VP, Financial Planning & Analysis

at  autoTRADERca

TRADER Corporation is a trusted Canadian leader in online media, dealer and lender services. The company is comprised of AutoTrader.ca, AutoSync and Dealertrack Canada. AutoTrader.ca (AutoHebdo.net in Quebec) offers the largest inventory of new cars and used cars in Canada, receiving over 25 million monthly visits to its marketplace. With over 3,500 subscribers and counting, AutoSync is the largest and fastest growing dealer and OEM software provider in Canada. The platform’s suite of connected automotive software solutions brings advertising, conversion and operational support together, synchronizing the entire retail process. AutoSync’s diverse range of offerings includes: vAuto, EasyDeal, xtime, Motoinsight, Activix, TAdvantage and TRFFK. Dealertrack is Canada’s largest automotive financing portal, enhancing efficiency and profitability for all major segments of the automotive, marine, recreational vehicle, motorcycle and powersport retail industries. Over 6.5 million credit applications are submitted via the Dealertrack Canada portal each year. Visit tradercorporation.com to learn more..
Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Vice President, FP&A will be a key member of the finance leadership team focused on providing a broad range of ad-hoc financial and business analysis support. This is an opportunity to work on exciting new projects and initiatives, along with the CEO, CFO, and others in the executive team.
TRADER is seeking a dynamic and experienced FP&A executive to join the company’s Corporate Finance team in a key leadership role. The incoming VP, FP&A will take on a mandate to lead financial planning and analysis for the consolidated entity of Trader Corporation (comprising of AutoTrader.ca, AutoSync, and DealerTrack)This leader will be a key contributor to driving the ongoing growth of the organization. The role will proactively analyze business performance and key performance metrics to provide analytical, strategic, and financial support to senior leadership across the company, particularly as it relates to growth opportunities (organic and M&A). The VP, FP&A will be primarily focused on business partnership, but will oversee the preparation of the Trader Corporation Consolidated quarterly forecast, the annual budgeting process, and the long-term planning process. The incoming FP&A leader will also spearhead change and the implementation of new systems in order to ensure the company is accessing the data it needs in a timely manner.
The ideal candidate is a strategic, process-oriented finance leader and team-builder with a strong service orientation and a broad base of experience across the finance function. The incoming VP, FP&A will have demonstrated success in overseeing the annual budget process in a rapidly growing company, prioritizing funding requests based on company goals and objectives. A track record of success building strong working relationships across an organization is a must have – as is success in providing relevant, timely, and meaningful information to the CEO, CFO, and other relevant decision-makers. Experience working within a rapidly growing, complex technology company is preferred, ideally within the context of private equity ownership. The ideal candidate must be able to operate strategically and tactically in a fast-paced, dynamic, and flat organization.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EXPERIENCE:

‒ Undergraduate degree in a business-related field; MBA or an equivalent advanced degree an asset.
‒ Significant number of years in a senior-level FP&A role.
‒ Proven ability to be a strong internal business partner with a collaborative business focus.
‒ Strong analytical and methodical decision-making approach and mindset.
‒ Excellent interpersonal skills, including effective communication, presentation, and influencing capabilities.
‒ Strong financial and business savvy, creative thinking skills, and a desire to add value.
‒ Curious and continuously looking for ways to challenge/improve the status quo.
‒ Self-starter with the ability to rapidly adapt to change and deliver under minimal supervision.

‒ Participating in and supporting business initiatives with the C-Suite and other senior leaders, by building business cases, providing insights, and making recommendations.
‒ Partnering with leaders across the organization to inform key strategic decisions.
‒ Developing insightful analysis on ongoing business trends to be shared with senior executives and the Board of Directors.
‒ Supporting operational activities and partnerships through sound financial and non-financial analysis.
‒ Benchmarking financial results and operating metrics with key competitors.
‒ Acting as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor by keeping current on industry and competitor trends and best practices.
Additional responsibilities include the following:
‒ Acting as the financial ‘analytical engine’ for the marketplace business and company broadly, putting in place systems and processes for financial data governance to ensure the FP&A function is providing value to decision-makers in the organization.
‒ Developing and driving key strategic priorities cross-functionally to conduct analysis and turn data into insights.
‒ Leading the gathering and/or synthesis of key strategic market intelligence, financial data, and operational analytics; playing a key role in monitoring the global economic and competitive environment to identify key trends and strategic business opportunities.
‒ Overseeing and directing analytical work and project management in support of delivery and execution of enterprise-wide strategic initiatives.
‒ Developing and maintaining financial models and scenario analysis to support investment decision-making processes related to corporate development activities.
‒ Partnering cross-functionally to provide analytical and modeling support for ongoing M&A.
‒ Acting as a strategic business partner, overseeing the management of operational reporting and analytics to enable informed decision-making, along with identifying opportunities for improved financial and business performance.
‒ Partnering with financial reporting colleagues to ensure seamless delivery of just-in-time financial reporting and variance to budget owners.
‒ Leading a team to provide KPI measurement and tracking as it pertains to commercial performance.
‒ Ensuring that all reporting employees operate congruent with company values, policies, and procedures.
‒ Providing leadership to the financial planning and analysis team, focusing on continual performance improvement, change management, staff development, coaching, and succession planning; communicating clear expectations to direct reports, managing performance, and providing support to team members as required.
‒ Leading and overseeing the implementation of new enterprise-wide business/financial systems; standardizing and streamlining FP&A programs, practices, roles, and responsibilities.