Financial Analyst (term)

Town of Cochrane•Cochrane, AB

13d•CA$52•Onsite

About The Position

The Town of Cochrane is seeking innovative and skilled individuals to join their team of over 250 employees. The Financial Reporting team is essential to maintaining the organization’s financial integrity, accountability, and transparency. The Financial Analyst supports this mandate by transforming complex financial information into clear, actionable insights. As a senior financial resource and strategic business partner, you will collaborate with finance teams, operational departments, and organizational leadership to deliver high-quality analysis, professional advice, and evidence-based recommendations. This role is ideal for a finance professional who values accuracy, accountability, and public service, and who thrives in a dynamic environment with diverse financial responsibilities. In addition to financial reporting and analysis, the position plays an important role in supporting financial systems and ERP processes, documenting business workflows, and advancing continuous improvement initiatives across the organization. This is a term position until December 31, 2028, with the possibility of extension. In this role, you will dig deeply into financial data, interpret results, and translate your findings into well-reasoned recommendations that support sound decision-making. You bring strong professional judgment, a detail-oriented approach, and the ability to connect information from multiple sources to solve problems, identify emerging issues, and proactively bring forward insights. Familiarity with municipal financial operations is an advantage and will help you excel in this role, particularly when navigating complex reporting requirements and capital planning frameworks.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, Finance, or a related field; CPA designation preferred.
Minimum 3 years of post qualification experience in accounting or finance, or an equivalent combination of education and experience; municipal experience preferred.
Experience with financial reporting and ERP systems (Dynamics Great Plains an asset), including system administration, testing, troubleshooting, report development, user support, and process improvement initiatives.
Experience documenting business processes, workflows, and procedures, with the ability to identify efficiencies and support organizational change and continuous improvement efforts.
Strong knowledge of municipal accounting rules, legislation, and standards (e.g., MGA, PSAS) for both operating and capital budgeting.
Understanding of offsite levies, developer cost charges, and growth related funding mechanisms.
Proficiency with financial analysis, report preparation, and data interpretation.
Ability to identify and recommend improvements to financial systems and applications.
Strong communication and relationship building skills across all levels of the organization.
Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage priorities and meet deadlines.
Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel (PivotTables, Power Query, financial modeling), PowerPoint, and data visualization tools such as Power BI.

Nice To Haves

CPA designation preferred.
Municipal experience preferred.
Dynamics Great Plains experience an asset.

Responsibilities

Prepare and analyze financial, statistical, and analytical reports and models to assess project cost-effectiveness, risk, trends, and funding options.
Provide senior-level accounting and financial analysis expertise to support accurate financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and organizational decision-making.
Prepare monthly financial and capital asset reports, forecasts, variance analyses, and maintain financial models, tools, and dashboards.
Review financial components of reports, contracts, agreements, and funding arrangements for accuracy and compliance with policies, legislation, and internal controls.
Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of financial data by applying internal controls, accounting standards, and identifying issues requiring escalation.
Prepare year-end adjustments and working papers for external auditors.
Support departments in identifying financial data needs and developing short- and long-term operating and capital forecasts and plans.
Respond to ad hoc financial data requests and analysis needs from internal and external stakeholders.
Act as a senior financial resource, providing expert advice, insights, and recommendations to finance, operations, and leadership teams.
Contribute to continuous improvement of financial processes, systems, and reporting frameworks to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
Participate in ERP optimization initiatives by supporting system maintenance, testing, troubleshooting, reporting enhancements, and user adoption across finance and operational departments.
Lead the documentation and continuous improvement of financial and business processes, ensuring procedures are clearly defined, current, and aligned with organizational objectives and internal control requirements.