Senior Director, Client Services, Funding and Investments-GMF

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has been the national voice of municipal government since 1901. FCM is dedicated to improving the quality of life in all communities by promoting strong, effective, and accountable municipal government. FCM aspires to be an organization that is deeply respectful, collaborative, empowering and transparent in our work. We have a commitment and passion for strengthening Canada by achieving results for our communities, our cities, and our workplace, and by sharing our knowledge and experience on the world stage, so that others may improve the quality of life in their communities.

The cornerstone FCM Program is the Green Municipal Fund™ (GMF), a $1 billion permanent endowment from the Government of Canada. GMF helps local governments switch to sustainable practices faster. Our unique mix of funding, resources and training gives municipalities the tools they need to build resiliency — and create better lives for Canadians.  As a leading catalyst for innovation, GMF offers funding (loans and grants) and knowledge for sustainable municipal initiatives designed to support communities to improve air, water, soil quality, and to protect the climate. Through GMF, municipalities have built better transportation assets; constructed efficient and resilient buildings; diverted waste from landfill; made previously unusable land available for development; and improved soil and water quality.

Major Purpose 

The Senior Director, Client Services, Funding and Investments reports to FCM’s Chief Development Officer & Managing Director (MD) of the GMF.  This newly created role will provide strategic leadership to maximize the GMF’s ability to accelerate the municipal sectors’ transformation towards creating net zero, sustainable communities by establishing leading client services, delivering enabling funding and optimizing the financial resources GMF has at its disposal to fulfill its mandate.  Central to this role will be a strong ability to balance financial risk-taking with impact reward potential for the fund.  In collaboration with the GMF Managing Director and as a member of the Senior Management Committee, the position provides leadership and strategic direction on all GMF Client Services, Funding and Investments functions and is accountable for their success. This newly created leadership position will work in a hybrid model (from home location, in the FCM head office building in Ottawa and external locations). Ability to attend meetings in Ottawa on short notice is required.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Director, Client Services, Funding and Investments will: 

• Define, convey, and resource the GMF client and funding services (CFS), lending, asset investment and treasury strategies in support of maximizing the achievable impact from the fund.
• Provide consolidated leadership support to organize (or structure?), build, and empower a high-performing and diverse Credit Finance/Legal/Risk/ Asset Investment/Client& Funding Services management team.
• Establish a Center of Financial and CFS Excellence by developing and fostering strong internal capabilities and expertise for credit, legal, client services, deal-flow outreach, and impact investment.
• Oversee GMF’s overall asset investment portfolio management including:
  • credit risk oversight of the loan portfolio,
  • adherence to FCM’s investment policies for the GMF Fund
  • assurance of optimal cashflow from GMF’s assets to meet the needs of the program over time
  • preserving the $1.0125 GMF base capital held in trust by the FCM and mitigating inflation risks wherever possible.
• Co-design, in collaboration with the MD GMF and GMF Program Directors, highly enabling financing solutions for clients that will enable maximum impact from GMF’s programs by providing advice on loan pricing, terms, credit enhancements, granting amounts etc.
• Oversee the realization of GMF’s statement of investment beliefs by increasing GMF’s investments into mandate aligned opportunities while optimizing returns.
• Support the identification and development of meaningful co-funding partnerships in support of GMF’s fund leveraging impact investment objectives.
• Lead the management of the GMF’s Investment and Risk Committee, which oversees and provides advice on all matters related to the investment management of the Fund to the GMF Council and FCM’s Board and acts as a second line of defense for the loan portfolio risk management.
• Oversee the efficient and accurate delivery of all legal aspects related to GMF funding contracts, policies, processes, and procedures and ensure compliance with GMF’s Funding Agreement.
• Identify and mitigate any reputational, credit and financial risks for GMF and its financial solutions (i.e., withdrawals, non-payments).
• Ensure optimization of the client experience, including post disbursement, through continuous process improvements leading to an overall positive and enabling experience in working with GMF.
• For major funding program or investment decisions, assess risks, set parameters, monitor, and make final decisions in consultation with the MD GMF to ensure the ability to deliver on the overall fund sustainability strategy.
• Lead and nurture a healthy, diverse, inclusive, and high performing culture that embraces and adapts to change.
• Ensure alignment with FCM Finance, Communications, Advocacy, Government Relations and overarching People and Culture principles.
• The future of work at FCM includes FCM becoming an even more member-driven organization that balances the realization of its goals with a people-centred approach. The incumbent embodies FCM’s commitment to being a healthy, diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist organization.
• The ability to work in both official languages (English and French) is a strong asset.

Could this be you?

• Minimum 15 years of progressively senior professional experience in the areas of project finance, credit/lending, legal, risk, and treasury investments.
• Developed and demonstrated leadership skills, such as those espoused by Kouzes & Posner’s Leadership Challenge, and ability to manage and nurture the development of a large complex team of diverse employees, skill sets and expertise.
• Demonstrated experience in providing positive and efficient client service experience in delivering funding programs or financial products.

• University degree in commerce, finance, business (including an MBA) or related field, supported with relevant certifications and relevant job experience.
• Demonstrated experience in municipal finance and/or credit industry and capital markets.
• 5-10 years experience managing large government funds or not-for profit endowments.
• Demonstrated focus on green, ESG (environment, social, governance) responsible and impact investments.
• Excellent relationship builder and partnership broker with superior communications skills and able to work collaboratively, respectfully, and inclusively with a diverse GMF/FCM employee and stakeholder population.
• Experience managing and consolidating teams to develop internal centers of specialized expertise and create new efficient business processes and solutions to achieve the highest level of service and quality for clients.
• Demonstrated solution-oriented leadership with excellent analytical problem-solving skills and data-driven decision making.
• 10-15% national travel may be required as a function of this role.

 The benefits to joining the FCM team include summer hours (Fridays off between July 1^st and Labour Day); office facilities located in the ByWard Market, FCM’s commitment to employee development and a competitive range of employee benefits and services. FCM encourages flexible work arrangements to support the wellbeing and productivity of employees.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is committed to fostering an organizational culture that embraces equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, where individuals from diverse racial and ethnic identities, nationalities, social economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and physical and mental abilities can thrive and be fully engaged at their best level.

FCM welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.

The future of work at FCM includes a hybrid work model; therefore, this role will be a combination of virtual and on-site work. The successful candidate is required live in and be authorized to work in Canada. They are also required to be able to work from home/remotely, from within Canada.  All in-office work and in-person meetings for work that take place inside and/or outside of the offices located in Ottawa will be subject to FCM’s Safe Workplace Vaccination Policy, as well as its health and safety procedures.

It is a mandatory condition of employment at FCM that the successful candidate be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with vaccines that have been approved by the Government of Canada at least 14 days prior to their start date and will be required to provide proof.  If accommodation is required in relation to this condition of employment for any reason pursuant to the Ontario Human Rights Code, please contact us at directly. 

For additional information on this posting, or for further information on FCM, access our website at www.fcm.ca.

Visit the careers section of our website to apply. Deadline for applications June 30, 2022.

We thank all candidates for their interest; however, we will only contact those selected for an interview. All the applications will be kept for six months following the completion of the hiring process