Help us make Terry's dream of ending cancer through research a reality

The Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI), named for Canadian icon Terry Fox, is built on Terry's dream to end cancer through research. Established in 2007, TFRI is a registered charity and invests its funds in cutting-edge cancer research through highly collaborative, team-oriented programs and national research networks. Together with its many research and funding partners, TFRI empowers Canada’s brightest researchers to seek out new transformational and precision medicine discoveries to advance our understanding, diagnosis and treatment of cancer with the goal of significantly improving outcomes for patients.

About this opportunity

We are seeking a detail-oriented, proactive and experienced Human Resources & Administration Coordinator for a 20-month term contract. This position will provide essential support to TFRI’s human resources and administrative functions, coordinating day-to-day HR tasks, meeting logistics and event planning. The Coordinator will work closely with TFRI’s Board of Directors, senior leadership team and employees located across all provinces to help ensure smooth HR processes, effective meeting coordination and successful events planning. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Human Resources & Administration Coordinator will play a key role in supporting recruitment, employee relations, governance administration and compliance with organizational and regulatory requirements.

Key responsibilities 

• Coordinate recruitment processes, including drafting job descriptions, facilitating interviews, conducting background and reference checks and creating employment offers.
• Coordinate onboarding processes, ensuring that IT needs and training requirements are met for new hires and exiting staff.
• Coordinate offboarding processes when necessary.
• Coordinate professional development programs and performance management processes to support employee growth and development.
• Oversee employee benefit programs, enrollment processes and address inquiries related to health, dental and other employee benefits.
• Process and submit regular payroll for approval by Finance, ensuring accuracy and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Maintain up-to-date employee records, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with data protection regulations.
• Respond to employee queries and questions.
• File Work Safe reports for different provinces ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Assist in updating HR policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and regulatory requirements.
• Support compliance with provincial labour laws and health and safety regulations, ensuring a safe and inclusive work environment for all staff.
• Support the Board of Directors and its Committees, including organizing logistics for meetings, preparing meeting packages, taking minutes, following up and maintaining committee workplans and occasionally booking travel and venues.
• Assist with maintaining and updating corporate governance documents, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with external legal counsel to manage corporate filings and compliance, ensuring all federal and provincial regulations are met.
• Monitor and report provincial and federal lobbying activities, preparing and submitting necessary documentation.
• Prepare materials and reports for the senior leadership team as required.
• Assist with the planning and organization of company events, including staff events and organization-wide initiatives.
• Coordinate logistics for internal and external meetings, such as booking venues, managing vendor relationships and organizing catering services for events.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related field.
• Five to seven years of experience in human resources, administration or related roles, ideally within a not-for-profit or research environment.
• Proactive candidate with strong organizational skills. Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines simultaneously.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams) and Zoom.
• Demonstrated experience in handling confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to interact with a variety of stakeholders.
• Knowledge of Canadian labour laws and regulations, with a commitment to upholding HR best practices and corporate governance standards.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize tasks effectively.
• Attention to detail and a high level of accuracy and quality.
• Fluency in both Canada’s official languages would be an asset.

Benefits of working with us

• A passionate group of high-performing teammates across Canada
• Flexible schedule
• Hybrid work
• Paid vacation
• Paid sick days
• Extended Medical and Dental Coverage after three months of employment
• A work culture that values excellence, creativity, teamwork, learning, fairness and integrity

To apply

Please email your cover letter and resume by November 22, 2024 to hr@tfri.ca with the subject line: Human Resources & Administration Coordinator.

The candidate must be authorized to work in Canada.  

We recognize the importance of diversity and equity in our workforce and encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including Indigenous persons, women, persons with disabilities, minorities and other underrepresented communities.

Salary range: $60,000 - $75,000

The Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI), named for Canadian icon Terry Fox, is built on Terry's dream to end cancer through research. Established in 2007, TFRI is a registered charity and invests its funds in cutting-edge cancer research through highly collaborative, team-oriented programs and national research networks. Together with its many research and funding partners, TFRI empowers Canada’s brightest researchers to seek out new transformational and precision medicine discoveries to advance our understanding, diagnosis and treatment of cancer with the goal of significantly improving outcomes for patients.

About this opportunity

As a member of the leadership team, the Director of Finance (Director) reports to the Chief Financial Officer who is accountable to the President and Scientific Director, Board of Directors, funders and other stakeholders. The Director will play a critical role in continuing the corporate excellence of financial systems, processes and reporting functions. With a small finance department, the Director is responsible for, and will be directly involved in:

• Accounting Operations: performing and reviewing day-to-day full-cycle accounting, including supervising the work of the Accounting Coordinator
• Financial Reporting and Management: maintaining timely and accurate financial reporting and accountability to all funding partners: federal government funders, The Terry Fox Foundation and other funding partners
• Internal Support: process payroll and benefits transactions (in conjunction with HR); be point of contact with the external IT Managed Services Provider; review and approve corporate travel bookings with Administrative Coordinator; collaborate on and provide key financial data for the organization’s internal grant management system, TerryFoxTrack
• External Stakeholder Communication: act as first point of financial contact for external research institutions, including receiving and tracking project financial reports, reconciling and closing grants, leading external stakeholder meetings with finance staff at partner institutions and providing financial reporting education to research partner organizations, as needed

