Finance Manager

Position Location: 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

Job Type: Permanent Full-Time

Hours of Work: 35 hours/week, Monday through Friday. Evening, weekend and overtime hours will be required to accommodate business demands and position requirements.

Salary Range: $75,000 to $90,000 plus benefits, pension and generous PTO

ABOUT THE PAC

The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is a vibrant cultural hub and charitable organization located in downtown St. Catharines, the largest city in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. The PAC aims to engage people in exceptional live arts experiences and to enrich the lives of the citizens of St. Catharines and the Niagara region, while providing a worldclass venue for local, national and international artists and community arts organizations to flourish. The PAC opened its doors in 2015 as part of a transformative effort to rejuvenate St. Catharines’ downtown area. and has been a key catalyst for downtown development and an economic driver for Niagara, with over 40 new businesses opening with an economic spin-off of $21 million in 2025. The PAC team believes that healthy communities are built through arts and cultural engagement, and that our individual and collective identities are shaped through the stories told. They engage audiences across the Niagara region and work to remove barriers for under-served community members to experience the arts.

The PAC features four performance venues: Partridge Hall, Recital Hall, Robertson Theatre, The Film House as well as the outdoor The Mann Raceway Plaza. Current PAC programs include: PAC Presents Live Performance Series, The Film House - an indie film house offering unique films and community screenings in a modern cinematic environment as well as facilitated community discussions, imPACt Education Series and access initiatives such as Pay-What-YouCan, and partnership with the CANOO program to provide newcomers with access to free performing arts and film experiences. The PAC employs 27 full-time staff, 48 part-time staff, a pool of IATSE union workers and over 75 engaged and dedicated volunteers.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Located in the heart of Niagara’s vibrant cultural corridor, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is a flagship destination for more than 100K annual visitors and generates over $4M in box office revenue. The PAC is deepening relationships with its highly engaged audience, with strong core sales and promising uptake of new premium membership offerings. Recognized for its exceptional patron service and meaningful community partnerships, the PAC plays a vital role in enriching the region’s creative and civic life.

The PAC presents a diverse range of programming, from popular to provocative, including signature initiatives such as the 2026 Art in Action: Climate Festival, which featured Edward Burtynsky’s In the Wake of Progress. These bold artistic undertakings reflect the PAC’s commitment to cultural leadership, innovation, and impact.

This is an exciting moment for a strategic and analytical Finance Manager to join the PAC team. The incoming Finance Manager will provide stewardship of the organization’s financial resources, delivering insightful analysis, robust financial planning, and sound fiscal oversight to support informed decision-making. Working collaboratively across the organization, they will strengthen financial sustainability, optimize operational performance, and help advance the PAC’s cultural, social, and economic impact throughout the Niagara region and beyond.

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Director of Resources and Strategic Initiatives, the Finance Manager is responsible for overseeing all day-to-day finance and accounting functions of the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) including multi-year budgeting, producing and maintaining financial records, preparing financial reports and statements, performing financial analysis and reconciliations and managing financial processes and controls. The job incumbent must supervise the work and performance of the Finance and Administrative Associate and the Resources and Strategic

Initiatives Associate and work collaboratively with the Director of Resources and Strategic Initiatives and HR Generalist to ensure that all accounting operations, policies, and procedures support the strategic goals of the PAC and are in compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and legislative requirements. This position plays a key role in communicating the PAC’s social and economic impact to stakeholders and the community.

To be successful in this position, the Finance Manager must be highly organized, adaptable, detail-oriented, proactive, and committed to supporting the PAC’s collaborative and creative culture.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Accounting Operations

• Manage all accounting transactions, consistently conveying performance expectations and modeling the organization’s values.
• Maintain and reconcile general ledger accounts.
• Prepare, examine and analyze financial statements to ensure accuracy, completeness and compliance with procedural standards and generally accepted accounting practices.
• Prepare and manage periodic account reports and closings, bank reconciliations and government remittances.
• Accurately compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns in a timely manner, always ensuring adherence to all applicable tax requirements and regulations.
• Lead the organization through the annual audit and assist external auditors as needed for the year-end review.
• Track and monitor the progress of budget objectives; track expenditures, identify variances and/or financial irregularities, and take corrective action as needed.
• Research, develop, implement, modify, and document recordkeeping and accounting processes by making use of current technologies and identifying new ways to streamline accounting operations.
• Ensure compliance with the law.

