Chief Financial Officer – York Region Children’s Aid Society

ABOUT THE YORK REGION CHILDREN’S AID SOCIETY

The York Region Children’s Aid Society (YRCAS) is a non-profit community organization legally mandated to ensure the well-being, best interests and protection of children and youth from abuse and neglect.

As a leader within the child welfare sector, we partner with parents, caregivers, and the community to provide a safe environment for children and youth, through equitable, culturally aligned services.

Comprised of interdisciplinary teams of diverse professionals who push boundaries in support of family centered care, we engage with children and families for a stronger, healthier community within the York Region.

YRCAS is fully committed to a culture of belonging and an inclusive environment that encourages every team member to lead within their role and generate innovative ideas that reinforce our mission and goal to create a healthy workplace and community where children youth and family well-being is prioritized.

ABOUT THE ROLE

To support us on our journey, YRCAS seeks a person with inclusive leadership and entrepreneurship skills to join our executive management team.

This position will guide the strategic vision and operational deliverables of the Chief Financial Officer to continue to strengthen our agency’s financial and operational sustainability efforts related to the child welfare mandate.

We seek a visionary leader with a track record of managing high-performing teams in finance, payroll, information technology, and facilities.

The successful incumbent’s empowering leadership and mentorship skills will motivate a team to achieve results while also fostering collaboration, innovation, financial risk management and sustainability.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a key member of the senior leadership team (SLT), the successful incumbent will lead the organization’s Finance and Corporate Services functions and provide operational and program support to the Society.

The CFO is responsible for the financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and controllership of the Society’s financial resources.

This includes Society’s accounting, payroll processing, auditing and risk. In addition, this position oversees the Society’s information and telecommunication technology, property and facilities management and shared services functions.

This visionary leader will also be responsible for strategically designing, integrating and unifying a variety of shared service opportunities the Society can offer external stakeholders and identified community-based partners using deliberate entrepreneurship approaches to broaden sustainable service-based opportunities and program funding initiatives for the Society.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Finance Accounting and Payroll:

Provide strategic direction to the Finance, Accounting and Payroll teams, ensuring they have the resources and support needed to excel. Specifically, provide leadership and support to the teams as they work to:

• Formulate corporate tools, policies on accounting, cost control, and systems to support critical financial and operational information for senior leadership and decision-making.
• Develop the annual financial planning process, maintain the annual operational budgets, and assess agency performance against both the annual budget and the Society’s long-term strategic plan.
• Interpret government guidelines for budget preparation and fiscal reporting to the Ministry, direct the preparation of period and annual financial reports required by statute, by the Board of Directors, by the Ministry and/or other stakeholders, approving all statements and reports before submission, analyze and make recommendations regarding strategies and tactical plans for management of the Society’s operating budgets.
• Engage the SLT, the Finance Committee of the Board (and other board committees) around issues, trends, and changes in the funding model(s), provincial activities, and operational impacts.
• Advise and assist the CEO and other SLT members in applying business procedures for controlling costs and expenditures and drawing attention to material deviations of actual expenditures from the approved budget and any extraordinary specific financial activity.
• Administer all aspects of special funds privately held by the Society, including communications with external sources.
• Oversee payroll to ensure bi-weekly payroll process and annual and year-end statutory reporting requirements.
• Ensure processes and practices are in place for the accuracy and completion of payroll payments to all staff per the collective agreement and employment standards.

Information and Telecommunication Technology:

Oversee the Information Technology Team and specifically:

• Lead the planning and implementation of information systems to support operations and achieve more effective and cost-beneficial enterprise-wide Information Services operations. This includes the purchase/leasing of equipment, software, network services, printers, and other needed equipment.
• Ensure protocols and practices are in place to safeguard and secure technology access including advice on the system’s design and cybersecurity measures.
• Maintain a broad knowledge of the system activities and challenges within Information Services and support those activities.

Property and Facilities Management:

Provide strategic direction to the facilities team, ensuring they have the resources and support needed to excel. Specifically, provide leadership to:

• Arrange for appropriate property/building maintenance, repairs, and applicable renovations.
• Negotiate/review mortgage requirements, new leases, or lease renewals in line with the Society’s long-term plan.
• Appropriately maintain premises security requirements and ensure compliance with building code requirements.

