Director, Operations and Strategic Initiatives

Director, Operations & Strategic Initiatives

About VSR Canada

VSR Canada is a Montréal-based professional services firm specializing in anti-money laundering, financial crime prevention, regulatory compliance, and risk management for financial institutions.

Our operations span multiple jurisdictions, with teams responsible for customer due diligence, financial crime investigations, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and other specialized compliance functions.

We are seeking an experienced Director to manage day-to-day operations, strengthen management accountability, and lead operational and strategic initiatives.

This senior leadership position offers substantial autonomy, direct access to the President, and influence over the organization's direction.

The Position

We seek an established manager with strong leadership experience, sound judgment, and the ability to resolve complex operational problems independently. The successful candidate must assume substantial responsibility from the outset, without extensive supervision or basic management development.

The role requires a strong understanding of regulated financial services and the judgment to resolve matters independently or recognize when executive attention is warranted.

Principal Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

- Assume responsibility for the day-to-day management and coordination of operational functions across multiple locations.

- Directly supervise departmental managers, establish clear expectations, and hold them accountable for the performance of their teams.

- Independently investigate and resolve operational problems, including complex matters involving multiple departments or competing priorities.

- Identify weaknesses in management practices, workflows, and internal controls, and implement practical corrective measures.

- Establish meaningful performance indicators for productivity, quality, timeliness, and resource utilization.

- Ensure that operational decisions are consistent, well-reasoned, and appropriately documented.

- Improve decision-making and accountability throughout the organization, reducing unnecessary escalation of routine matters.

Personnel and Organizational Management

- Oversee recruitment, staffing requirements, employee performance, disciplinary matters, and personnel development.

- Manage difficult employee relations and performance issues with fairness, confidence, and sound judgment.

- Evaluate departmental management effectiveness and implement changes where necessary.

- Identify weaknesses in staffing structures and recommend organizational improvements.

- Develop clear lines of responsibility and promote a culture of accountability, professionalism, and independent problem-solving.

- Ensure that managers receive appropriate direction and are equipped to resolve matters within their authority.

- Support succession planning and the development of stronger management capabilities throughout the organization.

Compliance Operations and Quality Oversight

- Oversee operational functions involving customer due diligence, enhanced due diligence, transaction monitoring, financial crime investigations, sanctions screening, and related compliance activities.

- Evaluate the quality of operational decisions and identify weaknesses in investigative reasoning, risk assessments, internal processes, and management oversight.

- Ensure that operational activities are conducted consistently with applicable policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.

- Coordinate corrective measures arising from quality assurance findings, internal reviews, and identified control deficiencies.

- Review significant operational and compliance issues and provide clear, evidence-based recommendations when escalation is necessary.

- Work with designated compliance officers to ensure that regulatory decisions and reserved compliance responsibilities remain with appropriately authorized personnel.

- Promote consistent standards of analytical quality, professional judgment, and operational effectiveness.

Strategic Initiatives and Organizational Improvement

- Lead operational and organizational improvement projects from planning through implementation.

- Collaborate with the President on AI, automation, and technology initiatives, coordinating their operational implementation and adoption across teams.

- Identify opportunities to improve productivity, reduce unnecessary administrative work, and allocate resources more effectively.

- Coordinate employees, managers, technical personnel, and external service providers to achieve agreed project objectives.

- Establish realistic project plans, assign accountability, monitor progress, and resolve obstacles to implementation.

- Evaluate the operational and financial impact of proposed changes.

- Report concisely on material issues, results, and decisions requiring executive involvement.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Candidates must have substantial experience managing complex operations in financial services or a comparable regulated environment.

The successful candidate will possess:

- At least eight years of relevant professional experience, including significant responsibility for operational management and direct supervision of employees and managers.

- Demonstrated leadership experience within banking, payment services, fintech, financial crime prevention, fraud operations, compliance, or financial-services risk management.

- Practical knowledge of anti-money laundering requirements, customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, financial crime investigations, and regulatory control frameworks.

- Proven experience independently resolving complex operational and personnel matters.

- Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate professional work, challenge recommendations, and identify deficiencies in analysis or decision-making.

- Experience implementing organizational improvements and delivering measurable operational results.

- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, including the ability to understand unfamiliar issues quickly and develop practical solutions.

- Experience managing significant projects involving multiple stakeholders, organizational change, or technology implementation.

- Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to prepare clear, concise, and well-reasoned communications.

- A university degree in a relevant discipline or an equivalent combination of education and substantial professional experience.

Language requirement: Excellent English is required for direct communication with teams, managers, and professional counterparts in jurisdictions where French is not the common working language. The Director must supervise international teams, review complex English-language compliance matters, and coordinate cross-border projects independently.

Previous experience as a Director, Head of Operations, Senior Manager, or in a comparable leadership position is strongly preferred.

Experience directly supervising AML, fraud prevention, or financial crime compliance operations will be considered a significant advantage.

Personal Attributes

- Exceptional analytical ability, intellectual curiosity, and independent critical thinking.

- Sound professional judgment and the confidence to make difficult decisions.

- A practical, results-oriented approach to operational management.

- The ability to challenge assumptions and recognize weaknesses in established practices.

- A high degree of personal accountability and ownership of assigned responsibilities.

- Confidence and maturity when dealing with employee performance problems and difficult management situations.

- The ability to distinguish material risks and priorities from routine administrative issues.

- Strong organizational skills and the capacity to manage competing responsibilities without constant direction.

- Integrity, discretion, fairness, and professional maturity.

Expectations for the Role

The successful candidate will receive an orientation to VSR Canada's operations, systems, and policies, but must apply established management experience and judgment independently.

During the initial months, the Director will be expected to establish effective oversight of departmental operations, identify priority areas for improvement, assume responsibility for routine management and personnel matters, and begin implementing agreed operational changes.

Work Location

This is a full-time, on-site leadership position based at our Montréal office. The Director is expected to maintain an active presence in the office, provide direct supervision and support to departmental managers, and remain closely involved in daily operational activities.

Compensation

The annual base salary is CAD $130,000–$140,000, based on relevant experience and qualifications.

The position offers substantial autonomy, decision-making authority, and involvement in organizational strategy and operational improvement.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit a résumé and a cover letter to info [at] vsradvisory.net describing their relevant operational and management experience.

Applicants should provide examples of complex operational problems resolved, organizational improvements implemented, and experience managing employee performance.

Shortlisted candidates will complete interviews and practical assessments of analytical ability, management judgment, financial-services knowledge, and independent problem-solving.