Key responsibilities 

Accounting Operations

• Direct and review the work of the Accounting Coordinator for all full-cycle accounting functions including AR, AP, quarterly grant disbursements, remittances, corporate credit cards and related reconciliations using Sage Intacct financial software
• Prepare period end journal entries and allocations, as well as entries related to payroll and benefits
• Prepare and monitor short, medium and long-term cash flow forecasts and ensure incoming funding is received as planned
• Lead the annual and multi-year budgeting process, in conjunction with organizational departments and input from the Terry Fox Foundation
• Maintain GST rebates, T3010 Charity Return, Employer Health Tax remittance, WorkSafe remittances and other payroll, statutory or corporate compliance filings
• Ensure financial accountability and internal controls are in place to meet the requirements of Canadian Accounting Standards for Not-For-Profit Organizations (ASNPO), external auditors as well as meet external funder guidelines on eligible expenditures
• Prepare periodic written budget variance reports and other ad hoc analyses, financial models or reports as requested

Financial Reporting and Management

• Prepare quarterly financial statements and related narrative package for the Finance and Audit Committee/Board of Directors, and the March 31 annual audited financial statements
• Lead the annual financial audit and an annual agreed-upon-procedures audit of external grant recipients’ expenditure reporting as required by a federal government project funder
• Lead the annual budgeting process in conjunction with other departments
• Participate in planning processes with short, medium and long-term financial cash flow forecasts, complex multi-year budgets and other analyses and scenario planning
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of financial reports to the CFO, President, Board and committees to meet deadlines
• Compile and submit all scheduled reporting to federal funding agencies for the MOHCCN project and the DHDP project
• Complete research grant financial reconciliation processes upon grant completions, including collection and reimbursement of any grant balances remaining at external institutions
• Review and maintain relevant internal financial policies (Signing Authority, Travel, Credit Card, etc.) on an annual basis
• Provide direction, coaching and mentorship to finance staff by being a role model for TFRI’s value of ethics, professionalism and operational excellence
• Ensure insurance and other risk mitigation strategies are in place

Internal Support and External Stakeholder Communication

• Lead payroll processing and maintenance, and work in conjunction with the HR Department to maintain pension and benefit plan accuracy
• Act as point of contact with external IT Managed Services Provider and lead any purchases or modifications to IT services and supplies in conjunction with the CFO
• Review and authorize travel and event venue agreements and bookings with the Administrative Coordinator
• Provide strategic and financial input on TFRI’s internal grant management system, TerryFoxTrack (based on the Smart Simple software), including reviewing budgets, setting payment schedules, running financial summary reports and recommending module improvements
• Maintain positive and strategic relationships with government, the Terry Fox Foundation and other external grant recipients/partners to meet various funder requirements and reporting schedules
• For all institutions receiving grants from TFRI, act as first point of financial contact, including scheduling payments, preparing reporting templates, receiving and tracking project financial reports and reconciling and closing grants
• Lead external stakeholder meetings with finance staff at partner institutions on a quarterly and ad hoc basis
• Prepare and provide financial reporting education (e.g., process documents, templates, etc.) to partner institutions to assist them in timely and accurate financial reporting. Liaise with external partners, research grant recipients and government agencies on financial matters.

Qualifications

• An undergraduate degree in business or finance, and a Canadian professional CPA accounting designation
• Knowledge of Canadian Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations and use of the deferral method
• At least five years’ progressive experience in a senior financial management position
• At least three years’ experience in financial audit, either with an auditing firm or leading financial audits for an organization
• Familiarity with grant management and reconciliation is considered an asset
• Power user of Microsoft Excel
• Proven ability to develop and manage electronic financial and related information systems
• Excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing
• Proven ability to manage a small accounting department

Skills and aptitudes

• You want to be a part of a tightly knit team who support and encourage each other
• You’re naturally organized, and you thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment with a high level of responsibility
• You’re adaptable and comfortable with a high level of growth and managing change
• You are a self-motivated and innovative problem-solver who enjoys generating, evaluating and implementing creative ideas
• You’re a big picture thinker who can delve comfortably into the details
• You are comfortable working with internal and external stakeholders at all levels and from diverse backgrounds in a positive and respectful manner
• You place a high personal value on ethics and professionalism
• You have a passion for technology and automation
• You’re a maximizer and seek ways to optimize and improve everything you’re involved with

Benefits of working with us 

• Flexible schedule
• Hybrid work
• Paid vacation
• Paid sick days
• Extended Medical and Dental Coverage after three months of employment
• A work culture that values excellence, creativity, teamwork, learning, fairness and integrity
• A passionate group of high-performing teammates across Canada

To apply

Please email your cover letter and resume by November 22, 2024 to hr@tfri.ca with the subject line: Director of Finance.

The candidate must be authorized to work in Canada.  

We recognize the importance of diversity and equity in our workforce and encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including Indigenous persons, women, persons with disabilities, minorities and other underrepresented communities.

Salary: $104,000-112,000