Finance Operations

• Contribute financial data and provide meaningful accounting support and guidance to various PAC departments and positions to ensure that financial transactions are captured accurately and efficiently, and operational accounting standards always are met.
• Collaborate with the Director of Resources and Strategic Initiatives throughout the annual budgeting process by preparing accurate budget analysis, forecasts, and supporting reports to inform planning and decision-making.
• Organize financial data into useable information, maintaining accurate financial records and supporting documentation.
• Monitor and manage cash flow, ensuring sufficient liquidity to meet operational needs and advising leadership on financial risks and opportunities including investments.
• Prepare financial analysis and key performance indicators (KPIs) for performances, events, rentals, grants, fundraising activities, and strategic initiatives, including profitability assessments, cost analysis, revenue performance reports, and other operational insights to support decision-making.
• Conduct comprehensive analysis of event-related revenues and expenses, cost of sales, grant funding, sponsorships, and fundraising activities, ensuring accurate revenue recognition and providing recommendations to optimize financial performance and resource allocation.

Supervision, Support & Collaboration

• Coordinate and oversee the work of Associates (i.e., accounts payable/receivable activities), ensuring compliance with PAC policies, procedures, and generally accepted accounting practices.
• Proactively evaluate the performance of Associates, ensuring all employment decisions are made in collaboration with the Director of Resources and Strategic Initiatives.
• Provide regular updates to the executive management team regarding company finances.
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Resources and Strategic Initiatives to establish accounting policies, procedures and processes that are aligned with and support the PAC’s financial targets, goals and objectives.
• Contribute to strategic reviews and other corporate activities as required by senior management.
• Work closely with the HR Generalist to ensure that payroll practices are aligned with all relevant accounting policies and principles.
• Review and provide input on internal controls over assets.
• Work collaboratively across departments to support organizational priorities and operational excellence.
• Contribute to a positive, respectful, and collaborative workplace culture aligned with PAC values.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Five (5) or more years’ recent experience in an accounting role in the hospitality, tourism or performing arts industry, required.
• Experience in a supervisory or managerial accounting position, preferred.
• Charted Professional Accountant (CPA) designation, preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field such as finance, preferred.
• Experience with ERP and financial software (i.e. Momentus), an asset.
• Valid Ontario’s Driver’s license, Class “G,” with a clean driving record.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Sound knowledge of accounting principles and practices.
• Ability to effectively process and analyze large amounts of numerical data.
• Strong leadership and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to organize workloads, meet report deadlines, and perform well under pressure with limited supervision.
• High degree of accuracy and attention to detail, always ensuring sound judgement and decision-making.
• Advanced knowledge and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite applications, spreadsheets and other types of accounting software.
• Ability to explain complex financial data in a clear, straightforward and comprehensive way.
• Effective interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
• Innate sense of integrity, ethics and strict confidentiality.
• Commitment to excellence and exceedingly high standards.
• Willingness to assume other duties and responsibilities.
• Willingness to adapt and adjust behaviours to work successfully in light of new information and/or changing direction.
• Ability to work efficiently in a team setting and liaison with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting an inclusive, healthy, and safe workplace culture.

Working Conditions:

• Open concept, dog-friendly office environment
• Fast paced, creative environment
• Must be capable of coordinating multiple tasks simultaneously amidst continuous distractions, conflicting priorities, and tight deadlines.
• Availability and willingness to work some evenings, weekends, as events and business demands

OUR PAC EMPLOYEE PROMISE

Working at the PAC means embracing the values of collaboration, creativity, care, and continued learning. We offer a robust health and dental benefits plan including an employee assistance program and extended health care, pension plan, opportunities for learning and growth and vacation flexibility. The PAC is a casual, creative environment that offers an open-concept, petfriendly workplace, supports flexible work schedules and believes in the importance of a healthy work-life balance.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

At the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is one where all employees and volunteers, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education, or disability, feels valued and respected. Managers commit to a nondiscriminatory leadership and provide equal opportunity for employment and advancement in their department, programs, and work environment. All the PAC employees will respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and ensure that all voices within their team and the FirstOntario PAC are valued and heard.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

All employees will be expected to follow all company policies and procedures with regards to Health & Safety. A worker shall work in compliance with the provisions of this Act and the regulations; use or wear the equipment, protective devices, or clothing that the worker's employer requires to be used or worn. A worker must report to their employer or supervisor the absence of or defect in any equipment or protective devices of which the worker is aware and which may endanger himself, herself, or another worker; and report to their employer or supervisor any contravention of this act or the regulations or the existence of any hazard of which he or she knows. No worker shall remove or make ineffective any protective device required by the regulations or by their employer, without providing adequate temporary protective device and when the need for removing or making ineffective the protective device has ceased, the protective device shall be replaced immediately; use or operate any equipment, machine, device or thing or work in a manner that may endanger themselves or any other worker; or engage in any prank, contest, feat of strength, unnecessary running or rough and boisterous conduct. A worker is not required to participate in a prescribed medical surveillance program unless the worker consents to do so. (OHSA Sec. 27)