Society Shared Services:

To provide strategic direction to:

• Design, integrate and unify a variety of shared service opportunities the Society can offer to external stakeholders and identified community-based partners.
• In collaboration with the SLT, develop and implement service level agreements with identified key external stakeholders and community partners to provide operational resource support such as payroll, accounting, legal, human resources and data analytic service offerings to enhance program funding initiatives for the Society.

Other:

Oversee other functions and/or projects that may be assigned that support the Society’s long-term plan.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE

• Professional knowledge of finance, accounting, payroll, it, facilities, and procurement practices.
• Fundamental understanding of shared services strategies and practices.
• Extensive problem-solving skills and abilities within the finance and corporate services environment regarding multi-faceted issues on a wide range of public sector funding challenges and opportunities
• Proficient in contract negotiating and strategies.
• Effective written and verbal communication including maintaining professional communications in difficult circumstances.
• Excellent critical thinking, decision-making, and time management skills.
• Listening skills with the ability to discern non-verbal communication cues.
• Able to work to deadlines and respond effectively to frequently changing deadlines.
• The ability to effectively support and inspire a diverse team of professionals.
• Ability to forecast, develop, and manage budgets and track expenditures.
• Commit to actively upholding and consistently practicing personal diversity, inclusion, cultural awareness, and safety and sensitivity approaches in the workplace.
• Experience in the child welfare sector is considered a plus.
• Bilingualism preferred.

QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited educational institution coupled with a professional accounting designation that is in good standing as recognized within the Province of Ontario.
• A minimum of 10 years of related experience, preferably within a related broader public sector not-for-profit/human services field.
• Demonstrated experience leading interdisciplinary high-performing and diverse teams within a unionized environment.
• Demonstrated experience in labour relations, collective bargaining, and procurement procedures in various not-for-profit, complex, unionized environments where multi-faceted stakeholder considerations for decision making are required.
• A combination of recent and relevant education and/or experience combined with a relevant professional designation will be considered.

WHY WORK FOR YRCAS?

• Hybrid working model (working virtual and in person)
• Casual dress code
• Employer paid group insurance and health and dental benefit
• Four weeks of vacation accrued per calendar year
• Five float days per calendar year
• One day off every three weeks during the winter months
• Shortened summer hours
• OMERS Pension, with employer and employee sharing premiums equally
• Mileage reimbursement
• Enhanced wellness initiatives with virtual fitness classes

We appreciate all applications received. All communications will be held in strict and professional confidence. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. We thank all applicants for their submissions. 

Employment at York Region Children’s Aid Society is conditional upon the verification of credentials, a satisfactory vulnerable sector check, a class “G” driver’s license with daily access to an insured vehicle, and proof of COVID-19 vaccination (two doses required), as per YRCAS’ Mandatory COVID-19 policy.

York CAS cares about the health and safety of their employees and closely follows the Public Health Guidelines and Recommendations. The mandatory vaccination requirement as it relates to employment is currently suspended.

Should the mandatory vaccination requirement be reinstated, the successful candidate will be required to comply with YRCAS’ Mandatory COVID-19 policy (providing proof of COVID-19 vaccination-2 doses required).

ANTI-OPPRESSION/ANTI-RACISM AT YORK REGION CHILDREN’S AID SOCIETY

YRCAS is committed to having a workforce that reflects the diversity of York Region and strongly encourages application from all qualified individuals, especially those who can provide different perspectives and contribute to a further diversification of ideas. 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

York Region Children’s Aid Society is committed to employment equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and fostering equity, diversity and inclusion in recruitment practices is a key aspect of the search process.

The current posting is in search of candidates who identified from the following equity-seeking groups; women, racialized persons/persons of colour, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, and persons of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

If you are of the aforementioned identities, and feel comfortable making it known, you may choose to self-identify as a member of a designated group.

Any information directly related to you is kept confidential and used in a safe manner to inform our recruitment process towards being an equal opportunity employer.

ACCOMMODATION AT YRCAS

We are committed to a selection process and work environment that is inclusive and barrier-free. Accommodation will be provided per the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Applicants who may require accommodation during the selection process are encouraged to notify the Human Resources Department when contacted for an interview.

Human Resources will work together with the hiring committee to arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodation for the selection process, which will enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner.

HOW TO APPLY

To express interest in this exciting opportunity, email your cover letter and resume by September 24, 2024 to:
Kelly Cline, Consultant
Email: kcline@feldmandaxon.com