Vice-President Finance
Division: Commissionaires Southern Alberta
Department: Finance Department
Direct Reports: Accounting Supervisor, Payroll Supervisor and Contracts Supervisor
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Location: Commissionaire HQ, Calgary, AB
Organization
The Canadian Corps of Commissionaires is Canada’s only national not-for-profit security provider and the largest private sector employer of veterans. Comprised of 15 independently operated divisions across the country, the Commissionaires share a common mandate to provide meaningful employment that meets the needs of veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, their families and others who wish to contribute to the security and well-being of Canadians. The Commissionaires have a long history of service, dedication, and professionalism, with origins dating back to 1859 in the UK, 1925 in Canada, and 1939 in Alberta. The Commissionaires were originally formed to provide meaningful employment to veterans, and they continue that function with their strong partnership with the Canadian Armed Forces as well as with the RCMP. Additionally, to serve the growing demand for exceptional personal and security services, the Commissionaires also hire civilians whose work ethic and values match those of the organization.
Commissionaires Southern Alberta is responsible for providing professional security services for Calgary, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine hat and Suffield. We have protected people and property for public and private sector clients from coast to coast for 100-years.
Mandate
As a key member of the Executive Management team, the VP Finance is integral to the Division’s success in support of its mission, vision, and goals of the organization. The VP Finance leads the Finance Department, manages, and oversees all financial affairs of the Division, and maximizes the return on financial assets by establishing financial policies, procedures, controls, strategic risk management, and reporting systems.
Key Accountabilities
Strategic, Financial & Operational Management
- Guide financial decisions by identifying, establishing, monitoring, and enforcing policies and procedures.
- Protect assets by enforcing and monitoring internal controls.
- Direct preparation of budgets, reviews budget proposals and prepares necessary supporting documentation and justification.
- Achieve budget objectives by scheduling expenditures and analyzing variances.
- Compile, analyze, and summarize data and trends to create comprehensive reports. This may include forecasting the Division’s financial positions and business activities based on past, present, and projected operations.
- Oversee infrastructure and asset management. Manage assets over their full life cycle, considering both the current and future needs of the Division, including the determination of depreciation rates to apply to capital assets.
- Lead the management, development, performance, and continuous improvement of the agency’s property portfolio, capital projects, and infrastructure services.
- Review financial accounting and fiscal performance standards to ensure they are maintained in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), audit requirements and federal, provincial, and not-for-profit organization financial regulations.
- Advise CEO on desirable operational adjustments due to tax code revisions.
- Optimize the handling of banking relationships and initiate appropriate strategies to enhance cash positions.
- Advise management about insurance coverage for protection against property losses and potential liabilities.
- Monitor financial performance by measuring and analyzing results, initiating corrective actions, and minimizing the impact of variances.
- Oversee and arrange the Division’s annual external audit.
- Develop tools and systems to provide critical financial and operational information to the CEO and make recommendations on both strategy and operations.
- Provide executive management with advice on the financial implications of business activities.
- Support the assessment of new initiatives and proposals for financial, tax, GST, covenant, and other regulatory impacts. Advise and recommend changes in operations to ensure continued fiscal health of the organization.
- Prepare reports required by regulatory agencies and department reports as required for the CEO.
- Prepare and/or delivers reports to the Board as directed by the CEO.
- Establish relations with banks and other financial institutions.
- Liaise with the employee benefits provider and oversee the administration of the employee benefits program as it relates to the responsibilities of the Finance Department.
- Monitor A/R, A/P, and payroll.
- Collaborate with National Staff on the development and management of national level contracts.
- Participate in the Federation Financial Working Group and collaborate with Federation peers on projects or initiatives.
Leadership
- Engage others to accomplish organizational goals and strategies, with a commitment to succession planning and the ability to develop and empower direct and indirect reports.
- Provide mentoring support to members of the finance department as well as senior leaders throughout the Division.
- Build and foster a cohesive team while creating a positive culture and productive work environment that attracts and retains top talent.
- Responsible for recruitment, training, performance development and supervision of the Finance team.
- Exercise a high degree of integrity and sound judgement while demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and treating others with respect and empathy.
- Collaborate with peers across the Federation and consider strategic opportunities and implications for the Division in support of the greater Federation.
Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will have the following:
Education
College or University Business degree.
CPA designation required.
Experience
· Minimum 10 years’ experience in progressively responsible financial leadership roles with at least five years of broad financial experience, including gathering and evaluating financial information, and making actionable recommendations to executive leaders.
· The ability to transform a strategic vision into an operational model, and the ability to forecast and think strategically and proactively about all financial aspects of the organization.
· Demonstrate leadership courage; appropriately challenge the status quo, and positively influence others to perform at higher levels.
· Prior experience in an executive level position of a large organization is a strong asset.
· Experience in the not-for-profit, charitable, or public sectors is preferred, ideally with experience with Canadian Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations.
· This individual requires excellent knowledge of governance, budgeting, business management and accounting standards.
· Possess specific expertise in external financial and regulatory reporting, financial information systems and risk management skills.
· An understanding of TrackTik or similar scheduling systems.
· Highly proficient with financial software, ideally Sage Intacct.
· Skilled in Microsoft Office Applications, with particular emphasis on Excel.
Competencies and Attributes
- The individual demonstrates maturity, self-awareness, and insightfulness, and possesses high ethical standards and an uncompromising sense of integrity.
- Consistently deliver high-quality, precise work with keen attention to detail.
- Comfortable managing multiple priorities with an ability to remain calm and professional under pressure, effectively managing stress.
- Ability to effectively lead and motivate people.
- Trustworthy, reliable, and sincere with great integrity.
- Possess strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Action oriented and agile with an ability to translate broad goals into achievable action plans.
- Technically proficient and future focused with an innovative mindset.
- Prior service in the military or law enforcement would be an asset but is not a firm requirement.
- Desire to contribute to a not-for-profit organization, support community initiatives and make a difference.
First Year Deliverables/Measure of Success
Success in the first year will be determined by the candidate’s ability to:
- Gain a solid understanding of the complex nature of the organization, including its size, scope, and scale, and how this role and team impacts that complexity and operational responsibilities of the Division.
- Build positive and trusted relationships with the Executive Management Team, the Board of Directors, the Finance team, as well as external stakeholders and partners.
- Make measurable strides in identifying potential process and continuous improvements with a move toward implementation.
- Drive organizational cultures and values that align and support the performance of the Division.
- Assess, and refine where necessary, the structure and skills of the current Finance team.
With a March 31 year end, concurrently learn and lead through an annual audit cycle.
Compensation
An excellent compensation package awaits the successful candidate.
Equal Opportunity
The Commissionaires Southern Alberta Division is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognizes that a diverse team benefits and is essential to service excellence. The Commissionaires Southern Alberta Division welcomes applications from all qualified individuals and encourage women, members of racialized communities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity to confidentially self-identify at time of application. In accordance with the provincial legislation, accommodation will be provided by the Commissionaires Southern Alberta Division throughout the recruitment, selection, and/or assessment process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.
