Vice President, Finance & Business Operations

CONTEXT

At Make-A-Wish® Canada, we’re redefining how the world perceives wishes through our transformative new brand platform: Wishes Are Medicine. Grounded in research, this platform recognizes what we’ve long known to be true — that wishes have measurable healing power. When prescribed alongside medical treatment, wishes reduce stress, elevate endorphins, limit emergency room visits, and deliver lasting health benefits.

With more than 3,500 children still waiting and a new child diagnosed with a critical illness in Canada every two hours, our mission has never been more urgent — and there are many more prescriptions to fill.

To meet this challenge, we’ve launched our new three-year strategic plan — Wishes Are Medicine: One Team, One Mission — focused intentionally on financial sustainability, mission impact, and operational excellence. When a child is facing a critical illness, a wish isn’t just a moment of joy — it’s a medically supported turning point. Studies show that children who receive a wish are 2.5 times less likely to have unplanned hospital visits and 1.9 times less likely to need the ER, with 100% of physicians agreeing that a wish can be a pivotal moment in treatment.  

At Make-A-Wish Canada, you can play a lead role in bringing these powerful prescriptions to life. Where Wishes Are Medicine, transformation becomes a pathway to healing at scale — and this role is your opportunity to architect that future.

Our ambition to reach more children and families requires a strong financial and operational foundation. As Vice President, Finance & Business Operations, you will help shape that foundation, bringing strategic leadership to financial planning, investments, risk, governance and the services that enable our organization to thrive. You will turn insight into action, strengthen how resources are invested and managed, and help build a more resilient, disciplined and mission-driven organization.

At Make-A-Wish Canada, you’ll join a team united by a shared mission and an unwavering sense of possibility. Every role — whether advancing fundraising, brand, operations, or technology — helps fuel the same trajectory: transforming how hope and healing come to life for children and families nationwide. If you’re ready to help build a future where every eligible child receives the wish that helps them heal, we invite you to read on.

ROLE OVERVIEW

We’re seeking a Vice President, Finance & Business Operations, a strategic and forward-thinking leader who will help shape the next chapter of Make-A-Wish Canada. This is more than a finance role; it’s an opportunity to strengthen the financial and operational foundation that will enable our mission to grow sustainably.

As a key member of our Senior Leadership Team, and reporting to the Senior Vice President, Transformation & Operations, you will bring together financial strategy, business operations, analytics, risk and governance to strengthen how we plan, invest and make decisions. You’ll provide the insight and discipline to steward our resources responsibly, improve organizational performance, and build the capabilities needed to support sustainable growth and greater mission impact.

If you bring financial acumen, business curiosity and enterprise thinking, and believe the strongest organizations pair ambition with discipline, this is your opportunity to help build the foundation from which our mission can grow and bring the power of Wishes Are Medicine to more children and families across Canada.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Shape Financial Strategy: Lead budgeting, forecasting, multi-year financial planning, and financial modelling. Translate insights into scenarios and recommendations that guide sustainable, mission-aligned decisions over a three-to-five-year time horizon.

Steward Assets and Investments: Oversee financial assets, treasury, and investment portfolio performance in accordance with policy, ensuring disciplined stewardship and informed decision-making.

Strengthen Governance and Reporting: Provide clear financial reporting to the Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team, support the Finance & Audit Committee, and ensure sound governance, audit readiness, and compliance with CRA and other regulatory obligations.

Advance Enterprise Risk Management: Maintain the enterprise risk register, strengthen internal controls, and lead business continuity and disaster recovery planning to protect the organization’s assets, reputation, and long-term sustainability.

Modernize Financial Capability: Build stronger modelling, analytics, systems, and processes that improve forecasting, performance visibility, operational efficiency, and organizational decision-making.

Lead Business Services: Oversee property management, leases, contracts, insurance, and related business services. Balance operational efficiency and financial sustainability with investments in organizational capability and a safe, supportive workplace.

Oversee Gift and Donation Administration: Ensure sound systems and processes for restricted giving, endowments, estates, and other complex giving structures, coordinating closely with development teams to support stewardship and compliance.

Advise and Partner: Serve as a trusted advisor to the Senior Vice President, Transformation & Operations, the CEO, and leadership colleagues on finance, risk, and business operations. Bring an enterprise lens to strategic planning and execution.

Guide and Develop Talent: Build, coach, and lead a high-performing Finance and Business Operations team, creating clarity, accountability, collaboration, and opportunities for growth.

Champion One Team Leadership: Model One Mission, One Team leadership by working across functions and geographies, breaking down silos, celebrating collective wins, and leading with empathy, inclusion, accountability, and purpose.

Represent the Mission: Act as a visible and trusted ambassador with auditors, advisors, donors, partners, community leaders, and other stakeholders, supporting the Foundation’s presence and mission across Canada.

WHAT YOU BRING

You’re a strategic finance leader who pairs sound technical judgment with business curiosity and a hands-on approach. You move with ease between long-term vision and operational detail, helping leaders see the story behind the numbers and make bold, disciplined choices that bring the power of wishes to more children.

Proven Financial Leadership: 10+ years of progressive leadership in nonprofit financial management, with a track record of stewarding complex budgets, investments, assets, and financial operations in service of a bigger mission.

Strategic Insight: Demonstrated strength in financial planning, forecasting, scenario analysis, and investment and treasury management, building the modelling capability that connects strategy, data, and execution.

Strong Credentials: A CPA designation, supported by a bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or a related field, equipping you to lead with rigour and credibility.

Governance and Compliance Expertise: Advanced knowledge of nonprofit financial management, CRA requirements, GAAP, audits, internal controls, insurance, and board and committee governance — the discipline that protects trust in our mission.

Enterprise Risk and Business Operations Excellence: Experience in enterprise risk management, business continuity, procurement, contracts, property, insurance, and service delivery across a national or multi-site organization, building a resilient foundation for growth.

Gift Administration Knowledge: Experience overseeing restricted giving, endowments, estates, and other complex donation structures, with a deep understanding of donor stewardship and the financial processing that honours every gift.

Collaborative People Leadership: A track record of recruiting, coaching, and developing multidisciplinary teams, building trust across functions and rallying people around shared goals.

Clear and Credible Communication: The ability to turn complex financial and risk information into practical insight for executives, board members, auditors, volunteers, donors, and cross-functional partners.

Inspiring, Values-Driven Leadership: Deep alignment with our mission and a commitment to responsible stewardship, inclusion, and collaboration — a spirit that motivates teams, breaks down silos, and creates life-changing experiences for children and families facing critical illnesses.

HOW TO APPLY

If everything you’ve read so far sounds like you, we encourage you to apply. Please visit the Make-A-Wish Canada candidate portal for current posting details and the application deadline.

Make-A-Wish Canada provides equal opportunity in employment and encourages applications from all qualified candidates. Reasonable accommodations due to disability are available on request at any stage of the hiring process.

OUR COMMITMENT TO IDEA

Make-A-Wish Canada is committed to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA). We believe it is essential to our mission that we build a diverse, balanced, and vibrant workforce that reflects the communities we serve and seek to serve. Research has shown that candidates from underrepresented groups often apply only when they feel 100% qualified. Even if you do not see yourself fully reflected in every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Once applications are reviewed, shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Our typical process includes a phone screen, two interview rounds, reference checking, an offer, and a criminal background check for the successful candidate. We thank all applicants for their interest in working with us.