Senior Manager, Investment Finance

OPTrust • Toronto, ON

16d • Hybrid

About The Position

At OPTrust, paying pensions today, preserving pensions for tomorrow is our mission and business. When you choose OPTrust, you join a team of smart, talented people who fuel our success and have a passion for pensions. Everyone at OPTrust – in Toronto, London and Sydney – makes a meaningful impact. Our culture is driven by team members with different backgrounds and perspectives creating an inclusive and fulfilling place to work for everyone. We work in a fast-paced environment, but we find time to have fun and give back to the community. The Finance and Facilities Division is led by the Chief Financial Officer and includes accounting, operational, tax, and facilities functions and roles supporting OPTrust investment and pension activities. This position provides financial accounting, valuations & pricing, regulatory reporting, independent oversight, and legal entity and financial reporting services to support Finance. The senior manager is responsible to ensure all information is accurate and reported in a timely manner and the role requires the individual to be the key liaison in addressing issues with both internal and external parties. The senior manager is tasked with regulatory reporting, establishing procedures and recommending changes to policies, ensuring control processes highlight any financial anomalies or trends and addressing any issues that arise. In this role, with support of the tax department, the incumbent is responsible for tax and regulatory administration. This role is tasked with the responsibility for the critical management of an effective Business Continuity Program (BCP); to ensure adequate coverage in the case of unforeseen circumstances that involve systems access and or critical team coverage.

Requirements

• University Degree in commerce, business, accounting, or other equivalent discipline
• Completion of Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) or comparable financial designation
• 10 years of relevant experience in investment accounting and specific work experience with financial investments reporting with in-depth financial accounting knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
• Knowledge of investment-related pension legislation, and regulatory requirements of Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), Income Tax Act, (ITA) and other investment regulatory authorities (i.e. Australian Financial and Tax Regulations)
• Build, engage and retain a diverse, high-performing team and foster an inclusive culture
• Experience with investment accounting practices, financial and management reporting, operations, and audit practices
• Knowledge of investment products including capital markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate
• Exceptional investment knowledge in the pension industry; knowledge of infrastructure, private market, and real estate investment transactions
• Strong ability to multitask, organizational and exceptional attention to detail
• Demonstrated strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Innovative thinker with the ability to negotiate, influence and challenge
• Effective written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work well in a team environment and / or independently
• Ability to respect the confidentiality of information when dealing with various internal and external parties
• Proficient with MS Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Ensure clear understanding and adherence of all OPTrust’s policies, procedures, guidelines as well as living our values and fostering an inclusive culture.
• Build, engage and retain a diverse, high-performing team and foster an inclusive culture where team members are empowered to do great work on behalf of our members.
• Is familiar and ensures compliance with applicable employment legislation guidelines and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for managing a workforce. Also ensures employees adherence to current and future employment policies, procedures and compliance guidelines and takes necessary steps to mitigate operational risks. This is inclusive of but not limited to, the Code Of Conduct, Conflict of Interest Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Impairment at Work Policy, Information Security Policy, Personal Trading Policy, Privacy Policy, Respectful Workplace Policy and any future employment related policies
• Exemplify OPTrust’s values: collaboration and teamwork, integrity, respect, flexibility, excellence, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Ensure all operating and investment financial and accounting functions, are completely and accurately recorded and reported in accordance with the adopted accounting basis or IFRS/GAAP and accounting policies, as appropriate, utilizing efficient and effective processes
• Responsible to record, analyze, and report all general ledger investment-related activities and ensure assets are safeguarded accurately and timely
• In coordination with the Valuation Team, ensuring investments are appropriately valued in accordance with established policies and guidelines with a sound understanding of the pricing hierarchy and methodologies used by the custodian
• Research, develop and prepare internal and external financial reports and presentations for investments including the preparation of the investment sections of the annual financial statements and the notes
• Responsible for the preparation and issuance of financial statements for the subsidiaries of OPTrust and participate in and support the completion of OPTrust’s Funded Status Report
• Responsible for the management and regulatory reporting process and deliverables for non-Canadian entities
• Oversee the development and enhancement of management reporting and dashboards, delivering timely, accurate, and insightful financial information to support decision‑making by senior management
• Keep abreast of emerging accounting issues and develop accounting guidelines, practices, and reporting disclosures for new standards as they become applicable
• Provide expertise to support monitoring and control of the OPTrust’s investment portfolio. Conduct research to determine the impact of new accounting and reporting requirements under IFRS or under regulatory or tax requirements
• Maintain the operational processes to ensure the financial management of external managers’ investment portfolios and operating processes to support our internal investment portfolios
• Provide support to the deal teams in conducting due diligence on new investment
• Onboard new managers and investments and develop good working relationships with external managers
• Work closely with the Tax group to support the regulatory and tax compliance for the investment legal entities
• Responsible for the annual external audit process as it relates to the alternative investment’s portfolio
• Develop / Maintain an appropriate plan and cadence for continuous improvement of operational procedures and documentation, liaising other teams/departments, and advisors
• Identify, evaluate, and pilot emerging AI and automation technologies to drive process improvements, enhance data quality, and increase efficiency across finance operations
• Develop and maintain strong working partnerships with the various departments within the Investment Division, and act as the key liaison between the Investment and Finance Divisions for all investments related matters
• Coach, mentor, and drive team in achieving departmental plans and priorities as well as organizational goals and objectives
• Responsible for the development and management of team members which includes goal setting, career development, performance appraisals and feedback

Benefits

• Unique culture rooted in our core values – collaboration and teamwork, integrity, respect, flexibility, excellence and continuous improvement.
• A purpose-driven environment where we all work towards the common goal of paying pensions today and preserving pensions for tomorrow.
• Comprehensive benefits focused on your health and wellness, including dental, vision and extended health benefits, as well as membership in our world-class defined benefit pension plan.
• A flexible, hybrid work model.
• A dedicated inclusion, diversity and equity strategy with meaningful opportunities to participate, including our employee-led resource groups.
• Extensive professional development opportunities and learning initiatives including access to LinkedIn Learning, guest speakers, tuition reimbursement, professional association memberships, leadership development programs, a mentorship program, monthly professional development time and more.
• A competitive vacation package with additional work-life balance day.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior