Head Finance

The Head within Finance is responsible for managing, planning and leading all activities within the purview of their Section. Major responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Manage the activities of the Unit by developing objectives, setting priorities and developing/implementing procedures.
• Supervise and mentor employees to ensure tasks are conducted in an efficient and effective manner. Promote initiative, provide feedback, and manage and evaluate work performance.
• Provide financial management advisory services such as financial resource planning, allocation processes and expenditure reviews by coordinating all financial forecasting and reviews.
• Monitor budget inputs, adjustments and expenses in the corporate financial management system.
• Act as a resource person by providing advice on financial issues to managers and liaising with stakeholders on policy interpretation and financial authority issues.
• Conduct a continuing review and evaluation of the program by recommending annual budget and resource requirements.
• Provide guidance to managers on budgets and planned expenditures and highlight financial risk, as appropriate.
• Ensure ongoing effective communication and working relationships between the unit and other regional and headquarters counterparts.
• Collect and analyze financial and non-financial data from multiple sources to develop and propose solutions/recommendations in support of sound decision-making.
• Participate in internal or external working groups on major financial initiatives

• Undergraduate degree with specialization in accounting, finance, business administration, commerce, management or economics;

OR

• One of the following recognized professional accounting designations: Chartered Accountant (CA), Certified General Accountant (CGA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA) or Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).

The degree must be obtained from an accredited learning institution recognized in Canada. If you completed a program outside of Canada you will be required to obtain proof of a Canadian equivalency at your expense from an accredited learning institution recognized in Canada.

NOTE: Any higher level of education (i.e.: Masters, Doctorate) in a related field of study could be recognized as experience.

Experience at the Level 07 Finance (FI-02 in the Federal Public Service or equivalent outside the Federal Public Service) in at least two (2) of the following areas, for a minimum of 24 months:

• Financial Planning and Analysis
• Corporate Budgeting
• Internal Controls
• Financial Management and Advisory Services
• Financial Policy
• Financial Systems
• Corporate Accounting and Reporting
• Accounting Operations
• A role outside of the Finance which helped develop new experiences and knowledge*

* Your application must clearly demonstrate how your experience outside Finance will be leveraged as a Head Finance.

Candidates must also possess:

• Experience in providing advice and making recommendations used by senior management to inform decisions.
• Experience writing briefing materials or reports and delivering presentations for managers.
• Experience in a formal** or informal*** supervisory role.

**Formal supervision entails the day to day planning, organizing, directing, controlling and performance of the work of others (team) in achieving / attaining results within an organization. These skills may have been acquired through work experiences within the Service or outside. 

Tasks include:

• Developing strategies to support activities within the organisation and helping the team understand the goals / objectives.
• Encouraging participation, developing talent, setting objectives and providing performance feedback to employee
• Identifying issues and resolving workplace problems such as absenteeism, conflict.
• Scheduling work hours

***Informal supervision: for this criterion, we are looking for experience related to the skills required to perform the functions, and not necessarily formal “supervisory” experience.  Depending on the number of employees to be supervised, this may involve various degrees of experience in planning, coordination, control and leadership of human resources.  These skills may have been acquired through both work-related and other experiences, including volunteer work, as a supervisor or not.

An asset qualification is a qualification which can enhance the ability to perform the work based on current and future business requirements, but which is not strictly required. Assets can help determine right fit.

• Experience liaising with Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), Department of Finance, or Privy Council Office.
• Experience developing costing models.
• Experience developing or playing a challenge function on Cabinet documents (TBS Submissions, Memorandum to Cabinet, Federal Budget Submission).
• Experience providing financial support and advice for an operational program.
• Experience in implementing or leading changes.
• Additional experience at the Level 07 Finance (FI-02 in the Federal Public Service or equivalent outside the Federal Public Service) in any of the following areas:
  • Financial Planning and Analysis
  • Corporate Budgeting
  • Internal Controls
  • Financial Management and Advisory Services
  • Financial Policy
  • Financial Systems
  • Corporate Accounting and Reporting
  • Accounting Operations

• Create Vision and Strategy
• Mobilize People
• Uphold Integrity and Respect
• Collaborate with Partners and Stakeholders
• Promote Innovation and Guide Change
• Achieve Results 

While we continue to explore opportunities for flexible work arrangements, the majority of work in our organization must be done in the office and cannot be performed at home.

Language requirements
The need is to staff positions with various linguistic profiles such as Bilingual Imperative (BI) BBB/BBB and English Essential (EE). We encourage all interested candidates to apply.

A written exam will be used as part of the overall assessment combined with the competency based interview.