Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & Executive Director

Important messages

Ready to fill a “GAAP” in our hearts? We’re looking for a leader who can integrate corporate services with our organization’s strategic objectives. It would be accrual world without you.

About the role:
Reporting to the Deputy Minister and part of WD’s Executive Committee, the CFO and Executive Director is an integral business partner to our Assistant Deputy Ministers. The CFO is responsible for all aspects of WD’s corporate policies, processes and systems relating to financial resource management. It also manages the organization’s corporate human resources and informatics functions.

What you need to bring:
You are a master of finance and of relationships. You’re a tested leader, known to be both kind and effective, who combines expert knowledge of public service financial management with a modern approach to risk management. With your entrepreneurial spirit and strong integrity, you mobilize staff to achieve results. You are a collaborator with a depth of leadership experience that demonstrates significant skill in managing people, finances and technology.

About the team:
You will lead a team of 90 branch employees, including the Deputy CFO, Chief of Human Resources and Chief Information Officer. At WD, we care about what we can accomplish as a team and we also care about each other. We consistently rank as a top federal department in employee engagement. To sustain this high-performing culture, we hire top talent and provide an employment experience that brings out the best in people. We want to achieve great results for Canadians and we want to be the best at what we do.

About WD:
Western Economic Diversification promotes the development of Western Canada’s economy and advances the interests of the West in national economic policy. Our head office is in Edmonton and we have a strong presence across the western provinces and in Ottawa. We offer diverse business services and investments with many goals, including the promotion of innovation and diversity. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WD’s role has pivoted towards economic relief and recovery efforts, and the organization’s lending budget has grown to a billion-dollar grants and contributions organization.

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process including in the job application, please use the Contact information below to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter in 1,500 words (maximum)

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

Bilingual - Non Imperative (CBC/CBC)

Information on language requirements

Education:
• A Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) designation OR an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience as determined by the Comptroller General of Canada and agreed to by the Deputy Minister of Western Economic Diversification.1

Note 1: Per the Treasury Board Policy on Financial Management

Degree equivalency

Experience:
• Senior leadership experience building and maintaining a healthy work culture.
• Expert experience in finance (i.e., budget management, operational planning and allocating, monitoring and reporting, grants and contributions forecasting, risk management, cost/benefit analysis, due diligence).
• Expert experience in managing human and financial resources.
• Experience guiding significant accounting and financial decisions.

Knowledge:
• Knowledge of government priorities, major policy directions, programs and initiatives, and their impact on departmental operations and business deliverables.

Essential Competencies:
• Effective Risk Management
• Excellent communicator
• Values and Ethics: serving through integrity and respect.
• Strategic Thinking: innovating through analysis and ideas.
• Engagement: mobilizing people, organizations and partners.
• Management Excellence: delivering through action management, people management, and financial management.

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

Asset Qualifications:
• Experience in advocacy and promoting awareness and understanding of western or regional economic interest.
• Extensive experience in managing complex issues in the field of finance and/or accounting.
• Experience in providing client-centric strategic or policy advice.
• Well-established professional network of western Canadian government or business leaders.
• Knowledge of how to use technology to improve program delivery.
• Knowledge of the Financial Administration Act and Treasury Board submissions and estimate process.
• Knowledge of modern comptrollership principles.

Organizational Need
• Increase Employment Equity representation

Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment
• Secret Security Clearance
• Willingness to travel frequently (post-pandemic)

Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order, with the exception of a job located in Nunavut, where Nunavut Inuit will be appointed first.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.