Senior Accounting and Finance Officer

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Competition # : 42813

Department: Education & Early Childhood Development

Location: HALIFAX

Type of Employment: Permanent

Union Status: NSGEU - NSPG

Closing Date: 27-May-24 ( Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is leading the transformation of the Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) and public education system in Nova Scotia. This will provide children and families with a strong foundation for lifelong success and well-being. Nova Scotia regulates, funds and provides policy and program support to early learning and child care programs, and other key partners, across Nova Scotia to develop and sustain quality early learning and child care programs province-wide.

Would you enjoy engaging with multiple levels of government, collaborating daily to transform and better serve the child care sector, while utilizing your finance and accounting expertise to help inform critical decisions within the Early Years branch?

If yes, this may be the ideal role for you.

Reporting to the Manager, Accounting and Finance Operations, the Senior Accounting and Finance Officer is responsible for providing advanced specialized accounting and finance activities that impact the delivery of province-wide early childhood programming across multiple programs.

The Senior Accounting and Finance Officer will support the provision of sound, timely financial advice, direction, and services to the Early Years branches in all areas of program delivery and administration, including work related to the overall identification, design, planning, implementation, and integration of the Canada-Nova Scotia Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CWELCCA). The CWELCCA, and related transformation initiatives provide a unique opportunity for the Senior Accounting and Finance Officer given the strategic financial initiatives being undertaken. The role includes the delivery of expert financial advice to other managers, directors, executive directors, and Senior Management of the Department of Education and Early Learning and Child Care on matters related to financial and agreement management for the Early Years branches, including multiple agreements between Provincial and Federal governments. The Senior Accounting and Finance Officer will also be a key contributor in developing a new operational funding model for the sector.

The Senior Accounting and Finance Officer is responsible for leading accounting and finance activities for initiatives intended to improve access to early learning and child care across the province. In this role you will be responsible the following:

• Developing and implementing robust financial accounting processes to ensure accurate tracking and forecasting of spending.
• Offering internal and external client partners advice on financial proposals and requests, ensuring compliance and strategic alignment.
• Establishing internal and external accountability frameworks, including monitoring mechanisms, to ensure transparency and adherence to financial guidelines.
• Providing coordination and support to functional units in implementing program and financial controls, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and objectives.
• Liaising with external consultants and serving as a subject matter expert in financial and accounting processes, collaborating to ensure compliance and best practices.
• Ad hoc financial and accounting activities, performing various financial and accounting tasks as needed, to contribute to the overall financial health and efficiency of the organization.

To be successful in this role, you will have a bachelor's degree with a focus in accounting or finance, plus six (6) years of related experience. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered.

You possess the ability to critically analyze and cost programs, forecast operations, analyze financial information and data, identify and project spending trends, counsel clients on finances, accounting, and reporting, in the context of generally accepted accounting principles, legislation, and policy.

You have excellent communication skills (oral/written) and interpersonal skills, consensus building, as well as team building skills, while valuing an inclusive workforce. You must be a self-starter with a high degree of personal initiative and integrity, who is able work under minimal supervision to quickly determine the root cause of complex problems within ambiguous or conflicting situations.

You will also be exposed to confidential information. A high degree of judgement will be required on how that information will be used or presented, while maintaining the necessary confidentiality that is entrusted to you in this position.

You also have experience:

• Working closely with team members and management to analyze, evaluate, recommend, implement, and manage innovative and best-practice solutions to procedural and operational issues.
• Working independently, demonstrating exceptional understanding and problem-solving skills with business processes and system functionality.
• Delivering user-friendly documentation to describe complex business processes and system functionality.
• Applying independent, sound judgment and decision-making skills in making proactive recommendations to solve client problems.
• Participating in various stages of projects to provide technical, functional, master data, and procedural subject matter expertise.
• Preparing reports for senior management.
• Working with SAP.

We will assess the above qualifications and competencies using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.

• Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) Designation or enrollment in the CPA program, and/ or other relevant certification (s).
• Formal training and/or experience in SAP modules.
• An understanding of the child care sector and the issues within it related to funding (accessibility, affordability, wages and operational requirements).

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan , Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees.

• Career Development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career.
• Engaging workplace. Our Employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in. We have forward-thinking policies and strategies.
• Countless career paths.

Pay Grade: PR 17

Salary Range: $3, $3,649.33Bi-Weekly

Employment Equity Statement:

Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. The Government of Nova Scotia has an Employment Equity Policy, and we welcome applications from Indigenous People, African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Womenin occupations or positions where they are under-represented. If you are a member of one of these equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on your electronic application.

This is a bargaining unit position initially restricted to current civil service employees represented by the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU). If applying from outside a government office, employees must apply correctly via this link:

Failure to apply correctly means that your application will not be given first consideration as a bargaining unit applicant, and will only be included if external applications are pursued.

External applicants and current casual employees will only be considered if there are no qualified civil service bargaining unit candidates. PLEASE NOTE: Candidates will not be considered for an interview if applications are incomplete or are missing information.

Offer of employment is conditional upon the completion of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials, the results of which must be satisfactory to the employer. We thank all applicants for the interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All questions and concernsmay be directed to