Financial Director

At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo.  We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great doesn’t it? It is! 

We are searching for a strategic, community minded individual with a heart for authentic and purposeful relationships, and a keen ability to deliver on results, to join our team as Finance Director. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Financial Director will provide strategic leadership and direction to the organization with a focus on financial health, compliance and risk, and lead all activities and accountabilities of the Finance department, information technology and compliance. This role participates as a member of the Organizational Leadership Team and as such has a shared organizational responsibility to work effectively as a member of the team and develop and carry out House of Friendship’s Strategic and Annual Plans. The ideal candidate will possess broad finance leadership experience, including experience working with funders along with very strong leadership, team building and decision-making skills. This role will have a particular focus on the “Organizational Health” aspect of the House of Friendship Strategic Plan – Building Health, Building Belonging. 

** This is a permanent, salaried, full-time (37.5 hours per week) position with paid sick time, personal days, vacation time; group health benefits and defined contribution pension plan.

Schedule generally weekday, daytime hours. Flexibility required including infrequent evening hours to support House of Friendship and community events.

Valid G class driver’s license and access to a personal vehicle are required for frequent travel throughout Waterloo Region. **

Key Responsibilities –

• Member of the Organizational Leadership Team:

·        Effectively lead, collaborate and contribute to the development and achievement of the organizational Strategic and Annual Plans

·        Responsible for the healthy and safe operation of the programs, ensuring a physically and psychologically healthy work environment for all team members

·        Responsible for all aspects of department’s planning and operations including strategy development, operational reviews, budget management, resource allocation, team growth and development and productive internal and external relationships

·        Build and maintain strategic and collaborative relationships with donors, funders, partners, community leaders and agencies, as well as colleagues, to increase opportunities for innovation and positively impact outcomes

·        Identify, create and support opportunities to grow financial support for our mission, and manage all aspects of the department’s financial functions

·        Attend leadership and management team meetings and actively participate as a team member

·        Provide ongoing education and training to build financial literacy and support solid financial decision-making among the Organizational Leadership Team

·        Represent House of Friendship at applicable community/partner/funder meetings and forums, bringing relevant issues and solutions to the conversation

• Role Specific:

·        Effectively lead, develop and support a team of finance and information technology professionals

·        Provide strategic leadership oversight and direction in the management of General Accounting, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Materials Management, Purchasing and Payroll functions and processes

·        Treasurer of the Board

·        Attend and present at our Board meetings and play a key role on the Board Finance Committee

·        Lead the budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, reporting and record-keeping processes of the organization including analyzing financial position, performance and risks to align with organizational goals

·        Ensure timely and accurate financial statements, reports, and dashboards for internal stakeholders and external regulatory requirements

·        Oversee cost-control initiatives and contribute to efficiency improvements in operations

·        Maintain and enhance internal controls including identifying, evaluating, and mitigating financial and operational risks and ensuring adherence to financial regulations and corporate governance standards to protect the company’s financial position

·        Responsible for reviewing and administration of contracts (i.e. funder agreements), securing mortgages/leases, managing insurance renewal and claims

·        Management of investments and cash flow, bequests, grant and government funding applications and liaison with external legal

·        Collaborate with cross-functional teams to provide financial insights that drive operational performance

·        Optimize and oversee the implementation of financial systems and processes to improve accuracy, efficiency, and reporting capabilities

·        Oversee all audit and internal control operations

·        Responsible to oversee the development and support of information technology across the agency

·        Represent House of Friendship at various community forums; bringing relevant issues and solutions to the conversation

·        Support and promote the mission of House of Friendship and positively represent the agency to our constituencies and the community

Job Specific Knowledge/Skills:

·        Knowledge of federal and provincial legislation affecting charities

·        Proven skills in strategic thinking, influence and negotiation, as well as a demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain productive partner relations

·        Demonstrated skill in building and maintaining productive relationships with a variety of constituents including staff, donors, volunteers, community leaders, partners and media

