Job Description

Who We Are Looking For

The Winnipeg Civic Employees' Benefits Program (WCEBP) is seeking an experienced Corporate Controller to oversee the financial operations of its pension and benefit plans, managing $10 billion in assets under administration. Reporting to the CFO, this role ensures accurate financial reporting, compliance with legislative requirements, and effective internal controls. The Corporate Controller also provides leadership to the Finance & Administration team and supports governance activities through Audit and Investment Committees.

We are looking for a dynamic leader with strong attention to detail and the vision to drive positive process improvements, making a meaningful impact on the organization's continued success.

The Position

The Corporate Controller is responsible for the overall financial operational management of the pension and benefit plans, along with their subsidiaries, under administration, which comprise a $10 billion financial operation. This also includes income tax and internal and external financial functions and reporting.

The purpose of this position is to ensure the comprehensiveness and accuracy of all financial reporting, while meeting all legislative deadlines and requirements.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Internal Controls

Identifying any internal control deficiencies and recommending improvements in internal controls to prevent potential fraud and error, and updating the "Description of Key Internal Controls" documents used by the Audit Committees and auditors;

Evaluating system outputs, reporting accuracy, completeness, data integrity and timely maintenance of the financial records by reviewing general ledger financial accounts, reconciliations (bank, investment, payroll) and quarterly financial statements.

Legislative Compliance

Reviewing all Members' payments and supporting documentation to confirm its accuracy and compliance with the applicable legislation before authorizing (one of five signing authorities) the Members' payments;

Preparing and/or overseeing the preparation of all income tax, payroll, corporate and legislative filings for all Plans under administration;

Continuously keeping abreast of changes to the Pension Benefit Act, Trust Agreements, Plan By-laws and Income Tax legislation in order to guarantee financial processes remain compliant with required legislation.

Cash Management

Acting as one of two co-administrators for the electronic banking facilities;

Authorizing letters of direction to investment managers and the custodian to move investments for the pension plans and performing the duties of an officer of each pension plans' wholly-owned subsidiary, with authority to approve all investment and financial transactions;

Approving bi-weekly cheques and wire payments, which often is measured in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and in millions of dollars, respectively.

Financial Reporting

Performing a detailed review of the quarterly internal financial statements for all Plans under administration, along with their respective annual audited financial statements and notes;

Acting as Secretary to both Audit Committees and collaborating with the CFO to facilitate providing the required information to the Audit Committees to attend to their governance matters;

Analyzing and preparing the financial information for the Annual Report to Members for both Pension Plans, which includes financial commentary, as well as related charts and graphs.

Manage HR Issues for Finance & Administration

Manage and lead a staff complement of three professional and three clerical staff, while delegating workflow, coordinating scheduling, overseeing the accurate completion of all staff duties, and ensuring that all deadlines are met;

Conducting human resource management activities, including performance management and participating in the interview and selection process for new staff.

Manage Payroll Administration

Troubleshooting all payroll issues with IT, Member Services and the external payroll service provider;

In collaboration with the Human Resources Manager & Privacy Officer, consult and troubleshoot with Corporate Payroll to resolve complex payroll administration issues in accordance with bi-weekly deadlines;

In collaboration with the Human Resources Manager & Privacy Officer, approve, process and update all employee payroll and benefits documentation into Peoplesoft in accordance with bi-weekly deadlines.

Budgeting

Develop and prepare the annual salary, operational and capital budgets for all Plans under administration;

Collaborating with the CFO, along with the other Directors and Managers at WCEBP, to determine future staffing and capital needs for the budgets.

Investment Section and Investment Committee Support

Provide support by acting as the Secretary for the Investment Committee, overseeing the accurate preparation of the monthly "Investment Summary" distributed to the CIO, as well collaborating with the CIO to accurately determine the internally calculated rates of return for each Plan and Investment Manager. This support also includes overseeing the determination of investment manager fees expressed as basis points and performing incentive bonus calculations for the organization's CIO.

Liaise with the Program's Actuary and Auditor

Providing the Program's actuary with supporting financial information to assist in the valuation process for both pension plans and the group life insurance plans, reviewing the accuracy of the internally prepared Plans' actuarial extrapolations and confirming the financial accuracy of reporting the resolutions of all actuarial surpluses/deficits in accordance with the Trust Agreements, By-laws and Program texts;

Collaborating with the CFO to manage the relationship with the Program's auditor on matters of audit significance and providing technical advice on operational matters as they relate to resolving audit issues, including "management letter" comments issued by the auditors.

Operations Support

Collaborate with the CFO, as well as the Directors and Managers of WCEBP, to provide technical and operating support to resolve financial matters related to the administration of the Plans, assist with interpreting tax legislation as it applies to Plan Members, hold technical discussions relating to Program benefits and data, review existing Finance & Administration policies, and identify and propose areas of improvements to financial processes and procedures.

Qualifications & Technical Competencies

University degree in Accounting, Commerce, Business Administration or a related discipline;

Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) accounting designation in good standing;

In-depth knowledge of financial records and systems, as well as Canadian accounting standards for pension plans is required;

Participation in continuing professional development to ensure maintenance of up-to-date knowledge and skills in the pension, benefits, and finance fields relevant to this portfolio;

8 to 10 years of progressive financial management experience, preferably working with pension and benefit plans, including preparation of financial statements and accompanying notes due to the diverse and complex nature of the legislation and accounting standards being applied, as well as the required ability to articulate detailed financial aspects of all Plans under administration to internal and external individuals;

Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office Suite applications;

Knowledge and ability to interpret the Plans' text and provisions, the Pension Benefits Act, and complex Canada Revenue Agency legislation and regulations;

Experience in assessing risks and designing systems, procedures and audit controls to ensure that assets are properly recorded and safeguarded;

Experience in dealing with actuarial principles in order to technically review plan obligation extrapolations and interpret the accuracy of actuarial surplus/deficit resolutions with the Plans' actuaries, and the ability to analyze and explain very complex concepts in a professional manner to different stakeholders;

Knowledge of investment markets, financial instruments and understanding the relationship of investment income to specific investment instruments is critical to access the accuracy of the financial reporting for the assets under administration;

Knowledge of the relationship between assets and liabilities of pension plans, and the corresponding relationship of investment returns affecting these positions to understand the financial risks and interpret the financial health of all Plans under administration;

Strong attention to detail and analytical and mathematical skills, with demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret complex accounting, financial and statistical reports, including knowledge of present value concepts;

Independent self-starter with the ability to exercise sound judgement and work effectively, both independently, and with cross-functional teams;

Strong organizational skills with the ability to balance a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and competing demands;

Strong interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to work with and effectively communicate orally and in writing with a wide range of people in varying circumstances, including senior management and professionals in the investment, actuarial, legal and accounting disciplines;

Demonstrated leadership skills in a complex and diverse environment, including the ability to train, develop and manage staff effectively;

Demonstrated ability to maintain strict confidentiality;

Ability to handle all responsibilities with a high level of integrity and commitment to an exemplary standard of conduct, both professional and personal.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: $133,565.00-$178,087.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension Dental care Life insurance Paid time off Vision care
Work Location: In person