DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC FINANCIAL PLANNING

The Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) believes in Our Communities, Our Environment and Our People. As a trusted partner to municipalities, First Nations communities, businesses, governments and institutions across Ontario, we provide our clients with total solutions in water and wastewater. We are dedicated to working closely with our clients to help them build healthy sustainable communities and organizations and provide safe and reliable drinking water to thousands of Ontarians each day.

If you are an innovative, dynamic and results-driven leader with a customer service orientation and are interested in being an integral part of the agency's financial strategic services to deliver strategic business and financial solutions, please consider this exciting opportunity to join OCWA's management team to lead, engage and inspire a diverse team to provide solutions to ensure safe, client oriented, and profitable waste and waste water management services in the province of Ontario.

What can I expect to do in this role?

Reporting to the Vice President of Finance, in this role you will:

• Lead the budgeting, forecasting, multi-year resource planning (both operating and capital) process for the organization and optimize resource alignment to support the agency's growth strategy.
• Be responsible for establishing the financial planning and analysis framework and standards and providing financial management guidance to effectively support business operation and strategically align the agency's services with client needs and evolving market dynamics.
• Collaborate with regional offices and corporate departments to develop operating and financial models, analyze business performance, provide strategic advice regarding revenue generation and expansion, cost reduction, efficiencies and process optimization to support business decision making and enhance market share of the agency.
• Lead the team to timely analyze the agency's financial statements and prepare monthly management reporting to the Executive Management Team and quarterly and year-end briefing decks to the Board.
• Liaise with the ministry and central agencies to meet all reporting requirements on time and ensure compliance to policies and directives.
• Provide strong leadership to improve the existing ERP system and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful integration of two financial information systems while providing ongoing support to business operations.
• Be a champion of ongoing process improvements and execute on the change management plan.
• Oversee the development of advanced financial planning, modelling and analytics tools, databases and dashboards to support evidence-based decision making.
• Support the development and implementation of the agency's project financing framework.
• Provide leadership in developing the performance measurement framework and KPIs to track and monitor performance and assess strategic effectiveness of various projects. Identify and assess the financial impact of risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Facilitate a team approach to service delivery, manage and motivate staff through coaching, mentoring and training and enhance organizational capacity by attracting and retaining the right talents.

How do I qualify?

Leadership Skills

• You have proven senior leadership experience in a fast-paced, collaborative, customer-centered environment and the ability to manage the team to timely deliver high quality financial analyses, services and results under tight timelines.
• You have demonstrated success as a strategic leader fostering an environment of continuous improvement and excellence during ongoing change.
• You have demonstrated leadership experience to recruit, manage, motivate, mentor and retain staff for optimal performance, delivery of results, alignment with organization objectives and to handle labour relations issues.
• You are an inclusive leader who values and creates a culture of diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace.
• You have a high level of political acuity and demonstrated experience in managing sensitive and contentious issues.

Business and Technical Knowledge

• You have extensive knowledge of and experience in corporate finance, including but not limited to budgeting, forecasting, multi-year strategic resource planning, financial management reporting and project financing.
• You have expert knowledge in financial management, GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles), policies and procedures to ensure compliance with regulations, directives and guidelines and promote best financial practices.
• You have strong business, financial and mathematical acumen, and advanced experience in leading team to develop sophisticated financial models, databases and analytics tools to inform strategic decision making.
• You have in-depth knowledge of various managerial accounting techniques and tools and business evaluation framework and models, and a good understanding of economic theories and concepts.
• You have comprehensive knowledge of, and the ability to develop financial accountability framework and financial reporting processes.
• You have experience in financial system implementation and enhancement and process optimization, and have solid project management skills.
• You have expertise in performance measures, risk management and business case development and analysis.
• You have advanced computer skills and good knowledge of various financial information systems (e.g. Great Plains 2018 and Workday Adaptive Planning).

Communication and Relationship Management

• You have superior presentation and briefing skills to inform all levels of management and staff on diverse and complex financial issues.
• You have an excellent ability to develop high quality briefing materials (including slide decks, briefing notes, etc.) under tight deadlines on various planning and financial management issues.
• You have proven ability to initiate and maintain strong and collaborative working relationships and build network with internal and external stakeholders
• You have strong capability of managing changes and are able to anticipate and manage resistance to change in order to achieve desired outcomes.

Strategic & Analytical Thinking

• You have demonstrated strategic thinking and planning skills to establish goals, develop implementation plans, monitor progress through defined KPIs, and ensure effective accountability and strategic alignment.
• You can anticipate and identify business and financial related issues and risks, develop mitigation strategies and provide strategic recommendations to senior management.
• You are able to conceptualize and articulate long and short term strategic resources planning requirements based on the agency's business strategies and mandate.
• You are able to analyze complex financial reports/information to determine the financial position of the organization, and provide strategic advice and recommendations to support executives on resource planning and financial management decisions.

What's in it for you?

• Flexible learning and development opportunities.
• Opportunities for career advancement and specialization with the largest provider of water and wastewater services in Ontario.
• Work with the partner of choice for more communities than any other water and wastewater service organization in Ontario for over 25 years.
• Work with an organization committed to innovation and advanced technology.
• A defined benefit pension plan; Comprehensive Health Plan; Life and Disability Insurance.
• Maternity and parental leave top-up benefits including for adoptive parents.

Collection of Information

Your personal information is being collected and will be used to determine your qualifications for employment with the Ontario Public Service, and for recruitment modernization initiatives. OPS Careers is an authorized common service in accordance with s. 6 of the Ministry of Government Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.25 and this collection of personal information is necessary to the proper administration of OPS Careers.

Please do not provide more personal information than what is asked of you. For example, do not include your social insurance number, photograph, or banking information, etc. with your application. We strongly encourage you not to provide us with information beyond that which is requested in the job posting.

If you have any questions about the collection, use, disclosure, or retention of your personal information, please contact us.

All external applicants (including former employees of the Ontario Public Service) applying to a competition in a ministry or Commission public body must disclose (either in the cover letter or resume) previous employment with the Ontario Public Service. Disclosure must include positions held, dates of employment and any active restrictions as applicable from being rehired by the Ontario Public Service. Active restrictions can include time and/or ministry-specific restrictions currently in force, and may preclude a former employee from being offered a position with the Ontario Public Service for a specific time period (e.g. one year), or from being offered a position with a specific ministry (either for a pre-determined time period or indefinitely). The circumstances around an employee's exit will be considered prior to an offer of employment.

Remember: The deadline to apply is Friday, December 18, 2020 11:59 pm EST. Late applications will not be accepted.

We thank you for your interest. Only those selected for further screening or an interview will be contacted.