Ontario Public Service Careers

Lead Corporate Financial Governance in Public Service.

Are you an experienced financial leader ready to take on a high impact role in public service?

The Ministry of Finance is seeking a Controller within the Performance & Risk Management Branch to lead the Ministry's corporate controllership portfolio. In this role, you will lead the ministry's portfolio for accounting, controllership and internal control framework, oversee complex financial reporting and consolidation activities, and provide accounting advice on key ministry initiatives.

If you thrive in complex, fast-paced environments and are driven to strengthen financial stewardship across government, this is your opportunity to lead with impact

The ideal fit for this role is a strategic finance professional who goes beyond traditional financial stewardship to act as a trusted business partner. You are comfortable leading teams, influencing diverse stakeholders, and building credibility through clarity, sound judgment, and effective communication. You bring strong technical expertise in accounting, controllership, and financial reporting, along with the ability to translate complex financial information into clear, actionable insights for senior leaders and non financial audiences. If this sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.

Please note: The successful candidate may work from the Toronto or Oshawa office locations.

The Ontario Public Service: Strengthening Ontario, together.

A career in the Ontario Public Service is driven by a passion for creating a stronger Ontario. If you share this ambition, we are fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where employees have the tools and opportunities they need to be fulfilled and inspired to move Ontario forward. Our leaders enjoy:

Purpose-driven culture: Be part of a dynamic leadership team dedicated to serving 15 million Ontarians. Your leadership will drive long-term impact and contribute to public service excellence.
Empowering work environment: Thrive in an inclusive and diverse workplace that reflects the population we serve. Enjoy a culture of holistic well-being, flexibility, and safety, with tailored work arrangements to suit your life stage. Our modern, friendly, and accessible workplaces support you in bringing your authentic self to work and exploring your full potential.
Expansive leadership opportunities: Benefit from endless growth opportunities, mentorship, and the chance to lead across various sectors. In the Ontario Public Service, your leadership journey can span multiple ministries and functions.
Recognition and Rewards: Your efforts will be recognized both formally and informally, ensuring you feel valued and supported. We offer competitive salaries with performance-based pay, a defined-benefit pension plan, and comprehensive benefits that support your holistic wellness. Enjoy a range of vacation and leave options, along with access to employee and family assistance programs and inclusive counselling services.

About the job

At the Ontario Public Service, we hold our leaders to the highest standards, expecting them to embody authenticity, accountability, and courage in every action and decision. As a leader, you'll be at the forefront of creating a dynamic work environment that sparks innovation, fosters collaboration, and champions inclusivity. We value a diverse, anti-racist, and accessible workplace where everyone feels safe and respected. By embracing these values, you'll help build a vibrant team culture where every individual can thrive. Your leadership will inspire and motivate your team to achieve their best, aligning their efforts with our strategic vision.

To succeed in this role, you will:

Lead and develop a high-performing team, driving effective delivery, proactive issues management, and strong collaboration across the Ministry.
Lead the Ministry's controllership mandate, including Public Accounts financial reporting, consolidation activities for other government organizations and government business enterprises, and consolidation in-year financial updates.
Ensure robust and agile processes to support the ministry's effective implementation of its internal control framework and internal control oversight, including providing subject matter expertise on applicable policy requirements.
Oversee monthly, and year-end close processes and maintenance of chart of accounts to deliver accurate, timely financial reporting.
Provide comprehensive accounting advice on complex issues, and critical ministry initiatives, based on deep understanding of business realities.
Provide leadership over internal audit planning, reporting, and tracking for the ministry, and liaise with the external auditor during the annual financial statement audit.

Meet Your New Team

The Performance & Risk Management Branch promotes modern controllership and risk management practices across the Ministry and delivers the ministry's financial reporting, accounting, and controllership program. We provide high-quality, well-integrated, strategic and value-added support to the ministry to enable program delivery whilst strengthening governance and internal control to enable the Ministry to meet its fiscal and reporting obligations with integrity and transparency.

What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

Professional Accounting Designation: You hold a recognized Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.

Leadership Experience

People Leadership: Demonstrated ability in leading and developing high-performing teams, providing meaningful coaching, and ensuring staff development to ensure timely delivery in a fast-paced environment.
Change Agent: Demonstrated ability to operationalize and simplify corporate initiatives to facilitate seamless roll-out with a client-service mindset that anticipates program needs.
Project Management: Demonstrated experience managing competing projects by setting clear expectations, providing direction and oversight, coordinating teams and stakeholders, ensuring accountability over the project outcomes.

Financial Expertise and Specialized Knowledge

Financial Governance Expertise: Knowledge of controllership processes, internal control systems, audit methodologies, government policies and directives, government fiscal cycle, Public Sector Accounting Standards.

Communication and Relationship Management Skills

Communication Skills: Ability to translate complex financial information into clear, actionable advice for senior leaders and partners.
Collaboration: Strong relationship-building skills with a track record of working effectively with program areas, central agencies, and executive leadership.
Influence: Proven ability to provide strategic guidance and support informed decision-making across the organization.

Don't meet every qualification?

If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!

Think this role could be right for you?

We're here to support you every step of the way. These short videos can help you feel confident and prepared:

Navigating Our Hiring Process – Get a clear overview of each stage in our structured hiring process so you know what to expect and how to prepare.
Application Preparation Tips – Learn how to showcase your leadership experience in ways that align with how we evaluate applications during the screening stage.

Take a few minutes to explore these resources. They're designed to set you up for success.

How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.

Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:

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