Summary

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Finance & Operations leader and strategic thought-partner to join our team. As the National Director, Finance & Operations, you are a key partner to the National CEO, responsible for Finance, Administration, and Operations.

Description

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender diverse people, promoting equity, and creating positive change in communities across Canada? We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Finance & Operations leader and strategic thought-partner to join our team.  

As the National Director, Finance & Operations, you are a key partner to the National CEO, responsible for finance, Governance, Administration, and Operations. You will lead the overall strategy around financial planning, optimizing processes, and ensure strong financial stewardship while overseeing day-to-day operations. This role requires a strategic leader who can also roll up their sleeves—balancing high-level decision-making with hands-on execution.  

The ideal candidate is a seasoned leader with a proven track record in developing and executing comprehensive financial and operational strategies and plans and is experienced in non-profit and charity environments and accounting standards, as well as a deep commitment to gender equity and anti-oppression principles. 

About Us: 

YWCA Canada is a leading voice for women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender diverse people. 

For 150 years, we’ve been at the forefront of a movement: to fight gender-based violence, build affordable housing and advocate for workplace equity. We work to advance gender equity by responding to urgent needs in communities, through national advocacy and grassroots initiatives. 

Local YWCAs invest over $258 million annually to support over 330,000 individuals across the nation. Today, we engage young leaders, diverse communities, and corporate partners to achieve our vision of a safe and equitable Canada for all. 

Key Responsibilities: 

Leadership  

  • Manages the Finance Team and external support. Ensure review and optimization of financial and operational processes  
  • Drive a positive culture of operational and financial excellence based on strong performance and results. 

Financial Leadership & Strategy 

  • Lead and develop the financial planning, forecasting, budgeting, and long-term financial strategy.  
  • Conduct regular financial analysis to monitor organizational performance, providing insights and recommendations on resource allocation to support strategic goals. 
  • Manages compliance fillings, including CRA.  
  • Manager cashflow and reporting to ensure financial health. 
  • Oversee donation processing, receipting, reconciliations, and reporting, and manage investments and in-kind donations.  
  • Oversee all financial transactions, including payroll, accounts payable, and donor receipts, ensuring compliance with government remittance requirements and regulatory standards. 
  • Develop, implement and manage financial policies, processes, risk management and internal controls that support accountability, compliance, risk mitigation and sustainability. 
  • Partner with the CEO and Senior Leadership to set and advance financial goals, ensuring strong financial oversight and controls. 
  • Automate monthly reports for all departments, and quarterly reports  
  • Make innovative recommendations regarding strategic and fiscally responsible management practices. 
  • Ensure compliance with government regulations and CRA reporting requirements, including donation receipting. 
  • Manage the organization’s reserves, investments and the investment strategy.  
  • Lead financial risk management and the audit process. 
  • Prepare and present financial reports including financial budgets, forecast, and narrative reports to the Senior Leadership and the Board. 
  • Manage the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee (prepare reports and meeting materials, develop agendas, etc.), in support of the Treasurer and in collaboration with the CEO and the Board Chair. 
  • Responsible for period closing, reconciliation, analysis and reporting of accounting transactions and processes. 
  • Manage and oversee group pension, including FSRA fillings.  
  • Lead shared services across the federation, such as benefits, pension, and insurance at the national office, negotiating group discounts and packages for members, and providing information and support to those interested in joining these services. 

Operations & Process Optimization 

  • Drive operational efficiencies by streamlining and automating financial and operational processes. 
  • Oversee IT strategy, digital modernization projects and system improvements to support automation and data integrity. 
  • Serve as the Privacy Officer, ensuring adherence to data security and privacy policies. 
  • Oversee safe and secure facility operations, including vendor contracts, procurement processes, and capital improvement budgets. 
  • Oversee IT infrastructure, coordinating with external IT consultants to maintain hardware and software functionality. 
  • Manage asset procurement and lifecycle for all IT systems to ensure continuous operational security and efficiency. 

Fund Development  

  • Partner with the Fund Development and Partnerships team to align financial management with fundraising goals and support the development of the annual fund development targets that will ensure sustainability and growth as per the national strategic Plan 
  • Own financial reporting and reconciliation of donations, grants, donation receipting and restricted funds. 
  • Support the development of grant and funding proposals by preparing accurate budgets and financial reports. 
  • Advise stakeholders on implementation of controls. 
  • Ensure federal grant requests comply with policy and donor restrictions. 
  • Support financial reporting on funded projects and initiatives in compliance with funding agreements. 
  • Support the development of a Revenue Sharing model for the YWCA federation that is equitable and flexible. 
  • Assess pledge status and collection risk with recommendations for early mitigation. 

