Director, Shared Services

Are you a strategic financial leader with experience overseeing complex, multi-region shared services functions? Do you have strong expertise in payroll, billing, accounts receivable, and accounts payable, with the ability to drive operational efficiency, compliance, and strong internal controls? If you thrive in a fast-paced, growing organization and enjoy partnering across Finance, HR, and Operations to build scalable processes and high-performing teams, we want to hear from you!

The Universal Group, recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed companies in 2026, has an exciting opportunity in our Finance team. The Director, Shared Services provides strategic leadership and oversight of the organization’s Shared Services functions, including Payroll, Billing, Accounts Receivable, and Accounts Payable, supporting a large, multi-region, field-based workforce across Canada and the United States. This role is responsible for driving scalable, efficient, and compliant financial operations while strengthening internal controls and service delivery across the organization.

The Director serves as a key partner to Finance, HR, and Operations, leading complex payroll and collective bargaining agreement requirements, supporting the integration of newly acquired entities, and partnering with Treasury to optimize cash flow. The role also provides financial and operational guidance on complex accounting matters and leads, develops, and builds high-performing teams through coaching, succession planning, and performance management.

• Provide strategic leadership for the Shared Services functions, including Payroll, Billing, Accounts Receivable, and Accounts Payable, delivering accurate, efficient, and cost-effective services while fostering employee engagement, high performance, and strong staff retention.
• Lead the payroll function for a large, field-based workforce, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely payroll while overseeing the interpretation and application of complex operational requirements and multiple collective bargaining agreements.
• Serve as the key liaison between Operations, HR, Finance, and other stakeholders to design scalable payroll and billing solutions, resolve complex business challenges, and align processes across multiple divisions while balancing employee experience, operational effectiveness, compliance, and financial objectives.
• Lead the integration of newly acquired entities into the Shared Services model by assessing business processes, standardizing operations, implementing appropriate controls, and ensuring a seamless transition that supports operational excellence.
• Drive enterprise-wide process optimization, continuous improvement initiatives, and system implementations that enhance efficiency, scalability, service delivery, and internal controls.
• Lead the evolution and adoption of Shared Services best practices across all regions (Canada & US) while promoting standardized processes and data governance.
• Provide strategic accounting support by advising on complex accounting matters, financial impacts, reconciliations, technical accounting issues, and process improvements to ensure accurate financial reporting and strong internal controls.
• Overseeing compliant accounts payable processes, including appropriate approval workflows and three-way matching where applicable and ensuring compliance with the organization’s authority levels and corporate financial policies.
• Partner with Treasury to optimize cash flow through oversight of accounts payable disbursements, accounts receivable collections, and working capital management.

• Support the Vice President, Finance in…