Operations Financial Analyst

About Red Deer

• Red Deer sits at the heart of Central Alberta along the QEII corridor, perfectly
• positioned between Calgary and Edmonton. With more than 100,000 residents and a
• regional reach of over 300,000, it’s a growing hub for business, services, and
• opportunity.

• Here, big-city amenities meet small-city ease. Enjoy abundant parks and trails,
• vibrant arts and culture, excellent recreation and education, and a strong sense
• of community.

• With easy access to lakes, outdoor adventures, and the mountains, plus a
• thriving economy and high quality of life, Red Deer is an inviting place to
• live, work, and grow.

About The City of Red Deer Municipal Government

• The City of Red Deer is a dynamic municipal organization with a $480M operating
• budget, a $60M capital program, and a workforce of nearly 1,700 employees. It is
• focused on growing with purpose by attracting talented, community-minded people
• who want to make a difference.

• Guided by the vision “Our City, One Voice,” Red Deer is building a thriving,
• inclusive, and connected community, with priorities centered on a vibrant
• economy, community wellbeing, and strong engagement.

• At its core, the City values its people, embracing diverse perspectives and
• fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared success

The Opportunity

• The Operations Financial Analyst provides analytical, systems, business process
• and financial support to the Utilities department, helping ensure the long-term
• financial sustainability of Water, Wastewater, Electric, Waste Management, and
• other essential municipal services.

• This position requires the ability to utilize past exposure to business
• environments to successfully manage multiple priorities within a complex utility
• environment, including utility rate modeling, capital and operating budget
• planning, utility reserve management, debt financing analysis, business process
• improvement, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure investment
• decision-making. Reconciliation, analysis and decision making based on complex
• financial data is necessary. Project development and leadership, reporting and
• presentations to senior management, committees and City Council is required to
• support utility rates, capital investment, and strategic infrastructure
• decisions.  An analytical nature, exceptional communication skills, proven
• leadership, superior critical thinking, demonstrated project management, strong
• problem solving and effective persuasion skills are essential in this role. This
• is largely a self-directed position and requires the incumbent to take
• initiative, seek opportunities, exercise a high degree of professional judgment,
• develop strong working relationships and work independently.  Decisions made in
• this role have impact across the department, organization, on City Council and
• the public.

Top Key Responsibilities

• Provide financial analysis, forecasting, budgeting, utility rate modelling

• and reporting to support utility and organizational decision-making,
• including variance analysis, financial projections, business cases, and
• management reports.

• Lead accounting and financial management activities, including account

• reconciliations, complex accounting entries, utility budget development,
• financial monitoring, and interpretation of contracts and agreements.

• Manage and lead utility-focused projects and business improvement

• initiatives, including utility modernization, asset management initiatives,
• process improvements, system enhancements, software evaluations, and
• cross-departmental project coordination.

• Develop, evaluate, and strengthen business processes and internal controls to

• ensure operational efficiency, financial accuracy, risk mitigation, and
• compliance with legislative and accounting standards.

• Research, develop, and interpret utility policies, procedures, bylaws and

• legislation, providing guidance and training to departments on financial,
• business, and regulatory requirements.

• Build and maintain stakeholder relationships by collaborating with internal

• departments, supporting external partners and customers, facilitating
• training, and resolving complex issues and inquiries.

• Coach and mentor staff by providing expertise on financial processes,

business operations, and continuous improvement initiatives.

As our preferred candidate, you will have

• Chartered Professional accounting designation (CPA) and a university degree

• with a focus in business, accounting or project management. Equivalent
• education and experience may be considered.

• Five years’ progressively related experience in a sophisticated and

• integrated system environment preferably in a large organization, with a
• strong knowledge of business models, decision making tools, accounting
• principles, financial and management systems and business processes.

Demonstrated experience in the following areas

• Project management including coordination and leadership of

multi-disciplinary teams

• Business process development and documentation
• Development and monitoring of internal controls
• Risk and gap analysis, critical thinking and evaluation of complex utility,

financial, regulatory and infrastructure funding concepts

• Formal report preparation, including utility rate impacts, financial impact

analysis and evaluation and recommendation of alternatives

• Proficiency in MS Excel and MS Word. Familiarity with MS Access, MS

PowerPoint and MS Outlook

• Proven aptitude for understanding software system configurations and

operations.

The following experience would be considered an asset

• Experience with internal or external auditing
• Implementation experience for systems including setup and testing
• Experience in municipal fund accounting including the requirements of the MGA

(Municipal Government Act) and PSAS (Public Sector Accounting Standards)

• Experience with forecasting and variance analysis
• Exposure to interpreting and applying complex legislation
• Exposure to financial accounting and other software including JD Edwards, EPM

Cloud & Tempest.

• In addition to the 9 Core Competencies identified for all employees of the City
• of Red Deer, following are specifically required in the position:

• Ability to listen effectively to understand the needs of a wide range of

users, synthesize information and prepare and present analyses and business

cases to support recommendations

• Superior demonstrated accuracy and attention to detail.
• Apply advanced accounting and business management principles, knowledge and

• skills to the maintenance of a multifaceted set of accounting, budgeting and
• management records.

• Perform financial and budgetary analyses, prepare complete financial reports

and complex account reconciliation.

• Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with the public, other

• City departments and agencies, including during situations of conflict.  Must
• regularly communicate with customers, contractors, suppliers and other
• organizations such as the City’s external auditors, legal providers, etc.

• Ability to work with considerable independence and to demonstrate initiative

and resourcefulness in establishing and achieving business objectives.

• Handle sensitive and confidential subject matter, which, if improperly

handled, could have a significant negative impact on the City.

• Prioritize, plan, organize and react in situations of competing activities to

ensure deadlines and goals are achieved efficiently and effectively.

• Display strong interpersonal, teamwork and flexibility skills.
• Create and maintain a safe work place, adhering to the policies and

procedures outlined by the City.

• Demonstrate leadership and actively participate in building a respectful

workplace environment.

Affiliation

Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 417

Remuneration

$51.72 to $54.44 per hour.

Hours of Work

• 75 hours biweekly, Monday to Friday. Some evening and weekend work may be
• required.

• The City of Red Deer does not permit the use of unauthorized internet resources
• or Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools  (for example, Copilot, ChatGPT or any
• other form of AI) during interviews or any supervised or timed assessments.  Any
• violation may be investigated and result in serious consequences, including the
• rejection of your application.

• We thank you for your application. Only those selected for an interview will be
• contacted.

• We are a municipal government, eager to meet tomorrow's challenges. Our
• employees are the cornerstone of our organization. We are always seeking
• creative and skilled individuals with the ability and desire to lead in our
• dynamic workplace. Each of our employees brings diverse experiences and
• perspectives, as well as unique skills and talents to the job. Our diverse
• employee base ensures an environment where individual, team, and organizational
• successes are embraced and celebrated. We strive to ensure a supportive and
• respectful work environment for all. Employees are treated fairly and have equal
• opportunity within the organization to thrive and attain their highest
• potential. We welcome your application and look forward to discussing how The
• City of Red Deer can become your next career choice.