Interim Vice President Finance

Duration: 4 - 6 MonthsLocation: TorontoHybrid (2 - 3 Days on-site)The OpportunityOur client is a large, complex and highly respected not-for-profit organization that has experienced significant growth and continues to invest in strengthening the capabilities of its finance function. As part of this evolution, the organization has created an Interim Vice President, Finance role for an initial four-to-six-month mandate. This represents an exciting opportunity for an accomplished senior finance executive to provide experienced leadership to a large team while helping to take the finance function to its next level of maturity.
This is not a traditional "keep the lights on" interim assignment. The organization is looking for a senior finance leader who can quickly understand a complex operating environment, provide stability and leadership through transition, and help increase the value that finance brings to organizational decision‑making.
A significant focus will be on strengthening data, analytics, management reporting, budgeting and forecasting, while improving the organization’s ability to leverage its existing ERP and financial management tools. The goal is to move beyond simply producing financial information toward providing leaders with stronger insight into performance, trends, risks, opportunities and organizational impact.
The MandateReporting to the CFO & Vice President, Corporate Services, the Interim VP Finance will provide leadership across the finance function while partnering closely with senior executives and operational leaders across the organization.
The successful executive will combine strong financial leadership with a practical understanding of how to modernize finance within a large, operationally complex and mission‑driven environment.
Key priorities will include:
Lead and engage a large finance team through a period of transition, providing visible leadership, clarity, coaching and direction while maintaining operational continuity.
Assess the current finance operating model, capabilities, processes and priorities, identifying opportunities to enhance the effectiveness and value of the function.
Lead a complex organization‑wide budgeting and forecasting process, ensuring appropriate financial discipline while improving the quality of planning, assumptions and scenario analysis.
Strengthen management reporting and financial analytics, ensuring senior leaders have more timely, relevant and actionable information to support decision‑making.
Improve the organization’s approach to financial metrics, KPIs and performance reporting, creating greater visibility into organizational performance and impact.
Help finance move beyond historical reporting toward a more forward‑looking, insight‑driven business partnership model.
Maximize the value being generated from the organization’s ERP, reporting tools and financial data, identifying opportunities to improve processes, reporting capabilities and management insight without creating unnecessary complexity.
Work closely with operational and functional leaders to better understand their information requirements and strengthen finance's ability to support business decisions.
Review existing financial processes and controls and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, scalability and accountability.
Provide strategic financial advice and support to the CFO & Vice President, Corporate Services and broader executive leadership team.
Ensure the organization continues to maintain strong financial stewardship, controls, governance and accountability throughout the period of transition.
Build capability within the finance team through coaching, knowledge transfer and the development of stronger analytical and business‑partnering skills.
What Success Looks Like
At the conclusion of the assignment, the organization should have:
A stable, engaged and well‑led finance team positioned for the next stage of the organization’s growth.
A clearer understanding of the capabilities, structure and priorities required within finance going forward.
A more robust and effective budgeting and forecasting process.
Significantly improved management reporting and financial insight.
More meaningful financial and operational metrics supporting executive decision‑making.
Greater value being generated from existing ERP, reporting and data capabilities.
Stronger relationships between finance and operational leadership.
A finance function increasingly viewed as a strategic partner to the organization rather than simply a reporting and transactional function.
Clear recommendations for the continued modernization and evolution of finance beyond the interim mandate.
Ideal BackgroundThe successful candidate will be a seasoned, CPA‑designated finance executive who has led sizeable finance functions within large, complex organizations.
Ideally, they will bring:
CPA designation is mandatory.
Significant progressive finance leadership experience, ideally including VP Finance, CFO, Deputy CFO or similarly senior responsibilities.
Experience working within a large, complex not‑for‑profit, healthcare, broader public sector, association, social services or other mission‑driven organization.
Demonstrated experience operating in an organization of 1,500+ employees or an environment of comparable scale and complexity.
Experience leading finance teams of approximately 15–20+ professionals, including managers and senior finance professionals.
Strong experience leading teams through transition, growth, modernization or organizational change.
Deep expertise in budgeting, forecasting, financial planning and management reporting within a complex organization.
A track record of improving financial analytics, dashboards, KPIs and decision‑support capabilities.
Experience maximizing and improving the use of ERP systems and financial reporting tools, with the ability to focus on business outcomes rather than technology for technology's sake.
Strong understanding of financial governance, controls, reporting and stewardship within environments with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
Demonstrated ability to develop finance teams and build stronger FP&A, analytical and business‑partnering capability.
The ability to operate comfortably at both a strategic and hands‑on level, moving from executive discussions into the detail when required.
Strong communication and stakeholder‑management capabilities, with the credibility to influence senior executives and operational leaders across a complex organization.
A pragmatic, collaborative and confident leadership style, with the ability to quickly establish trust and bring calm, experienced leadership during a period of change.
The Leadership Profile
This assignment will particularly suit an executive who has "seen the movie before."
The organization is not looking for someone simply to administer an established finance function. It needs an experienced finance leader who can step into a complex environment, quickly determine what matters, lead a substantial team confidently through transition and identify practical opportunities to make finance better.
The successful executive will bring a combination of financial stewardship, operational leadership, transformation experience and commercial curiosity. They will understand that great
finance organizations do more than report the numbers. They provide the analysis, insight and constructive challenge that allows leaders to make better decisions.
For the right executive, this is an opportunity to make a tangible impact within a large, mission‑driven organization and leave the finance function stronger, more insightful and better equipped to support the organization’s continued growth.
Lee Hecht Harrison Knightsbridge Corp. is committed to providing equitable treatment and accommodation to ensure a barrier‑free recruitment process. In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and our AODA policy, a request for accommodation will be accepted as part of the hiring process. If you require accommodation to apply or if selected to participate in an assessment process, please provide your accommodation needs in advance to the Recruitment Lead for this opportunity.
We thank all interested candidates in advance;
however, only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.
#J-18808-Ljbffr