·        Ability to balance creativity and innovation with process orientation for planning and execution

Education/Experience:

·        Undergraduate degree in management/administration, accounting or commerce

·        Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation (or equivalent) is required

·        5 years of broad finance experience, including implementing accounting processes and controls, gathering, evaluating and reporting financial information and making actionable recommendations to leadership teams

·        Experience working with funders

·        Very strong leadership, team building and decision-making skills required including demonstrated strength in coaching and developing people and teams with at least 3 years previous experience leading a team

·        Experience in financial planning, analysis and reporting in a multi service agency including budget preparation, forecasting and program performance analysis

·        Experience/knowledge in Payroll and Administration best practices preferred

·        Experience working with MS Office, Financial Edge, SharePoint and Raiser’s Edge preferred

·        Experience identifying and implementing digital tools to grow efficiency and effectiveness of financial reporting, budget and expense access by budget owners

Critical Skills:

·        An authentic, bold and creative leader with a passion for and proven results in leading, coaching and developing people and teams

·        Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to inspire confidence and trust amongst all stakeholders, acting ethically and responsibly in all interactions

·        Strong interpersonal skills and political acumen to cultivate and maintain proactive partner relations

·        Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected

·        Exemplary emotional intelligence, resilience, communication, conflict management and problem-solving skills required

·        Ability to work collaboratively in cross-divisional, cross-departmental and multi-stakeholder teams

·        Excellent project, timeline and deadline management skills including skills in logistics and planning and detailed record keeping

·        Able to handle and prioritize multiple projects, relationships and competing priorities and deliver projects on time in a dynamic environment

·        Able to model effective problem solving by recognizing the human, interpersonal and technical sides of a problem, show flexibility and explore possible solutions in an innovative and creative way

·        Act as a change agent; contributing to continuous improvement and the successful implementation of change initiatives

·        Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a positive work environment including the ability to lead and navigate change in a positive and productive manner

·        Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural and faith background, income levels, lived experience and sensitivity to their needs

·        Strong intercultural competency, with the ability to recognize and respect cultural diversity, able to be diplomatic and sensitive to the dynamics of a culturally diverse workplace

·        Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism, anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach in consultation, program design, evaluation processes and service delivery

·        Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental health and other life challenges

Compensation:

At House of Friendship, we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values, House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair, market competitive, and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive, succeed, and have a positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices including our pay grid, have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not-for-profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network. We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits:

·        Time off includes five (5) weeks of vacation, 5 personal days and sick credits totaling approximately 12 days per year

·        Full-time benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC), Dental, Group Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Long Term Disability (LTD), Flexible Spending Account and Employee & Family Assistance Program

·        We believe strongly in supporting the mental health of our team members, including providing access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, $2,000 for counselling services and our workplace Wellness and Psychological Health and Safety programs

·        We help you save for the future by providing a retirement plan that includes a matched Group Pension Plan as well as a Group RRSP and a Group Tax Free Savings Account

Rate of Pay:

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade: 7

Min: $47.65

Mid: $54.90

Max: $62.16

Working Conditions: 

·        37.5 hours per week; generally daytime, weekday hours

·        Very occasional evening work is required to support House of Friendship and community events

·        Hybrid work environment – work may be performed in a home office for some of the weekly hours

·        Travel throughout Waterloo Region

·        Encountering participants at program sites who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

House of Friendship supports justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive, work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to be an organization that is anti-racist and anti-oppressive so that our team, and therefore our community, can truly belong and thrive.

We invite applications from all qualified candidates and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to accessing employment including, but not limited to Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process, including applying for this position, please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options.  Accommodations will be provided upon request.

If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community, and ready to make a huge impact,

let’s talk.

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter here:

https://house-of-friendship.hirehive.com/financial-director-kitchener-on-q6sZNI

This job posting will remain live until the position is filled.