and investments.

Financial Systems and Technology Leadership

• Own the governance, administration and strategic development of the SA’s financial and payroll systems, including Sage ERP and Deputy, and their integration with the HRIS, banking platforms and reporting tools, ensuring appropriate configuration, access controls, data integrity, audit trails, documentation and reporting reliability.
• Lead the modernization, automation and continuous improvement of financial systems and processes to improve operational efficiency, accuracy, reliability and scalability.

Internal Controls Risk and Compliance

• Oversee the SA’s financial operations and compliance with applicable federal, provincial, statutory and organizational requirements, including payroll-related obligations, HST and remittances, and maintain continuous audit readiness while leading the year-end audit process.
• Design, implement and maintain effective internal financial controls and appropriate segregation of duties, ensure compliance with Board policies and executive limitations, and identify and recommend mitigation strategies for enterprise financial risks.

Strategic Finance and Executive Support

• Serve as a strategic financial partner to the General Manager and CEO, Senior Management and Board of Directors by providing clear, decision-ready financial analysis and advice and translating complex financial information for non-financial leaders.
• Provide financial leadership for organizational strategy, operational planning, capital allocation, business cases, major investments and the evaluation of new services, programs and business opportunities.

People Leadership and Department Management

• Lead, coach and develop Finance employees by establishing clear priorities, accountabilities, performance expectations and effective workflows, and ensuring departmental staffing and capabilities evolve with the SA’s operational complexity and technological requirements.

Governance Insurance and External Relations

• Evaluate and recommend appropriate organizational insurance coverage, manage related policies and maintain effective working relationships with financial institutions, insurers, external auditors, financial-system vendors, service providers and Algonquin College finance counterparts.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the General Manager and CEO or designate.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Financial Leadership
• Financial Systems and ERP Expertise
• Risk Management and Internal Controls
• Data Integrity and Governance
• Executive Judgment and Decision-Making
• Planning, Analysis, and Forecasting
• Coaching and Team Management
• Ethics, Integrity, and Accountability
• Clear and Effective Communication

Education, Skills & Experience

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Accounting, Finance, Commerce, or a related discipline.
• Minimum five (5) years of progressive senior financial management experience, with accountability for budgeting, forecasting, audit coordination, and internal controls.
• Demonstrated expertise with ERP (such as SAGE) and payroll systems (such as Deputy), including configuration, reporting, controls, and system optimization.
• Proven experience leading financial reporting, compliance, and statutory remittances in a complex organizational environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and financial analysis, including variance analysis, forecasting, and scenario modeling.
• Strong understanding of internal control frameworks, audit requirements, and financial governance.
• Ability to translate complex financial information into clear, actionable insights for executive and non-financial leaders.

Preferred

• Experience leading or supporting ERP implementations, upgrades, or system integrations.
• Experience supporting a student association, not-for-profit, post-secondary institution, or similarly governed organization
• Demonstrated experience supporting executive leadership and Board-level financial reporting.

We will begin reviewing applications as they are received and may schedule interviews with qualified candidates throughout the recruitment process. The position will remain open until filled.