Vice President Finance

Vice President of Finance – Canada

Location: Calgary, AB

Company: Hero Canada Foods Inc.

About Hero Canada Foods

Hero Canada Foods is a leading branded food company and part of the international Hero Group, headquartered in Switzerland. In Canada, Hero is known for its successful portfolio of brands including Baby Gourmet, Simply Gourmet, and Goodies. Hero Canada combines local entrepreneurial agility with the scale, expertise, and long-term perspective of an international food group and is investing in systems, processes, commercial capabilities, and organizational maturity to support profitable growth.

Role Summary

Hero Canada Foods is seeking a VP of Finance to lead all finance activities in Canada and serve as a key member of the leadership team. Reporting to the General Manager and partnering closely with Hero Group Finance, the VP Finance provides strategic financial leadership while maintaining a strong connection to the commercial and operational drivers of the business.

The VP Finance supports the General Manager in shaping strategy, setting priorities, evaluating opportunities, and navigating day-to-day operational decisions. The role provides clear financial guidance and constructive challenges while remaining close enough to the work to turn insight into action quickly.

The VP Finance will actively partner with the Commercial Finance Manager on pricing, customer profitability, trade investment, forecasting, and business case development, providing both strategic guidance and direct analytical support as needed. At the same time, they will lead a transactional accounting team consisting of a Senior Accountant, an Accounts Payable Accountant, and an Accounts Receivable Accountant, ensuring accurate reporting, disciplined controls, and reliable execution.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Partner to the General Manager

• Act as the General Manager’s trusted finance adviser on business strategy, growth priorities, organizational choices, investments, risks, and operational trade-offs.
• Provide practical, fact-based guidance on day-to-day business matters, combining strategic perspective with an understanding of operational detail.
• Translate financial and commercial information into clear choices, recommendations, scenarios, and actions for the General Manager and leadership team.
• Constructively challenge assumptions and help align local decisions with Hero Canada’s objectives and Hero Group expectations.
• Support the development and execution of the Canadian strategy, including profitable growth, margin improvement, cash generation, and operating profit protection.

2. Hands-on Commercial Finance Leadership

• Lead and actively support the Commercial Finance Manager, providing coaching, prioritization, technical guidance, and direct practical assistance.
• Lead financial analysis related to pricing, customer profitability, trade investment, promotions, and margin optimization, personally reviewing and supporting detailed financial models where appropriate.
• Personally review, adjust, and, where required, build or manipulate detailed Excel-based pricing and commercial models rather than operating only at review level.
• Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Operations to improve decision quality and visibility of margins, cost drivers, pricing impacts, working capital, and profitability.
• Ensure financial analysis is commercially relevant, technically sound, timely, and converted into clear recommendations.

3. Planning, Forecasting & Performance Management

• Lead the annual budgeting process, rolling forecasts, performance reviews, and longer-term financial projections.
• Connect commercial assumptions, supply chain realities, operating costs, and strategic initiatives into an integrated financial plan.
• Monitor business performance, identify emerging gaps and opportunities, and establish corrective measures with accountable business owners.
• Prepare clear reporting and decision materials for the General Manager, Canadian leadership team, Board, and Hero Group stakeholders.
• Use scenario planning and sensitivity analysis to support decisions under uncertainty.

4. Accounting, Reporting & Transactional Finance Leadership

• Lead the Senior Accountant, Accounts Payable Accountant, and Accounts Receivable Accountant, establishing clear ownership, priorities, service standards, and controls.
• Oversee monthly, quarterly, and year-end close and ensure timely, accurate, and transparent reporting to local management and Hero Group.
• Ensure accurate accounting in accordance with applicable accounting standards and Hero Group reporting requirements.
• Maintain a strong internal-control environment across order-to-cash, procure-to-pay, record-to-report, payroll, inventory, and treasury processes.
• Remain sufficiently close to transactional workflows to resolve issues, remove bottlenecks, improve quality, and provide hands-on support during peak periods or complex matters.
• Drive pragmatic process improvements, automation, clear documentation, and stronger use of systems and data.

5. Cash Flow, Working Capital & Risk Management

• Own cash flow planning, liquidity, and working capital performance, with focused management of receivables, payables, inventory, and operating commitments.
• Identify and manage financial and operational exposures, including insurance, contracts, customer and supplier risk, and foreign exchange where relevant.
• Support capital allocation, funding, and investment decisions with disciplined financial analysis and recommendations.
• Serve as the primary financial steward of the Canadian business, ensuring decisions support sustainable value creation and alignment with Hero Group objectives.

6. Compliance, Tax & Governance

• Ensure compliance with national, provincial, local, and Hero Group financial requirements.
• Coordinate external audit, tax, payroll, benefits, legal, insurance, and advisory partners as required.
• Oversee statutory filings, tax compliance, transfer pricing support, corporate governance requirements, and Group reporting obligations.
• Ensure appropriate documentation, approval authorities, and segregation-of-duties or compensating controls are maintained.

7. Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Build one connected finance team across commercial finance and accounting, balancing business partnership with reliable transaction processing and control.
• Build finance talent and organizational capability through coaching, development planning, succession management, and cross-functional business exposure.
• Develop the Commercial Finance Manager as a strong business partner while remaining available for detailed technical and modelling support.
• Create a working culture that values accuracy, pace, ownership, practical problem-solving, continuous improvement, and constructive challenge.
• Provide clear goals, coaching, feedback, succession planning, and development opportunities.

Team Structure

• Reports to: General Manager, Hero Canada
• Functional connection: Hero Group Finance
• Direct leadership over: Commercial Finance Manager; Senior Accountant; Accounts Payable Accountant; Accounts Receivable Accountant

Required Qualifications & Experience

• CPA designation strongly preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive finance and accounting experience, including meaningful senior finance leadership responsibility.
• Experience serving as a CFO, VP Finance, Finance Director, or equivalent senior finance leader within a growth-oriented, lean operating environment.
• Strong commercial finance experience with demonstrated depth in pricing, customer profitability, trade investment, financial modelling, budgeting, forecasting, and performance management.
• Advanced Excel capability and willingness to work directly in detailed models and analyses.
• Strong technical foundation in financial reporting, accounting, internal controls, cash flow, working capital, audit, tax, and compliance.
• Experience leading both commercially oriented finance professionals and transactional accounting teams.
• Experience in an international or cross-border business environment; CPG, food, manufacturing, distribution, or branded consumer products experience preferred.
• Experience leading finance process improvements, ERP implementations, reporting enhancements, and finance transformation initiatives.

Key Competencies

• Strategic and commercial mindset
• Hands-on analytical and problem-solving capability
• Influence and stakeholder management
• Financial stewardship and risk management
• Leadership and talent development
• Continuous improvement orientation
• Executive communication and presentation skills
• High integrity and sound judgment
• Financial modelling, analytical, and technical accounting capability