Internal Controller

Job Profile

Under the direction of the Treasurer, the Internal Controller is responsible for developing City's internal control to ensure all the City's policies, procedures, practices and structure are in place. The position performs various types of internal audits and reviews within the City and reports on recommendations, focusing on effectiveness, efficiency, or control improvements, including potential cost savings.

The Internal Controller sets the tone of the City's control environment to identify and analyze relevant risks to achieve the objectives and determine how the risks should be managed and monitored. Control environments include integrity, operating style, and organizational authority.

Education and Experience

• Must have a four-year university degree in Accounting.
• Minimum of four-years of related experience.
• Must have a Certified Professional Accounting designation.
• Knowledge of internal control objectives, internal control activities and internal control assessment practices.
• Thorough knowledge of finance processes and a good understanding of municipal financial processes; and familiarity with and ability to interpret legislation and regulations relating to municipal accounting.
• Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills to think broadly, plan and develop objectives, conduct analyses, resolve issues, and make significant recommendations and decisions.
• Advanced knowledge of financial and other business systems and skills in spreadsheet, word processing and database software.
• Highly organized in order to schedule workflow, meetings, and determine critical paths for each engagement in a self-directed work environment.
• Ability to prepare detailed and summary reports for senior management and City Council detailing the findings and recommendations of audits and reviews performed.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise judgement in handling confidential and sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Verifies that management actions comply with Federal, Provincial, and Municipal Laws, rules, regulations, and ordinances and make related recommendations Interprets and guides procurement policies and guidelines.
• Investigates serious control issues, such as potential fraud, theft, breach of security, privacy or confidentiality with potential labour relations implications and reports findings.
• Conducts internal audit and provide independent and objective evaluation of financial and operational activities including examining financial statements, expense reports, inventory, financial data, budgeting and accounting practices, as well as creating risk assessments for each department.
• Conducts operational audits of corporate activities to determine efficiencies and effectiveness of the practices and standards implemented by management, ensures achievement of corporate goals and objectives by using appropriate audit techniques.
• Able to be the internal control resource for the City for new processes and assist the Project Managers with implementing strong project management financial and operational controls. This will involve reviewing Council agendas for new activities, meeting with Accounting Staff to identify new revenue streams and expenses and generally be aware of the City's operations.
• Able to identify control objectives by identifying gaps in critical controls. Work with departments to determine if compensating controls exist and develop recommendations. Assess the adequacy of internal control design by interviewing employees, reviewing work schedules, verifying physical assets and financial statements to eliminate potentially damaging errors or falsehoods, and finding ways to boost productivity.
• Control activities through policies and procedures, in narrative and flowchart format, the City's key financial processes. This will focus on key processes such as authorizations, verifications, reconciliations, reviews of operating performance. Security of assets and segregation of duties. Perform a walk-through of the process to ensure that the process is functioning as described.
• Prepare reports to Senior Management and Council. Be prepared to answer questions from Senior Management as well as the external auditors.

Additional Details

This position offers an annual salary of $96,943.72 - $122,713.57, along with a competitive benefits package complete with extended health and dental benefits, and enrollment in OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System) pension plan.

The health, safety and well-being of City of Sarnia employees is paramount, and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, additional measures have been implemented throughout the corporation to protect our employees and ensure their continued health and safety. On September 13, 2021, the City of Sarnia implemented a Mandatory Vaccination Policy, which states that new employees to the City are required to be fully vaccinated on their first day of employment.

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