Associate Director, Financial Operations

Associate Director, Financial OperationsFinance DepartmentHybridFull Time, PermanentLevel 11Requisition Number: FIN-2026-004Covenant House helps youth ignite their potential and reclaim their lives. As Canada’s largest agency serving youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk, we offer the widest range of services to hundreds of young people every day.
More than a place to stay, we provide life-changing care with unconditional love and respect. We meet youth’s immediate needs and then we work together to achieve their future goals. We offer 24/7 crisis shelter transitional housing options on-site and, in the community, health and well-being support, training and skill development, and ongoing care once youth move into the community.
For over 40 years, Covenant House has been dedicated to its mission of serving youth on the street and to protect and safeguard all youth with absolute respect and unconditional love. Since 1982, Covenant House has supported more than 100,000 young people.
Overview:Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Associate Director, Financial Operations provides operational leadership for Covenant House Toronto’s accounting, payroll, financial reporting, audit, charitable regulatory reporting, internal controls, procurement and financial operations. The role is accountable for accurate, timely and reliable financial information and for sustaining a strong, practical control environment.
This is a hands‑on leadership role for a technically strong accountant who can preserve operational continuity while modernizing financial operations. The Associate Director will lead full‑cycle accounting and procurement, complex payroll oversight, audit readiness and regulatory filings, including the annual CRA T3010 Registered Charity Information Return. The role will also advance the effective use of NetSuite, Power BI and related systems, drawing on Sage experience where relevant to legacy processes and transition requirements. The role is expected to drive the ongoing development of Finance technical and system capabilities, including maintenance, controls, user adoption, process design, reporting enablement and continuous improvement, in collaboration with the Director, Finance & Analytics and other partners.
As Covenant House Toronto transforms its finance function, the Associate Director will provide full‑cycle people leadership, strengthen leadership capacity, document institutional knowledge, standardize processes and embed scalable controls. Over time, the role will extend a collaborative, risk‑based operational assurance approach across the agency, introducing leading practices without creating unnecessary administrative burden or compromising service to internal partners or youth.
We are currently recruiting for 1 Full‑time Permanent Associate Director, Finance Operations. This is a replacement position within the organization.1. Financial Operations and Full‑Cycle Accounting
Lead all aspects of monthly, quarterly and annual close processes, including journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, deferrals, allocations and supporting working papers.
Ensure the integrity of the general ledger, chart of accounts, financial dimensions and underlying financial data.
Oversee procurement, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash and banking transactions, fixed assets, restricted and designated funds, and financial recordkeeping.
Ensure accurate accounting across programs, departments, projects, funding sources and legal or reporting entities, as applicable.
Prepare and review timely financial statements, schedules and management reports in accordance with applicable accounting standards and organizational policies.
Maintain clear procedures, accountabilities and service standards for core finance operations.
2. Internal Controls, Risk and Operational Assurance
Own and continuously strengthen the financial internal control framework, including controls over close, journal entries, reconciliations, payments, revenue, payroll, procurement, cash, banking, system access and segregation of duties.
Develop a risk‑based program of internal control reviews and operational assurance, beginning with Finance processes and expanding to priority agency processes over time.
Assess process design and control effectiveness, identify gaps or duplication, document findings and agree practical corrective actions with process owners.
Partner with operational leaders to introduce scalable leading practices that improve stewardship, consistency and accountability without disrupting business service or creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
Apply a service‑oriented approach to controls by considering risk, cost, effort and operational impact when recommending changes.
Monitor remediation plans and recurring control issues, escalating significant risks appropriately.
Support enterprise risk management, fraud prevention, policy compliance and protection of organizational assets.
3. External Audit and Technical Accounting
Lead annual external audit planning and execution, including preparation of audit schedules, working papers, financial statement support and coordination of responses.
Maintain year‑round audit readiness and high‑quality documentation so that audit requirements are addressed efficiently and accurately.
