Director, Finance and Operations

Department: Operations and Planning

Posting Date: February 2, 2026 - February 23, 2026

Term: Indefinite-term contract

Hiring Range: $100,000 - $115,000 annual salary

Benefits: Extensive benefit package inclusive of health, dental, RRSP matching, and paid personal days. This role is exclusively on-site (5 days per week) to support building operations, IT infrastructure, and team leadership.

Vacancy: New Position

Background

The Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) is a charitable non-profit organization that partners with the University of Waterloo, Conestoga College, and Schlegel Villages to enhance care and quality of life for older adults. Through engagement with key partners and collaborators, RIA supports practice relevant research and knowledge mobilization. Research evidence is used to inform programs, education and training, and influence practice and policy.

This role rests within the Operations and Planning Department which serves as the operational backbone of the RIA, integrating Finance, Information Technology, Building Operations, and Human Resources to ensure organizational sustainability and impact.

Primary Purpose

The Director, Finance & Operations provides strategic oversight to the finance and operations functions, ensuring the RIA's financial health and physical and digital infrastructure are robust, scalable, and aligned with organizational goals. This role leads the integration of day-to-day accounting into long-term sustainability modeling and ensures the physical facility, capital assets, and IT ecosystems meet the evolving needs of a high-growth research environment. A key priority is driving a culture of efficiency by refining internal controls, risk management frameworks for physical and cyber assets, and organizational policies.

The successful candidate will support RIA’s vision, mission, and values as well as have an interest and passion for enhancing quality of life and care for older adults and those who care for them.

Key Accountabilities

1. Strategic Financial Leadership and Standards: Provides high-level strategic oversight to the RIA’s complex multi-fund environment, focusing on critical sustainability modeling and multi-year forecasting to support senior leadership. This role is responsible for ensuring all activities and reporting align with Canadian accounting standards, funder guidelines, and regulatory requirements for charitable organizations. This role champions a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring that administrative processes are scalable and resource allocation is maximized to support the organization’s mission while maintaining rigorous fiscal integrity. Serves as a staff liaison to the Board, including strategic recommendations to ensure the Board remains fully informed of the RIA’s fiscal health.
2. Systems Infrastructure and Asset Management: Provides strategic oversight for IT and capital investment planning, ensuring long-term facility lifecycles and digital infrastructure align with the RIA’s growth and data security needs. Strategically bridge financial planning with operational needs, managing the sustainable evolution of physical assets and technology systems to support long-term organizational capacity.
3. Risk Management and Operational Governance: Lead the strategy, development, and implementation of robust financial and administrative policies, internal controls and risk management frameworks to safeguard the organization. This role navigates organizational alignment with internal policies and various legislative acts as they relate to procurement, expenses, and security. The Director is accountable for making strategic decisions aligned with RIA standards and funder expectations, ensuring that governance structures maintain the integrity of financial and IT systems. Additionally, this role leads the negotiation and oversight of large-scale procurement activities, vendor contracts and lease agreements, ensuring cost-efficiencies and service-level compliance. The Director maintains full ownership of the annual external audit process.
4. People Leadership and Organizational Culture: As a senior leader, the Director is responsible for the mentorship, professional development, and performance management of a growing team of finance, IT and operations professionals. Provide strategic leadership to ensure organizational sustainability, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and profiling the impact of the team’s work. Actively participates in team and organization-wide meetings and events, modeling the RIA’s values and supporting a high-performing workplace.
5. Partnerships, Communications and Reporting: Proactively builds and maintains strong relationships and communication with internal and external partners, including financial institutions, tenants, auditors, vendors, Board of Directors, and team members to ensure operational stability.
6. Other: Take on additional tasks, activities and special projects, as they arise.

Position Requirements

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or equivalent experience. CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation in good standing.

Skills and Experience:

• A minimum of 8 years of experience providing strategic direction in finance and business operations, with a proven track record of aligning infrastructure and financial management with organizational priorities.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience leading and mentoring muti-disciplinary teams, ideally across finance, IT, and operations functions.
• 3 to 5 years of experience within the non-profit or charitable sector, including expertise in fund accounting principles, grant compliance, and regulatory requirements (e.g., CRA, ONCA).
• Proven experience in leading multi-fund organization audits, managing relationships with external audit firms and presenting financial and audit reports to the Board of Directors.
• Proven experience in the management of charitable funds and endowments, including restricted fund accounting, and charity reporting.
• Experience in overseeing IT infrastructure and cybersecurity risk management frameworks to ensure data integrity and protection of sensitive research and organizational data"
• Demonstrated experience managing building operations, capital, IT and building projects.
• Expert proficiency in financial management software (e.g., Sage Intacct) and advanced Excel, with the ability to interpret and present complex data and create effective reports tailored to various audiences.
• Familiarity with the broader public sector accountability act an asset.
• Highly motivated and detail-oriented, with the capacity to prioritize high-demand projects and lead organizational change in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in the use of various software applications including Google Workspace, and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Additional Requirements:

• Must be fluent (written and verbal) in English.
• Must have a valid driver’s licence and be available for occasional travel.
• Eligible to obtain a clear police background and record check.
• Eligible to work in Canada.

Scope of Work

• Interpersonal Skills: Communicates effectively with internal team members and external partners; professionally represents the RIA in all communications and at events.
• Level of Responsibility: Responsible for ensuring the effective and efficient implementation of a department and providing strategic and operational insights to the RIA. Lead and support a growing team.
• Decision-Making Authority: Accountable to make strategic and operational decisions that are aligned with RIA standards and funder expectations.
• Physical and Sensory Demands: Minimal demands, typical of a position operating within an office environment; periods of extensive sitting at a desk and in meetings and concentrated use of visual senses; substantial repetitive keyboard/mouse movement; high sensory demands because of required concentration and attentiveness to detail and regular distractions and interruptions.
• Working Environment: Much of the time is spent sitting in a comfortable position with frequent opportunities to move about. The office is located in a comfortable indoor area and options for occasional remote work are available for this position. The work is varied and assignments may change frequently. Work will involve regular interaction with RIA team members and external partners and collaborators. There are deadline pressures, while at the same time there is a demand for thoroughness and accuracy. Occasional travel is required.

Vaccination Statement

All researchers, employees and students of the RIA who will work with long-term care homes, colleges, universities and other partners are required to comply with the vaccination policies of those external organizations to complete their work. Of note, vaccination policies are subject to change. The requirement to comply with those evolving policies does not change.

Equity Statement

The RIA is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion within its community and organization. We strongly welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, racialized groups, women, 2SLGBTQI+ people, persons with disabilities and people from other equity-deserving groups.

The RIA is pleased to accommodate individual needs in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) within our recruitment process. If you require accommodation at any time throughout the recruitment process, please let us know.

Funding Statement

Please note that all positions at the RIA and the continuation of these positions are conditional upon funding.

How to Apply

RIA invites applications (cover letter and resume) to be submitted on our website: https://the-ria.ca/working-at-the-ria/

The Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging may use artificial intelligence technology to assist in screening, assessing, or selecting applicants for this position