Senior Director, Finance

Employment Type: Full-Time

Location: Toronto, ON (Hybrid – 2 days in office)

Salary: $160,000-180,000/year

Industry: Professional Services

Position Type: Existing Vacancy

About the Opportunity

Our client, a professional services firm is seeking a Senior Director, Finance to lead its finance function through a critical period of renewal and change.

You will guide a compact finance team supporting multi-entity operations. The organization is streamlining its operations, modernizing systems, and strengthening its financial foundation, and this role sits at the centre of that evolution. You’ll balance hands-on execution with strategic leadership: tightening controls, introducing more disciplined budgeting and forecasting, and bringing clarity to historically decentralized activities. This is an ideal opportunity for a senior finance leader who thrives in lean environments, is passionate about building robust processes, and wants to leave a legacy in a respected national organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the organization’s senior financial leader, overseeing overall financial strategy, governance, enterprise risk management, and decision support across all entities.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a lean finance team, including a Controller and core accounting roles.
• Own the full finance cycle, including month-end close, reconciliations, annual financial statements, and coordination of the external audit.
• Design, implement, and manage multi-year financial plans, annual budgets, and rolling forecasts.
• Strengthen internal controls, policies, and procedures to enhance reporting accuracy, compliance, and audit readiness in a resource-constrained environment.

·      Improve and standardize financial reporting, providing timely, forward-looking insights for the CEO, Finance & Audit Committee, and Board.

• Assess existing finance processes, systems, and structures; develop and execute a practical roadmap for stabilization, forecasting, and continuous improvement over the next 6 - 12 months.
• Reduce and institutionalize the month-end close timeframe, ensuring key reconciliations are consistently completed and documented.
• Lead finance transformation initiatives, including process redesign, system optimization, and greater use of automation and analytics.
• Establish and maintain financial risk frameworks covering liquidity, revenue concentration, and decentralized entities.
• Enhance financial oversight of affiliated entities, including standardized reporting, budget accountability, and surplus expectations.
• Provide clear profitability and performance analysis of major programs and revenue streams to inform decisions on where to invest, improve, or exit.
• Serve as a key partner to the CEO and executive team, offering sound judgment, challenge, and guidance on strategic initiatives and long-term sustainability.
• Present effectively to the Finance & Audit Committee and Board, communicating complex financial information in a concise, decision-useful manner.

What You Bring

• CPA designation.
• Background in public accounting (Big 4, mid-size, or reputable smaller firm) is required.
• Approximately 8+ years of progressive experience in finance, including senior leadership responsibilities and exposure to Board or committee environments.
• Strong technical proficiency in financial controls, audit management, and regulatory compliance in a not-for-profit, multi-entity, or similarly complex structure.
• Proven track record improving internal controls, financial reporting quality, and governance in lean or resource-constrained organizations.
• Advanced FP&A skills, including multi-year planning, scenario modeling, and sustainability forecasting.
• Demonstrated ability to translate financial data into clear, forward-looking strategic insights to support executive and Board decision-making.
• Executive presence and confidence presenting to Boards, Finance & Audit Committees, and senior leadership.
• Hands-on experience leading finance transformation, including process redesign, systems and data optimization, and automation.
• Practical familiarity with AI-enabled tools, advanced analytics, and scalable reporting infrastructure.
• Experience designing and implementing financial risk and governance frameworks for decentralized structures or affiliated entities.
• Capability to set and enforce expectations with business units and follow through to ensure accountability.
• Comfort operating in complex, changing, and sometimes ambiguous environments, bringing structure, clarity, and disciplined process where it is lacking.

Next Steps

We do appreciate all interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Clarity Recruitment is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process and workplace. If you require accommodation, please let us know in advance and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Please note: We use AI-assisted tools for notetaking during the screening process.

About Clarity Recruitment

Clarity is an executive search and recruitment firm specializing in Finance & Accounting talent across Canada - from accountants to CFOs. Additionally, Clarity partners with organizations to hire exceptional talent in HR, Operations, and IT, helping build the teams that power business success. Our process is designed to minimize risk, maximize alignment, and move quickly. With dedicated practices in Executive Search, Full-Time Search, and Project & Interim Consulting, we help organizations grow with confidence. Visit findingclarity.ca to learn more!

JOB ID #3546737