Senior Director, Accounting Operations and Special Projects

Description

Did you know that VIA Rail is carrying out ambitious projects to modernize its services and infrastructure? From our new ultramodern train fleet to ongoing improvement of our infrastructure and reservation system, we’re building the future of transportation in Canada. Working for VIA Rail is being a part of a collective effort in sustainable mobility.

Reporting to the CFO, the incumbent will oversee and manage the daily operations of our accounting department and will lead our efforts in optimizing business processes, implementing financial systems, and enhancing our Business Intelligence capabilities.

Responsibilities

Continuous Improvement:

• Document existing finance processes, including procure-to-pay and record-to-collect cycles;
• Assess current processes against industry best practices to identify improvement opportunities;
• Lead the development and implementation of process improvements to enhance efficiency and effectiveness within the Finance and Broader organization;
• Analyze shared service metrics to monitor performance and identify areas for enhancement;
• Prepare and present regular reports on financial performance;
• Facilitate the implementation of new processes and system upgrades;
• Collaborate with IT and other departments to ensure technology solutions meet the needs of the Finance Shared Services Team;
• Collaborate with stakeholders to optimize transactional processes;
• Provide training and support to Finance Shared Services Team members and related functions on new processes and systems;
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing within the team.
  
  

Financial System Implementation

• Lead the implementation of new financial systems to enhance operational efficiency and accuracy. Ensure seamless integration with existing processes and systems.
  
  

Accounting operations

• General management of department including payroll, accounts payable, finance center of expertise and revenue accounting responsibilities;
• Conduct regular risk assessments and ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards.
  
  

Business Intelligence And Data Analysis

• Participate to development and implementation of business intelligence and data mining applications for transactional finance activities, with the end goal of providing actionable data;
• Acquire, manage, and leverage data to drive decision making and improve efficiency;
• Analyze big data in transactional finance activities to identify patterns and trends, and translate them into recommendations and solutions;
• Work closely with the other departments to ensure data integrity, quality, and accuracy;
• Business Intelligence (BI) Expertise: Utilize BI tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data. Develop and maintain dashboards to provide actionable insights for decision-making;
• Dashboard Creation: Design and implement dashboards that track key performance indicators (KPIs) and other critical metrics. Ensure dashboards are user-friendly and provide real-time data.
  
  

Team Management

• Leads their team in achieving established strategy and objectives. Organizes, plans and directs activities to meet deliverables on time. Coaches and support team in their career development.
  
  

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, IT or Engineering;
• 15+ years of experience in finance leadership positions of increasing scope and responsibility;
• Proven experience in continuous improvement, process optimization, financial system implementation and BI;
• Strong understanding of Lean methodologies, Six Sigma or Kaizen;
• Proficiency in BI tools such as Tableau, Power BI, Hyperion;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Solution driven skills;
• Effective communication and leadership abilities;
• Experience working within or with the federal government is a plus;
• Uncompromising professional ethics and integrity;
• Previous experience in an organization of similar scale and complexity, ideally operating across a wide geography;
• Excellent written and verbal proficiency in both official languages (English/French).
  
  

At VIA Rail, we are proud to be an employment-equity employer and we strive to form teams that reflect the diversity of Canadian society. We aim to remove barriers to employment accessibility and aspire to provide an inclusive and equitable work environment where everyone is valued, regardless of their identity or differences, to enable them to reach their full potential.

If you need assistance in making the recruitment process or the position you are applying for more accessible, please let us know. Alternate arrangements may be offered to individuals who request them at any stage of the recruitment process. All information received in relation to arrangements will be kept confidential.

Note that we will only contact those who are selected for an interview.

Why choose VIA Rail?

• Competitive salary and a generous compensation and benefits package;
• Flexible options for hybrid remote work;
• A close knit team of happy co workers;
• Numerous opportunities for career advancement;
• An environment that supports employee health and well being;
• A wide range of health and wellness benefits for employees and their families, including unlimited telemedicine service;
• To contribute to a sustainable transportation service connecting Canadian communities;
• First as an employer of choice and as the most trusted carrier among transportation companies in the 2022 Canadian Reputation study published by Leger.
• Learn more about VIA Rail: https://corpo.viarail.ca/en/company
  
  

Join our 3,000 other employees in helping provide Canadians with a safe, accessible, environmentally sustainable way to travel!