Act as a key liaison with external auditors and coordinate management responses and remediation of audit or control findings.
Research, interpret and apply accounting standards and provide clear recommendations on complex or emerging technical accounting matters.
Lead implementation of new accounting policies, standards and reporting requirements.
Support funder, government, compliance and other assurance reviews as required.
4. Payroll Expertise
Provide expertise over complex payroll operations, controls, reconciliations, remittances and reporting requirements.
Expert knowledge of ESA and CRA regulations and compliance standards inclusive but not exhaustive T2200, taxation regulations and benefits reconciliation with RRSP remittance.
Ensure payroll transactions are complete, accurate, appropriately approved and correctly recorded and allocated across programs, departments, positions, projects and funding sources.
Partner with People and Culture and payroll service providers to resolve issues, strengthen data integrity and improve end‑to‑end processes.
Maintain effective controls over employee changes, payroll inputs, interfaces or imports, payments, liabilities and year‑end reporting.
Identify opportunities to streamline payroll accounting, labour‑cost reporting and related reconciliations.
5. Charitable, Tax and Regulatory Reporting
Lead the preparation, review and timely filing of the annual online CRA T3010 Registered Charity Information Return and related supporting schedules.
Modernize the T3010 preparation process through clear ownership, documented data sources, reconciliations, review controls and an efficient repeatable filing calendar.
Ensure charitable filings are complete, accurate, consistent with audited financial information and supported by appropriate documentation.
Oversee other applicable tax, statutory and regulatory filings and remittances, coordinating specialized external advice where required.
Monitor changes in charitable, accounting and regulatory reporting requirements and recommend appropriate responses.
Support transparent reporting for restricted contributions, government funding, donor obligations and Board‑designated funds.
6. Financial Systems and Process Transformation
Serve as the Finance business owner for NetSuite and related financial systems, driving the continued development of technical capabilities that support accounting, payroll, procurement, controls, reporting and operational requirements.
Lead finance‑side system maintenance and governance, including configuration requirements, workflows, roles, approvals, master data, testing, release readiness and issue resolution.
Establish and perform periodic reviews of system access, segregation of duties, configurations, workflows, interfaces and automated controls, and ensure identified issues are remediated.
Identify, prioritize and implement system enhancements and automation opportunities that strengthen controls, improve efficiency, reduce manual work and improve the user experience.
Partner with the Director, Finance & Analytics and other stakeholders on Power BI, reporting, data quality, integrations and broader finance technology priorities, with shared accountability for advancing Finance technical capabilities.
Champion disciplined system use, user adoption and ongoing capability development across Finance, while reducing reliance on duplicate entry, unsupported workarounds and manual spreadsheets.
Ensure system changes and new processes are appropriately documented, tested, approved, communicated, implemented and reviewed for ongoing effectiveness.
7. People Leadership, Development and Change Enablement
Lead and develop team members and other leaders within Financial Operations, including managers, supervisors and team leads, by setting clear accountabilities, strengthening leadership practices and supporting effective decision‑making. Provide overall leadership to the accounting, payroll and procurement teams, fostering collaboration, accountability, service excellence, high performance and alignment with organizational priorities.
Provide full‑cycle people leadership, including workforce planning, recruitment, selection, hiring, onboarding, role clarity, ongoing coaching, evaluations, performance management, employee development, retention and offboarding.
Establish clear performance expectations and development objectives, provide timely feedback, address performance concerns and recognize strong contributions.
Assess team and leadership capability gaps and coordinate practical development plans that strengthen technical accounting, controls, systems, procurement and process‑improvement capabilities, drawing on internal and external subject matter expertise where appropriate.
Build succession depth, cross‑training and knowledge transfer across Financial Operations to reduce key‑person dependency and preserve critical institutional knowledge.
Lead teams through significant system, process and organizational change with clear communication, meaningful engagement, training, reinforcement and accountability.
