DEPARTMENT: Finance
POSITION TYPE: Full Time (35 hours per week), Permanent. Some weekends and evenings required a few times during the year as it relates to grants adjudication, committee, and Board meetings.
REPORTS TO (TITLE): Director of Finance
LOCATION: Our office is in downtown Vancouver; however, we provide the option to work remotely from anywhere in BC.
ACCESSIBILITY: Current office is located on the 15th floor of a building with elevator access and accessible, gender-neutral washrooms and additional accessibility considerations.
SALARY: $135,828 to $173,558 based on experience (we expect someone new to the Foundation to start at the lower end of this range)
POSTING DATE: August 25, 2023
CLOSING DATE: Until filled
ABOUT THE LAW FOUNDATION OF BC
The Law Foundation of British Columbia (the Foundation) invests in work that empowers people and strengthens communities, aimed at creating a future where systems of law and justice support all people to live and thrive in dignity.
The Foundation makes grants using funds arising from the interest paid on lawyers’ pooled trust accounts and other sources.
Through its funding, the Foundation supports many programs and services that seek to promote justice for people at both an individual and systemic level. This includes funding targeted at racial justice initiatives, supporting a network of advocacy and legal aid services, providing educational opportunities, and supporting access to legal information, to name a few.
A significant focus of the Foundation’s work is to provide funding support for Indigenous peoples’ work on justice initiatives, as prioritized by Indigenous communities, whether involving Canadian law or Indigenous legal orders.
Working at the Foundation means joining a team of passionate, hard-working professionals. We are committed to building and supporting an inclusive and respectful working environment, where all employees are valued for their contributions to our mission.
We offer a comprehensive benefits program, which includes:
- generous extended health and dental coverage for employees, their spouses and dependents
- 3 weeks annual vacation as a base, and late December office closure
- family friendly workplace policies, parental leave top-ups, life insurance plan, and a workplace culture with an overarching emphasis on wellness and work life balance
- RRSP contribution of 6% of salary without matching requirement
- wellness spending account for each employee
- generous care days (sick leave) entitlement
- flexible work arrangements
- relevant professional fees and memberships covered
- training and professional development opportunities
In its hiring practices, the Foundation strongly encourages applications from members of communities that are marginalized or that experience structural discrimination including those identifying as Indigenous, people of colour, members of non-dominant ethnic, religious, linguistic, and/or cultural groups, women, (im)migrants/newcomers, people with (dis)abilities, and LGBTQ2S+ people. The Foundation believes that a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve strengthens our ability to achieve our mission.
To learn more about what we do, please visit www.lawfoundationbc.org.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Assistant Controller will join a dynamic team that is developing innovative solutions to difficult access to justice challenges in support of a future where systems of law and justice support all people to live and thrive in dignity.
Reporting to the Director of Finance, the Assistant Controller plays a critical role within the Foundation, reviewing accounting transactions, maintaining financial records, analyzing data, and supporting the preparation of financial reports. The ideal candidate for this role is passionate about the Foundation’s values, possesses in-depth knowledge of accounting principles, and is committed to maintaining high standards of reporting and analysis.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
- Month-end Close Process: Coordinate and oversee the month-end closing process, ensuring that all necessary financial activities are completed accurately and on time.
- Journal Entries and Account Reconciliations: Review and approve working papers, journal entries, and account reconciliations prepared by the accounting team. Perform detailed monthly review of the trial balance and general ledger. Ensure that all reconciling items and discrepancies are properly addressed and resolved.
- Accounting for Complex Areas: Complete accounting working papers and prepare journal entries for areas of complex accounting.
- Financial Reporting: Lead the preparation and review of periodic financial reports. Verify the accuracy of financial data and make necessary adjustments. Provide regular financial reports to senior management, highlighting key trends, variances, and financial performance indicators.
- Accruals and Deferrals: Monitor and review accruals and deferrals to ensure proper recognition of revenue, expenses, and prepayments.
- Variance Analysis: Support the accounting team in performing in-depth analysis of month-end variances between actual results and budgeted/forecasted amounts, providing explanations for items of significance.
