Finance Operation Lead

Location: Ottawa, Canada

Work type: Full time — Hybrid (Ottawa, Ontario)

Position Summary

The Finance Operations Lead is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day financial operations of the organization to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and compliance with financial regulations. This role involves managing financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, and internal controls, while leading a finance team to support the company's strategic objectives.

Regulatory compliance requirement

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access.

Key areas of responsibility

• Develop, document and implement financial processes, procedures, and internal controls in line with Thales Group rules and IFRS.
• Prepare and analyze monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports for management review.
• Monitor and report on financial performance, key metrics, and risks, providing actionable insights to the finance and management team.
• Manage budgeting and forecasting processes, coordinating with team members and departments to ensure alignment with business goals.
• Collaborate with external and internal auditors during audits.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and cost efficiencies within finance operations.
• Facilitate regular communication and coordination with the shared services team to ensure alignment of processes and timely resolution of issues.
• Support strategic financial planning and decision-making with accurate data and insights.
• Identify internal and external trends, risks, and opportunities to enhance financial performance.
• Lead or support financial systems upgrades, implementations, and integrations.
• Support requirement gathering, testing, and implementation of new tool rollouts.
• Implement financial performance dashboards for projects and business.
• Provide training, support, and development to finance staff members as required.

Minimum requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field.
• Proven experience (typically 8+ years) in finance operations, accounting, or related roles.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, financial regulations, and reporting standards.
• Proficiency in financial software and ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle).
• Experience building reports and/or dashboards with different tools (e.g., SharePoint, Power BI).
• Excellent leadership, communication, and analytical skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams.

Preferred qualifications

• Proven experience (typically 10+ years) in finance operations, accounting, or related roles.
• CPA or CMA certification preferred.
• Project financial experience would be an asset.
• Previous experience supporting financial systems upgrades or integrations.

Special position requirements

• Schedule: 40 hours per week
• Work Location: Hybrid

Compensation

The reference Total Target Compensation (TTC) market range for this position, inclusive of annual base salary and the variable compensation target, is Total Target Cash (TTC) $100,000–$135,000 CAD annually. This range is one data point among many used to make pay decisions and placement within the range depends on factors such as career history, competencies, skills, performance, company budget, program requirements, and internal equity. Thales may offer additional benefits and other compensation depending on circumstances.

Recruitment process

Thales uses artificial intelligence–enabled tools as part of the recruitment process to support activities such as candidate discovery, résumé matching, and interview scheduling. These tools may help screen and assess applications and recommend potential matches based on the requirements within the job description. All hiring decisions, including candidate evaluation, selection, and disposition, are made by human recruiters.

Why join us?

Learn more about working at Thales (YouTube): https://youtu.be/9aMF4NMhEJo

Benefits

Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including:

• Company-paid extended health, dental, HSA, life, AD&D, short-term disability, cancer care program, travel insurance, employee assistance plan and well-being program.
• Retirement savings plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.
• Company-paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.
• Voluntary life, AD&D, critical illness, long-term disability.
• Employee discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.

Equity, accommodations and security

Thales is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusivity. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise upon invitation; accommodation information will be treated as confidential and used only to provide an accessible candidate experience.

This position requires access to information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Controlled Goods Program, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access, including eligibility for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and the ability to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance.