Interim Director, Financial Planning & Analysis

Interim Director, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)

Duration: 3 Months

Location: Downtown Toronto (Hybrid)

Our client a North American professional services organization with multiple locations is seeking an experienced financial planning & analysis professional to lead a small team through a critical budgeting process. This individual will play a key role in guiding the organization through a complex budgeting and forecasting cycle while bringing greater structure, discipline, and insight to the overall financial planning process.

This is a highly hands‑on assignment requiring an individual who is comfortable working directly in the details, partnering closely with operational and finance stakeholders, and supporting a team through a demanding planning period. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable rolling up their sleeves in Excel while providing strategic recommendations on process improvement, automation, and future‑state planning capabilities.

Key Mandate

The Interim Director will be responsible for stabilizing, coordinating, and enhancing the organization's budgeting and forecasting processes while identifying opportunities to simplify workflows, improve data quality, and introduce practical technology solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the organization's annual budgeting and forecasting process.
• Provide day‑to‑day leadership, coaching, and support to a team of four FP&A professionals.
• Work directly with budget owners and operational leaders to develop, validate, and challenge assumptions.
• Consolidate and analyze budget submissions, identifying risks, opportunities, and variances.
• Develop financial models and scenario analyses to support decision-making.
• Ensure budget timelines, milestones, and deliverables are achieved.
• Perform detailed hands‑on analysis and modelling within a largely Excel‑based environment.
• Improve the consistency, accuracy, and transparency of financial reporting and forecasting.
• Identify process bottlenecks and inefficiencies within the current budgeting framework.
• Recommend practical opportunities for automation, simplification, and technology enablement.
• Partner with senior leadership to provide meaningful insights into financial performance and future outlook.
• Support the development of a roadmap for a more scalable and sustainable FP&A function.

Desired Experience

• 10+ years of progressive finance, FP&A, and business planning experience.
• Previous experience serving as an Interim Director, FP&A Director, Finance Director, or equivalent senior finance leadership role.
• Demonstrated success leading large‑scale budgeting and forecasting cycles in complex organizations.
• Strong people leadership experience with the ability to motivate and develop teams during periods of change.
• Advanced Excel modelling skills and experience working in less structured finance environments.
• Proven ability to create structure and discipline in processes that have evolved organically over time.
• Experience implementing reporting, planning, or performance management improvements.
• Exposure to budgeting and forecasting technologies, FP&A platforms, Power BI, automation tools, or similar solutions is considered an asset.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management capabilities.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is not a pure strategist nor a pure analyst. They are a pragmatic finance leader who can quickly earn credibility, work collaboratively with the existing team, and balance immediate execution with longer‑term process improvements.

They bring experience navigating ambiguity, are comfortable operating in Excel‑based planning environments, and have a track record of introducing practical innovations that improve efficiency, accuracy, and decision‑making without overcomplicating processes.

Expected Outcomes After 90 Days

• Successful completion of the budgeting and forecasting cycle.
• Improved forecasting accuracy and reporting consistency.
• Enhanced structure, accountability, and governance within the planning process.
• Increased confidence among stakeholders in financial plans and assumptions.
• Identification of practical automation and technology opportunities.
• Clear recommendations for future‑state FP&A processes and tools to support scalability and improved decision‑making.

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.