- Cash Flow Analysis: Assist with and review cash flow analyses and forecasts.
- Budgeting & Forecasting: Support the accounting team and work cross-functionally to update the Foundation’s forecasts and rolling budget, ensuring forecasts are adequately supported and incorporate all available information provided by the Foundation’s programs and operations teams.
- Internal Controls: Carry out internal controls and ensure that controls are executed completely and on time. Assist with review of the annual internal controls assessment and updating the Risks & Controls Matrix.
- Accounting Policies: Ensure accounting policies are complete and current, and are adhered to.
- Accounting Systems and Processes: Continuously evaluate and improve the month-end closing process, including the utilization of financial systems and tools. Identify opportunities to streamline processes, automate tasks, and enhance data accuracy and integrity.
- Audit Support: Collaborate with internal and external auditors during the audit process. Provide requested documentation, explanations, and supporting schedules to facilitate a smooth audit.
- Relationship Management: Collaborate with various internal and external contacts, including senior management, cross-functional teammates, and external parties such as auditors, tax advisors, and regulatory authorities. Build strong relationships and ensure effective communication to meet financial objectives.
Note: This job may require additional responsibilities and duties as assigned by the Law Foundation of British Columbia
DESIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
The Assistant Controller requires the following (or equivalent) professional qualifications:
- A Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.
- At least 6 years of relevant work experience, with at least 3 years in a supervisory capacity.
- Experience with a variety of accounting software and ERP systems.
- Strong understanding of accounting principles, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & CORE COMPETENCIES
The Assistant Controller would benefit from the following skills, abilities, and attributes:
- An adaptable, process-oriented, data-driven mindset, with experience in and an affinity for continuous improvement while always keeping the organization’s mission top of mind.
- Excellent people skills, with experience collaborating in a multidisciplinary, diverse, and dynamic team and a strong ability to develop and maintain relationships internally and externally.
- Ability to exercise tact, good judgement and discretion and work independently in a remote team environment.
- Enthusiasm to commit to the Law Foundation’s vision, mission, and values of reciprocity, equity, decolonization, sustainability and supporting change.
- Excellent written and oral communications skills.
- Thoughtful and reflexive approach to individual social location, power and privilege, with a strong understanding of personal strengths and areas for growth.
- Skilled in leading, planning, coordinating, and managing complex projects and work assignments.
- Ability to co-create a culturally safe working environment that is inclusive of diverse intersecting identities.
- Fluency and comfort with software and programs used in our work, including Microsoft Office 365, Teams, Zoom and strong aptitude to master other relevant workplace software and social media applications.
All staff at the Foundation require a strong understanding of and ability to maintain confidentiality and our compliance with privacy legislation. They must also be committed to the Foundation’s mandate and the core values of reciprocity, equity, decolonization, sustainability, and transformation.
Please do not be discouraged from applying if you do not possess the precise combination of all of the skills, attributes, qualifications and experience listed above. Furthermore, if your lived experience provides you with a foundation that is equivalent to the work experience listed, you are encouraged to describe that in your application.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please submit the following through this application portal:
- Cover letter (upload as PDF)
- Three references who can speak to your skills and experience (whether paid or unpaid). Please enter these directly into the provided fields in the portal. The Law Foundation may request that a candidate provide supplemental references if required. We will not contact these references without providing you notice, and not until a later stage of the hiring process.
Interviews will be conducted by Foundation staff by video. The Foundation will make appropriate accommodations, if needed, for candidates that we interview.
By submitting your application, you certify that all information submitted is true, complete and correct. Any information provided in your application, any assessment documents or processes and/or an interview that is found to be false or misrepresented in any respect, may eliminate you from further consideration for employment or may result in dismissal.
We acknowledge that the Foundation’s main office is located in Vancouver on the shared lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and conducts its work throughout the homelands of Indigenous peoples across the place we now call British Columbia. The Law Foundation of BC is committed to supporting a just and meaningful reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and others in these lands.
If you are interested in applying and have questions about the process, please contact Britt Mayne at [email protected].
