Manager, Payroll & Finance Operations

Duties, Responsibilities, Authority, and Accountabilities

People Leadership
• Leads, develops, and mentors direct reports across payroll, AP, and AR functions, fostering a high-performance and collaborative team culture.
• Responsible for performance management, goal setting, and ongoing coaching of direct reports.
• Supports recruitment and onboarding of finance staff as required.
• Identifies training needs and opportunities for team development.

Payroll
• Accountable for the full payroll cycle, including processing, payroll accounting, general ledger recording, and reconciliations.
• Responsible for accurate and timely regulatory reporting and remittances, including T4s, CRA, WorkSafeBC, employee pension plan, and employee medical plan filings.
• Ensures accurate administration of all payroll earnings and deductions, including CPP, EI, income tax, pension contributions, benefits, and other voluntary or involuntary deductions.
• Coordinates with People & Wellbeing (P&W) to ensure timely and accurate payroll setup for new hires, employee changes, absences, and terminations.
• Partners with PaW and other Finance teams to manage compensation events including PRP, terminations, leaves, retroactive adjustments, and incentives, ensuring correct financial treatment.
• Oversees year-end payroll system roll-over and all associated year-end requirements.
• Serves as the primary escalation point for payroll issues and discrepancies.

Accounts Payable
• Accountable for the end-to-end AP function, including accurate and timely processing of invoices, vendor payments, expense reports, corporate credit cards, and PO support.
• Responsible for monthly vendor statement reconciliations, payables sub-ledger integrity, and maintaining a complete and accurate audit trail in the general ledger.
• Coordinates with management teams, purchasers, and vendors to resolve discrepancies and issues in a timely manner.
• Serves as the primary escalation point for AP issues and process exceptions.

Accounts Receivable
• Accountable for accurate and timely invoicing and collections, ensuring alignment with customer contracts and prompt resolution of discrepancies.
• Responsible for AR reconciliations and maintaining a complete and accurate audit trail in the general ledger; keeps management informed of outstanding items and collection risks.
• Coordinates with management teams and customers to investigate and resolve billing issues and misunderstandings.
• Serves as the primary escalation point for AR issues and process exceptions.

Reporting & Analysis
• Owns the operational finance month-end and annual close process, ensuring all transactions are recorded, reconciliations are completed on schedule, accruals are posted,
and outstanding items are resolved or escalated promptly.
• Monitors for errors and discrepancies across all operational finance streams; investigates root causes and ensures corrective action is taken.
• Provides timely financial insights and ad hoc analysis to support business decision-making.
• Supports filing of government remittances and tax filings to comply with Nation, municipal, provincial, and federal requirements.
• Identifies and leads process improvement and automation initiatives across operational finance functions, with a focus on efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
• Stays current with relevant systems (NetSuite, UKG) and proactively recommends enhancements to workflows and reporting.

Controls & Policy
• Responsible for ensuring all operational finance activities are conducted in accordance with established policies, procedures, and internal controls.
• Proactively identifies gaps in the control environment and leads the development or update of finance policies as needed across AP, AR, payroll, and expense management.
• Acts as the operational steward of internal controls, ensuring team compliance and continuously strengthening the control environment

Other
• Perform other duties as required.

Reporting Responsibilities and Authorities from Supervisor
• Reports to the Controller

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience
• Bachelor's degree in accounting, Business Administration, or relevant experience; a CPA designation is required.
• 5 years of work experience in Payroll
• Experience with financial reporting requirements
• Ability to lead, recruit and mentor a team of accounting and finance professionals
• Experience using financial systems and software, including NetSuite, UKG, or similar.
• Professional, adaptable communication style with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence others and lead by positive example.
• Must be a goal-oriented accounting professional who can show a sense of urgency with good attention to detail.
• High level of emotional intelligence, patience, and integrity.
• Maintains composure in high-pressure situations.
• Able to communicate complex information to stakeholders in a meaningful way.
• Resourceful and organized with excellent time management abilities.
• Able to deliver challenging information tactfully and diplomatically when needed. Acts ethically and handles sensitive information with confidentiality.
• Experience with change management, and project management.
• Good organizational and time-management skills.
• Strong team player with solid communication skills.
• Willingness to be flexible and adaptable to changing priorities.
• Strong multi-tasking and organization skills.
• Ability to set and manage priorities to meet deadlines.
• Proficient in MS Office software (Excel, Word, and Outlook).
• Experience working with First Nations is an asset.

Special Requirements
• Willing to work additional hours as required.
Working Conditions
• Office work (prolonged sitting)