Team Lead, Internal Controls

Company : IWK Health

Req ID: 208373 
Department/Program: Accounts Payable, Financial Accounting and Reporting 
Location: Halifax  
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE)  x 1 position(s)
Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: Non-union, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $35.9776 - $44.9721 /hour
Closing Date: August 20, 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

This is not a designated position, however, preference will be given to qualified candidates who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, and/or 2SLGBTQIA+. Please self-identify on your application.

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Manager, Finance Client Experience & Comptroller the Team Lead, Internal Controls is a subject matter expert in internal controls and acts as the Team Leader by providing day to day coaching and support to their team. The Team Lead is responsible for assessing the control environment and making recommendations to ensure an effective system of controls are in place to safeguard IWK’s assets.
The Team Lead plays a key role in ensuring both compliance and effectiveness of IWK financial policy and will work with their team and other financial leads to identify policy gaps and make recommendations to resolve the deficiencies. The leader will utilize the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework along with other information sources to ensure financial risks are identified, assessed, and mitigated where the risk is above tolerance levels.  The Team Lead will ensure that the systems of controls used to mitigate organizational risks are documented and implemented which will involve the testing of various controls to ensure both efficiency and effectiveness.  
The Team Lead will be a key contact for both internal and external auditors and will act as the subject matter expert on internal controls and as such will help inform project plans and / or actions required to address control deficiencies reported by both internal and external auditors. Certain legislative compliance activities will also be monitored by the internal controls lead in the areas of Executive Travel & Hospitality reporting, certificate compliance reporting, and other compliance activities as required. The Team Lead will work with Legal Services staff to ensure legislative compliance is achieved and new requirements as a result of new or emerging directives or legislation are addressed sufficiently.
Process documentation and implementation / effectiveness testing are central activities of the internal controls team. As such key control monitoring activities will be completed in the areas of financial systems access, signing authorities, and financial process documentation. The Team Lead will have oversight of these key control processes and ensures the timely and adequate testing and review related to these controls is completed.
 

Hours of Work

Monday to Friday; 8:00am to 4:00pm

Your Qualifications

•    Undergraduate degree in business administration / commerce
•    Chartered Professional Accountant designation (CPA) required
•    Minimum five (5) years’ experience in financial controls / risk assessment required
•    Minimum two (2) years’ supervisory experience; in an accounting firm or similar internal controls role an asset
•    Experience in a healthcare / clinical setting is considered as asset
•    Knowledge of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) framework or audit functions
•    Understanding and knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS) is required
•    Excellent communication (verbal and written), problem solving and decision making skills
•    Effective research and analytical thinking skills
•    Demonstrated leadership skills
•    Proficiency with Microsoft computer applications, with moderate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills
•    Knowledge of financial accounting and systems is required; SAP ERP experience is considered an asset
•    Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail
•    Strong organizational and prioritization skills
•    Ability to execute through effective delegation, motivation and oversight considered an asset
•    Sound judgement, and sufficient diplomacy to support the FCEC team and leadership across IWK Health
•    Demonstrated self-starter, decision-maker and problem solver
•    Recognizes time-sensitive and critical issues and ensures a timely response
•    Maintains strong inter and intra-departmental relationships
•    Works independently and as part of a team
•    Strategic knowledge and understanding of corporate needs and expectations
•    Competencies in other languages an asset
 

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management/Non Union  bargaining  unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.