What This Role Involves:

As a Credit Counsellor, you are passionate about providing support, care, and guidance to clients who come to CCS seeking help with managing their finances. Specifically, you’ll help them find a solution to resolve their debt, including overcoming barriers and supporting them in moving forward to achieve their financial goals.

You help your clients better understand their monthly income and expenses, and after exploring their overall financial situation, you offer hope by providing and suggesting suitable options to help them successfully resolve their debts.  In many cases, you will also offer ongoing support to clients as they begin a Debt Management Program, which allows them to pay off their debts with interest relief.

You will be an ongoing resource for the clients in your portfolio, answering their questions and following up as needed to support them in successfully completing their program and achieving their financial goals.

As part of our commitment to a consistent, high quality counselling experience for our clients, successful candidates will be supported with a thorough training experience and will be required to complete the Accredited Financial Counsellor Canada (AFCC) certification program within two years of their start date.

Given the fact that we support our clients in both of Canada's official languages, fluency in French is a requirement for this position, and fluency in other languages are also an asset. 

What We Have To Offer:

The starting salary for this role in the city of Ottawa is $58,225, but may fluctuate based on geography, as well as previous education and experience.

In addition, we offer an annual salary review process each January, so the successful candidate can expect to receive regular increases to their salary, subject to meeting established performance objectives.

We are proud to qualify as a Great Place to Work! Our employees love the close-knit team environment and the commitment to work-life balance, which includes a 35 hour work week and generous time off provisions!  It’s important to us that every member of our team feels safe, supported, and respected at work. To support this goal, we are an Employer Partner of the Canadian Centre for Diversity & Inclusion (CCDI), offering every member of our team a chance to learn more about the role we all play in creating that space together.

In addition, we are all rewarded by the meaningful work we do, and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our clients each day.  Our team has the opportunity to work remotely on a hybrid basis, and even though we aren’t in the same office, we have chat groups and activities supported by our Culture Club, to offer our team the chance to develop relationships and have some fun at work too!

In addition to a great workplace culture, our employee experience and compensation package includes:

• A comprehensive health and wellness benefits package, including $850/year for prescription coverage, $3,150/year for a Health Spending Account, $300/year for a Wellness Spending Account, and $300/year for a myFlex benefit to be allocated between the Health and Wellness Spending accounts to best meet each employee's needs. (These budgets are prorated to the date you become eligible for benefits.)
• Long term savings program with employer matching (starting at 5%).
• Educational reimbursements (up to $2,500/year).
• Three weeks vacation to start, plus 3 CCS days to use at your discretion and 6 Sick/Personal Days each year. (Time off budgets are prorated in your first year with CCS.)
• Celebration of personal and organizational milestones, including a paid day off when moving or getting married, as well as gifts for important events like having a child or celebrating a milestone service anniversary.
• Employee and family assistance program through Inkblot Therapy, offering counselling support as well as a wide variety of support resources.
• The opportunity to participate in our two-level employee development program and supplemental mentoring relationships to support those interested in furthering their professional growth.

What We Are Looking For:

The successful applicant for this position will bring the following qualifications and skills:

• Excellent communication & interpersonal skills, demonstrating a genuine desire to help people and work as part of a team.
• Strong goal orientation, motivated by achieving objectives and supporting others in meeting their goals as well.
• Ability to influence others, addressing and overcoming objections.
• Strong organizational abilities, including capacity for multitasking, prioritization, and time management. 
• Post-secondary degree or diploma is considered an asset.
• Three to five years of experience in the financial, counselling, social services, or related industries.
• Fluency in additional languages is an asset for this role. Should candidates have fluency in French, language testing will be conducted as a component of the recruitment process.
• Availability to work variable shifts, scheduled between 7:30 am – 8:00 pm (local time).
• Fluency in French is a requirement for this role. Language testing will be a component of the recruitment process for candidates.

Who We Are:

CCS is an accredited non-profit organization that offers support to clients who are encountering financial challenges. Every year, we change the lives of thousands of people who are looking for help to get their life back.

Our mission, should you choose to accept it:  We Help. We Educate. We Give Hope. 

CCS is committed to the ongoing development of a safer, respectful and equitable space for employees, clients and stakeholders of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities.  Please see our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for more details.

Work Environment:

This is a full-time position that requires you to have the ability to work remotely. There will be the requirement to work from our Ottawa office at an anticipated rate of 1-2 days per week.