8. Budgeting, Forecasting and Decision Support
Support the annual budget, periodic forecasting, cash‑flow planning and variance analysis processes.
Provide accurate operational inputs, accounting insight and historical context to strengthen plans and forecasts.
Partner with the Director, Finance & Analytics and departmental leaders to improve financial accountability and decision support.
Identify emerging financial risks, trends and operational issues and recommend timely action.
Contribute to management, committee and Board reporting as required.
9. Cross‑Agency Partnership and Service Excellence
Build trusted relationships with leaders and staff across the agency and position Financial Operations as a responsive, solutions‑oriented partner.
Explain accounting requirements, controls and risks in clear, practical language for non‑finance stakeholders.
Engage affected teams before changing processes and incorporate operational realities into control and workflow design.
Establish and monitor service standards for Finance interactions, resolving issues without compromising control integrity.
Balance stewardship, compliance, efficiency and the agency’s service needs in recommendations and decisions.
Qualifications and Experience
CPA designation in good standing is required.
Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, commerce, business administration or a related discipline.
Approximately 8 to 12 years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including meaningful responsibility for financial operations and leadership of leaders and multidisciplinary teams. Demonstrated depth in full‑cycle accounting, financial reporting, internal controls, payroll, procurement, external audit and technical accounting.
Experience leading or supporting internal control reviews, internal audit, operational assurance or risk‑based process reviews.
Experience preparing or overseeing charitable, tax or regulatory filings. Direct T3010 experience is strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience with full‑cycle people leadership, including hiring, onboarding, coaching, evaluations, performance management, development, succession planning and offboarding. Hands‑on NetSuite experience is strongly preferred, including finance business ownership, implementation, configuration, maintenance, controls, access governance, testing, optimization or audit of system processes. Experience with Power BI or comparable reporting and analytics tools is preferred.
Experience with Sage is an asset, particularly in a legacy‑system or transition environment.
Advanced Excel capability is required.
Experience in a not‑for‑profit, charitable, healthcare, social services, government funded or complex multi‑program environment is strongly preferred.
Experience with budgeting and forecasting is an asset;
the priority is deep technical accounting and operational leadership.
Skills & Leadership Competencies
Deep technical accounting judgment with exceptional accuracy, evidence and documentation.
Ability to combine strategic perspective with hands‑on operational execution.
Strong understanding of internal controls, risk assessment, audit methodology and practical remediation.
Forward‑thinking and systems‑oriented, with the ability to drive Finance technical capabilities, system governance and continuous improvement. Proven ability to lead leaders and teams, manage performance, build capability and guide employees through change. Clear written and verbal communication with finance and non‑finance audiences.
Sound judgment, integrity, discretion and accountability.
Strong planning, prioritization and follow‑through in a complex environment.
Commitment to Covenant House Toronto’s mission and values.
What we Offer
Meaningful work.
Competitive compensation.
Benefits such as Health, Dental, Vision, Personal Days, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement and more.
Employee perks which include discounts on gym membership, city bike rentals, auto & home insurance and more.
Use of AI and Technology in the Hiring ProcessCovenant House Toronto does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to make or inform hiring decisions. However, we do use an external applicant tracking system (ATS) to help manage applications efficiently.
While our ATS may apply automated filters or sorting functions, all applications are reviewed and evaluated by human recruiters. No hiring decisions are made by AI.
Commitment to Equitable RecruitmentAt Covenant House Toronto we believe in a workplace culture of inclusion that is welcoming, respectful and safe for all staff. It is critical to Covenant House Toronto success to eliminate barriers and promote the inclusion of equity groups. Equity groups have been, and continue to be, underrepresented and marginalized in the workforce, leadership roles, and in some specific occupations. Equity groups include but may not be limited to Indigenous persons, racialized people, gender diverse people, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities.
In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Covenant House Policy on Accommodation, a request for accommodation will be accepted as part of the Covenant House recruitment process.
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