Description
The VP of Finance role is a vital position on the senior leadership team directly impacting the performance of the company.
The primary purpose of the VP of Finance role is to implement, manage and run all the financial activities of the business. To ensure financial compliance, monitor and anticipate financial risks and to enhance executive decision making by providing cautions, advice, and guidance vis a vis financial analysis and reporting
The VP of Finance provides leadership to the Kimberley organization with specific attention to the following areas:
- Finance & Administration
- Strategic Leadership
- Culture Leadership
- People Leadership
- Results Driven Leadership
- Industry Leadership
It is expected that the leadership, actions, and behaviors of the VP of Finance are completed timely with accuracy, attention to detail and with a real focus on client experience, setting the bar and aligning with the expectations Kimberley is setting for its employees, associates, and partners.
Key Accountabilities
Policy Governance – The VP of Finance is given a very clear scope via an ends statement and executive limitations about, failing all else, what she can/cannot undertake.
Finance & Administration Leadership – You are the company’s leader and expert of the financial and administration aspects of the business at both strategic and operational levels. This role has important responsibilities in ensuring strong leadership, high performance, and delivery of results.
Strategic Leadership - It is expected that VP of Finance serves as both a financial and strategic leader, keeping the interests of the company top of mind. You are a key strategic leader in the organization, owning the company’s strategy and its execution. We depend on you to be actively involved in crafting vision and strategy and bringing it to life through our people to achieve our goals. This involves taking a holistic view of the company, like the president, proactively considering all departments and functions of the organization.
As part of strategic leadership, it is expected that the VP of Finance will continuously develop, improve, and transform along with the new strategies of the business. From bold thinking, to managing ambiguity, to facing conflict creatively with optimism, to leading with deliberate opportunism, this role is required to drive the transformational activities and desired results of Kimberley’s strategy.
- Culture Leadership - Culture is generated from the most senior leaders of an organization. Kimberley is transforming its culture to be a client experience company. As second in command to the president and with this role’s strong office presence, having an inherent mindfulness to positively impact Kimberley’s culture is expected. This includes taking initiative to actively role model Kimberley’s desired culture, identifying and demonstrating the expected employee behaviors for how work gets done and how results are delivered. Consistently displaying the company’s expected behaviors in the areas of alignment, urgency, client experience, team player, communications, accountability, and expertise is required.
This responsibility includes addressing inconsistent behaviors of leaders and employees as they arise. Noticeable shifts in Kimberley’s culture including the presence of new, consistent behaviors as outlined above will indicate the VP of Finance’s contribution to culture transformation.
- People Leadership – A key accountability of the VP of Finance is to serve as a leader of people, leading and managing the key finance and administration roles of the company; and leading as a member of the senior leadership team. Creating a high-performance team of individuals who are competent, engaged, collaborative, taking initiative, and delivering on the required financial and administrative tasks of the business as expected, is an important accountability of this role. People leadership includes several expectations as outlined below:
Presence, Communications & Teamwork - it is expected that a confident, capable, and empowering presence is exhibited. Proactive, timely, professional, and detailed communications are required to support people engagement, teamwork, and the delivery of positive and profitable business outcomes for Kimberley.
Talent Development, Coaching & Recruitment – another important responsibility of the VP of Finance is to recruit, engage, train, coach and retain individuals of high expertise, multi-talents, and values aligning with the company culture and expectations. It is expected that sufficient time is assigned to developing and growing Kimberley’s talent pool through informal and formal training and coaching activities.
In consideration of the evolving expectations of the VP of Finance, it is expected that sufficient time and attention will be taken by you, as a senior leader to create and follow development plans of your own to enable valuable contributions and future personal success.
Organization & Delegation – the extensive scope and high activity levels involved with the VP of Finance position requires strong organization, time management and delegation skills. It is expected that this leadership role organizes themselves and their multiple team members effectively, with consideration to the right levels of empowerment and follow up, to achieve the required high engagement, productivity, and quality results.
Performance Management – a team’s performance is as strong as its weakest link. As part of this leadership role, it is expected that performance of employees, suppliers and partners will be actively managed both informally and formally. Required performance and feedback discussions will be timely (at the time of an incident), clear, and constructive, including agreed upon actions going forward. Employees will be formally met with at least twice a year for collaborative performance conversations. Managing performance issues, mentoring, and advancing the office team’s performance is a key accountability.
Succession Planning – it is expected that the VP of Finance is mindful of the unique and critical talents involved in the various roles of the office team and is planning for the succession of key roles. An expectation of this planning process is identifying and developing high potential candidates for the VP of Finance’s role and other key roles.
Success in people leadership will be measured in a variety of ways including employee attendance and engagement, ability to attract and retain talent, frequency of performance issues and their resolution, internal client experience and delivery of defined departmental and company goals.
Results-Driven Leadership – The VP of Finance is expected to take ownership for contributing to the company’s delivery of results and advancement. Generating a results-driven focus with strong accountability is required. Results-driven leadership involves: (1) delivering on functional department accountabilities; (2) supporting Kimberley’s primary purpose of revenue generation and profitability; (3) establishing and driving strategic direction and bold goals; (4) delivering high performance leadership and engagement; (5) achieving desired results through effective tactical planning, delegation, and execution – timely with accuracy, attention to detail and client experience focused. Creating, effective plans with disciplined execution for achievement of company goals are indicators of the VP of Finances’ success in this area of accountability.
Industry Leadership – It is expected that the VP of Finance will build industry visibility, expertise, and partnerships. Establishing relationships across the industry to promote Kimberley’s leading reputation and to enable information sharing, synergies, partnership opportunities, etc. is expected. Liaising with land developers, builders, lawyers, and mortgage specialists on an ongoing basis to seek out new opportunities and ensure solid communications with ongoing transactions is an accountability of this role.
It is expected that the VP of Finance will grow knowledge of the evolving homebuilding industry and financial business practices for an understanding of emerging building, marketplace, business, financing, and client trends for a continued strong and proactive understanding of risks, threats, pricing shifts, new trends, new opportunities, new technologies, etc. Actively sharing evolving industry knowledge with the Kimberley team is a responsibility of the VP of Finance.
With an increasing strategic importance of partnerships within and beyond the industry and current geography, the VP of Finance is expected to play a role with the president in growing awareness of Kimberley’s differentiated value available for strategic partnering opportunities.
Other Responsibilities as Assigned – Perform other responsibilities related to strategic or day-to-day operations as assigned by the president.
Qualifications:
- Post-secondary degree / diploma, or recognized equivalent in Finance, Commerce or Business
- Accounting designation, preferable CPA / CA
- 10-12 years of progressive Finance experience, including a minimum of 3-5 years leading a Finance Team
- Understanding of residential construction and policy governance
- Experienced in negotiating financial terms with banks and lenders
- Expertise in the establishment of financial controls and budgeting
- Experience and expertise in Canadian taxation
- Well-developed interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
- Perceptive listening skills
- Strong critical thinking skills and attention to detail
- Effective time management and organizational skills; can balance multiple concurrent projects and priorities
- Proven ability to work independently and within a team environment
- Negotiation and conflict management
- A passionate desire to lead people, building a cohesive and high performing team
- A collaborator, able to build and develop relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
We are looking for an individual that wants a seat at the table; that wants to contribute to the strategic vision moving forward and can offer insights to support the strategic imperatives. The Kimberley Homes team is one that is dynamic, forward thinking and diverse in it's market strategy and company culture.