Ready to lead a finance transformation that directly fuels a mission changing lives across Vancouver?
The Director of Finance is a critical leadership role responsible for the integrity, accuracy, and reliability of the organization's financial operations, spanning accounting, compliance and audit, financial systems, budgeting and forecasting, and business partnership, while also driving the next phase of our finance function modernization. This role carries the full scope of the controllership combined with the people leadership, change management, and process redesign work needed to build a stronger, more efficient finance operation. This is a hands-on leadership position to run a clean, compliant, and well-controlled finance operation, while building the systems, processes, and team capability that will free the organization's finance function to focus on strategic, forward-looking work in the years ahead.
This is a permanent, full-time (37.5 hours per week) position. The starting range for this position is $106,470 to $116,337 per annum.
Who We Are
Demonstrating the love of Christ, UGM feeds hope and changes lives through a faith-based continuum of care. We are a proud member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities and have earned the Best Christian Workplace award again in 2021. We provide competitive salaries, generous vacation and sick leave, an RRSP matching program, as well as the potential for educational assistance and flexible work arrangements. In addition, our extensive benefits plan is fully employer-paid and includes extended dental and medical, as well as $4,500 per year in pooled paramedical expenses. A focus on employee resilience, support for professional development, engagement in meaningful work, and a fun and caring environment are all part of being a member of the UGM team. If you are someone who desires to learn and grow, has a passion to serve and make a difference, and connects with others with both humility and humour, then you will be a great fit at UGM.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
Financial Stewardship, Reporting, Compliance & Audit:
- Own the full accounting cycle including but not limited to accounts receivable, revenue recognition, accounts payable, payments, cash management, petty cash, inventory, fund accounting, capital assets, inter-entity accounting, and financial reporting.
- Maintain and strengthen internal controls, relevant policies, procedures, accounting standards, and regulations, and ensure timely month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close, including reconciliations, working papers, allocations, consolidation, and financial analysis.
- Own the integrity of all financial records across all legal entities, funds, and projects.
- Oversee restricted and unrestricted fund accounting to ensure accurate donor/grant fund tracking.
- Provide consolidated and non-consolidated financial information, financial statements, dashboards, and management reporting on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis for budget managers, executives, the Finance Committee, and the Board.
- Lead all taxation matters and external reporting to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), BC Housing, BC Gaming, regulators, grantors, funders, and other stakeholders.
- Plan and lead the annual audit process, including working papers, schedules, auditor liaison, and resolution of findings.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for auditors, funders, and regulatory bodies on financial and compliance matters.
- Ensure full compliance with ASNPO, CRA charitable regulations, funder restrictions, BC Housing agreements, and other external stakeholders' requirements.
- Ensure timely and accurate completion of statutory filings, grant/funder financial reporting, and other compliance requirements.
- Manage multi-entity financial consolidation, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all entities.
Financial System, Data Infrastructure, Planning & Forecasting:
- Lead the execution of the annual budget, rolling forecast, and long-term financial planning processes across all departments and programs, in partnership with the Vice President, Finance & Operations, who sets the organization's overall financial strategy.
- Develop financial models, scenario analysis, capital plans, and sensitivity analysis to support strategic investments, growth initiatives, housing projects, and funding decisions.
- Provide clear financial insight on key drivers, risks, and opportunities to leadership and budget owners.
- Translate the strategic direction set by the Vice President, Finance & Operations into actionable, well-structured financial plans, challenging assumptions and ensuring execution stays aligned with sustainability goals.
- Serve as the power user for NetSuite, financial architecture, and data integrity — ensuring strong controls, automation, and reliable reporting — and proactively improve the ERP system's backend, leveraging updated and new technologies for continuous enhancement.
Change Management & Finance Process Redesign:
- Lead the execution of the finance function modernization roadmap, translating strategic priorities into concrete operational change.
- Identify, prioritize, and redesign manual or inefficient accounting processes to reduce touchpoints, improve accuracy, and shorten close timelines.
- Provide regular feedback to the Vice President, Finance & Operations on the progress, impact, and challenges of process changes, adjusting the approach as needed.
- Lead the team through change with clear communication, structured training, and hands-on support — minimizing disruption to daily operations.
- Champion a culture of continuous improvement within the finance function.
Business Partnership and Organizational Leadership:
- Act as a trusted partner to the Vice President, Finance & Operations, providing reliable financial information and operational insight to support organizational decision-making.
- Collaborate closely with cross functional departments to ensure accurate financial and to support all departmental leaders, utilizing enhanced communication skills to build relationships and acquire necessary information and data to achieve functional goals.
- Translate complex financial data into clear, actionable insights for non-financial leaders.
- Support a customer-service oriented finance culture that enables mission delivery.
- As the finance function matures and stabilizes, opportunity to grow into a broader strategic finance leadership role alongside the Vice President, Finance & Operations.
People & Team Leadership:
- Lead, coach, and develop the Finance team, including Senior Accountants, Senior Analysts, Accountants, Financial Analyst, and Financial System.
- Build team capability and depth to support both current finance operations and future strategic finance work.
- Set clear performance expectations, provide regular feedback, and support career development within the team.
- Promote open communication and collaborative efforts within the Department and UGM as a whole, aligning with the organization's mission, core values, and strategic plan.
- Lead and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of excellence, business partnerships, collaboration, and continuous learning.
General:
- Uphold financial security by following internal control procedures.
- Adhere to all UGM published policies, practices, and procedures, including Occupational Health and Safety.
- Perform other duties and special project as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- CPA designation or equivalent required. MBA would be an asset.
- 7+ years of progressive experience in finance, including significant experience within the nonprofit or charitable sector.
- Strong working experience and knowledge with grant/restricted fund accounting and the deferral method.
- Power-user level experience with NetSuite or another complex ERP system, with strong logical understanding of data flow and finance processes.
- Experience managing multi-entity accounting and consolidation.
- Proven experience planning and leading external audits from start to finish.
- Strong knowledge of and experience with Not for Profit and CRA charities regulations and reporting.
- Minimum 10 direct/indirect reports managed in a prior role, with demonstrated success in team leadership and development.
- Strong interpersonal and written & verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to work with cross-functional teams/departments.
- Execution-focused leader who translates strategic direction into clear, actionable financial plans, with strong attention to detail.
- Proficiency in English skills (reading, writing and verbal).
Working Conditions
Work is generally performed indoors within an office environment, with standard office equipment available.
Work is generally sedentary in nature, but may require standing, walking or reaching for up to 10% of the time. Employee is required to look at a computer screen and use a keyboard for up to 90% of the time.
Working environment is generally favorable. Lighting and temperature are adequate. Work is performed amid normal conditions of dust, odors, fumes, and noises. Employee is required to work with large sums of cash. Work is deadline driven. Work is cyclical and at times there will be large volumes of work to complete.
Some weekend or evening work may be required. Moderate overtime may be required.
Hazards are considered minor and controllable.
Due to the nature of the job, and our commitment to a safe environment, the candidate is subject to a criminal record check.