Qualifications and Skills: 

  • A Certified Professional Accountant or Certified National Accountant with Chartered Professional Accountant designation (CPA)  
  • Minimum 6 years of progressive finance and accounting experience, and a minimum of 3 which must be in the charitable sector, and experience managing a team.  
  • A strategic leader with a hands-on approach—able to set strategic direction of the team and execute. 
  • Experience managing or working on Operations and managing group pension 
  • Strong empathetic leadership skills, with a minimum of 3 years supervisory, leadership, team coaching and mentoring experience. 
  • Experience presenting to senior leadership and the Board. 
  • Experience with government funding, grants, financial reporting requirements. 
  • Proven ability to optimize and streamline financial and operational processes. 
  • Thorough understanding of Income Tax Act, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) rulings and guidelines, CPA Handbook, Foundation policies, Federal & Ontario corporations acts, privacy legislation, ESA, etc. 
  • Excellent analytical, problem recognition, solution focused skills with a proven ability to take initiative, embrace challenges, and support quick decision-making. 
  • Ability to translate financial concepts and effectively collaborate with fundraising colleagues at all levels and contributing to grant and proposal writing.  
  • Experience managing donation reports and donation receipts. 
  • Demonstrated ability to prioritize competing demands, meet deadlines and work collegially in a team setting. 
  • Strong time management skills with the ability to work under pressure. 
  • Experience working with a board of directors, finance, audit, risk, and investment committees. 
  • Proficiency on Microsoft Office Suite (including MS 365 suite) and QuickBooks. Experience with CRMs, Ceridian PowerPay and Humi is an asset.   
  • Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills required. 
  • Bilingualism (English-French) is an asset. 

Why work with us: 

  • Impactful Work: Join a team that is passionate about creating positive change and making a difference in the lives of women, girls, two-spirit and gender diverse people, and communities across Canada.  
  • Inclusive Culture: We celebrate diversity and value inclusivity in our workplace. Your unique talents, perspectives, and experiences are embraced and respected here.  
  • Opportunities for Growth: YWCA Canada is committed to supporting the professional development and growth of our employees. We offer a professional development stipend.  
  • Great Benefits: Enjoy benefits that prioritize your well-being and work-life balance:  
  • Competitive and equitable salary: We offer a competitive salary that reflects your skills, experience, and contributions.  
  • Health Benefits: Enjoy full benefits for you and your dependents with a supplemental $2000/year healthcare spending account, access to telehealth through Maple, and an Employee Assistance Program.  
  • Paid Time Off (PTO): We offer 4 weeks of vacation per year, which increase after 3 years of service (to a maximum of 8 weeks), and 18 Wellness and Emergency days per year.  
  • Holiday Closure and Summer Friday: We offer Summer Fridays in July and August and a 1-week office closure between Christmas and New Year.  
  • Employer Matching Pension Plan: We match up to 5% of pension contributions.  
  • Parental leave top-up: We understand the importance of family and support our employees during significant life events. Our parental leave top-up program provides up to 90% top up for 15 weeks of maternity leave and up to 35 weeks of parental leave.   
  • Flexibility: We understand the importance of flexibility in today's fast-paced world. That's why we offer flexible work arrangements to accommodate your needs and preferences. Whether you prefer to work remotely or at the office or have some flexibility during your workday.   

Interview Process:  

  • Submit resume on Humi and answer our questions.   
  • 30-minute call with HR (for selected candidates): this will be a call over Teams to discuss your background, YWCA Canada, the role and answer some of your initial questions.   
  • 60-minute interview with 3 members from our team. Depending on where you are located, this might be in-person in our Toronto office, or over a video call.   
  • 45-minute interview with the CEO and 2 board members. 
  • Reference Check: We want to learn more about your teamwork and collaboration, so we would like to contact a few individuals you have worked with in the past. Be ready to provide us with 2-3 professional references, including 1 supervisor.   
  • Offer  

Some final things to note:  
The successful candidate will be committed to working from an anti-oppression, feminist perspective.    

To uphold our commitment to equity and fairness, we have implemented a non-negotiation policy for salaries and benefits. Negotiating compensation can perpetuate inequalities and biases, leading to disparities in pay based on negotiation skills or personal circumstances. By eliminating negotiation, we ensure that all employees are treated with equity and have access to the same opportunities for compensation.  

Our office is located in downtown Toronto. We are remote flexible, which means that the team can choose if they work at the office or from home and when. As part of the Senior Leadership Team, we are required to meet in person in Toronto 4 times per year. Additionally, there might be travel within Canada a couple of times per year.   

If you think you don’t have all the requirements, you are passionate about the YWCA mission and think this is the right role for you, we want to hear from you! We encourage women from racialized and/or newcomer, gender diverse, non-binary and/or gender fluid, 2SLGBTQIA+ First Nation, Métis and Inuit, immigrant, refugee, BIPOC, and people living with disabilities to apply.     

Accommodations  
YWCA Canada is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a workplace free from harassment and discrimination. We value diversity and inclusion and are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.   

If you require accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process, or want more information on our accommodation policies, please contact HR at careers@ywcacanada.ca. We will work with you to meet your needs in a timely manner.