Chief Financial Officer – One Year Contract
The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is Canada’s sixth national museum. Our mission is to share the ongoing story of immigration to Canada—past to present and coast to coast to coast. The Museum is located in the Pier 21 national historic site at the Halifax seaport where nearly one million immigrants landed in Canada from 1928 to 1971.
We have an opening for the role of temporary Chief Financial Officer (CFO), located on site at the Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This role is temporary for one year.
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is a key member of the Executive Team at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 and is responsible for the overall financial stewardship, integrity, and sustainability of the Museum.
Under the Financial Administration Act (FAA), the CFO ensures compliance with Government of Canada legislation, Treasury Board policies, and reporting obligations to Parliament.
The CFO leads teams responsible for accounting, financial planning, budgeting, reporting, risk management, information management governance (including IT), investment oversight, and internal controls. Through strategic leadership across these areas, the CFO supports the Museum’s mandate to share the ongoing story of immigration to Canada—past and present—while ensuring responsible management of public funds, endowment funds, and self-generated revenues.
By developing and monitoring financial strategies, performance metrics, and systems of internal control, the CFO provides strategic advice and financial insight to the CEO, the Board of Trustees, Board Committees, the Executive Team, and other key stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Financial Leadership
- Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and the Board in the development and implementation of policies related to financial planning, fiscal sustainability, and risk management.
- Lead the development of the Museum’s long-term financial strategy in collaboration with the CEO and Executive Team.
- Contribute to the development, implementation, and monitoring of the Museum’s five-year strategic plan, annual corporate plan, and operational and business plans, ensuring compliance with the FAA.
- Provide financial modelling and scenario analysis for major exhibitions, capital projects, digital initiatives, and public programming.
- Develop performance metrics to support and measure the Museum’s strategic initiatives.
- May act on behalf of the CEO in their absence.
Parliamentary Reporting
- Oversee the preparation of annual and quarterly financial reports for the Board and public reporting.
- Oversee the preparation of Main and Supplemental Estimates submissions.
- Ensure compliance with Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS), Treasury Board directives, and Office of the Auditor General (OAG) requirements.
- Ensure the timely completion of other financial and government reporting obligations as required.
Financial Management and Reporting
- Maintain an effective system of internal controls to safeguard Museum assets and ensure compliance with government financial policies.
- Oversee preparation of the annual budget in collaboration with the CEO and Executive Team and report results to the Board.
- Oversee preparation of quarterly financial forecasts and present updates to the CEO and the Board.
- Oversee accounting operations including:
- General ledger
- Accounts payable and receivable
- Payroll
- Capital asset management
- Ensure sound fiscal administration and compliance with relevant legislation and regulations.
- Oversee preparation of annual audited financial statements in accordance with PSAS.
- Serve as the Museum’s primary liaison with the Office of the Auditor General during the annual audit.
- Represent the Museum with financial partners and institutions, including investment managers and custodians.
- Provide financial advice to the CEO and Executive Team on financial performance, cost recovery, and revenue generation.
- Ensure all government financial reporting responsibilities are met.
Investment and Endowment Oversight
- Oversee the investment management of the Museum’s endowment funds.
- Serve as the management liaison to the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee.
- Monitor investment performance and ensure compliance with established investment policies.
Risk and Governance Management
- Maintain and update the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework, including the Museum’s risk register.
- Identify and mitigate financial, operational, information management, and reputational risks.
- Work with the CEO and Executive Team to monitor and address the Museum’s overall risk profile.
- Monitor legal matters affecting financial operations.
- Ensure that Museum resources are used solely in pursuit of organizational objectives.
- Monitor fundraising activities to ensure compliance with organizational policies and legal requirements.
- Ensure appropriate insurance coverage is maintained.
- Ensure compliance with the Financial Administration Act, the Museums Act, and other applicable legislation.
- Ensure compliance with the Library and Archives of Canada Act regarding records management.
- Report risk issues to the CEO, Executive Team, and the Board’s Audit and Risk Oversight Committee.
- Maintain relationships with internal auditors and ensure appropriate responses to audit findings and recommendations.
Information Management
- Provide strategic oversight of enterprise Information Management (IM) governance, policies, and compliance frameworks.
- Ensure compliance with federal legislation and directives including the Privacy Act, Access to Information Act, Treasury Board policies, and Library and Archives Canada requirements.
- Oversee the full information lifecycle, including creation, classification, retention, security, disposition, and archival transfer.
- Establish governance standards for enterprise systems including:
- Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS)
- Collections Management Systems (CMS)
- Accounting and financial systems
- General IT systems and shared drives
- Partner with IT leadership to ensure IM principles are embedded in system design, procurement, upgrades, and cybersecurity controls.
- Oversee digital preservation, digitization initiatives, and metadata standards.
- Coordinate Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) processes.
- Monitor enterprise data quality, system integration risks, and cross-platform information consistency.
- Provide staff training and executive reporting on IM governance and compliance.
- Support audit processes and Board oversight related to information governance.
Information Technology
- In collaboration with the IT Manager, oversee the selection, implementation, and operation of the Museum’s IT systems.
- Ensure IT projects are implemented effectively and that systems support operational priorities.
- Ensure effective policies and procedures are in place to maintain reliable information systems and compliance with legislation and regulations.
Leadership
- Participate as a member of the Executive Team.
- Foster a high-performance culture that promotes engagement, productivity, and capability development.
- Participate in the recruitment of senior managers and other executive leaders as required.
- Provide leadership and oversight for Finance and Information Management teams to achieve departmental goals.
- Mentor and develop staff, monitor performance, and conduct annual performance reviews.
Required
Education, Knowledge & Experience
- Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressively senior financial leadership experience.
- Demonstrated expertise in financial governance, reporting, and internal control frameworks.
- Experience developing and implementing strategic plans and organizational policies.
- Proven ability to support organizational growth while safeguarding assets.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Experience working with executive teams, boards, and government stakeholders.
- Strong planning, resource management, and delegation skills.
Preferred
- MBA or equivalent executive education.
- Ability to communicate in both official languages, oral and written
Competencies
- Create Vision and Strategy
- Mobilize People
- Uphold Integrity and Respect
- Collaborate with Partners and Stakeholders
- Promote Innovation and Guide Change
- Achieve Results
Working Conditions & Physical Demands
- On site
- May require irregular hours (evenings, weekends)
- Some travel required
The salary range for this role is $154,178 to $181,365. There is a comprehensive group benefit package and membership of the public service pension plan.
We are committed to having a skilled, diversified workforce reflective of Canadian Society. Applications are invited from all qualified candidates, including Indigenous persons, women, people of any sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, visible minorities, racialized people, and people with disabilities. The Museum is committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. Alternative selection tool methods and/or reasonable accommodations are available upon request.
For further information on the Museum please visit https://pier21.ca
