JOB POSTING

JOB TITLE: Payroll & Finance Administrator (Posting 2026-10)

LOCATION: Owen Sound, Head Office

POSTING CLOSES: Friday, March 13, 2026 at 9:00 AM EST

NUMBER OF VACANCIES: 1

START DATE:  March 23, 2026

TYPE: Full Time, Permanent 

REPORTS TO: Manager of Financial Reporting, Planning & Analysis 

UNION: Non-Union

SALARY: $60,000 to $80,000 per year

The Payroll, Benefits and Finance Administrator is responsible for day-to-day duties associated with payroll, compensation and benefits, accounts receivable, and capital invoicing. This role is the first point of contact and acts as an advisor for employee and external party inquiries related to payroll and benefits. The incumbent is responsible for respecting the confidential nature of employer and employee privacy in managing records and sharing information only with authorized persons.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

The primary job duties and responsibilities for the Payroll and Finance Administrator include but are not limited to the following:

Payroll and Benefits

• Requires in-depth knowledge of all five (5) collective bargaining agreements, and company policies in order to appropriately decision, process and administer all payroll and benefits.
• Process the accurate and timely bi-weekly employee payroll for all compensation, benefits, expense reimbursement and tax and other withholdings for two (2) separate payrolls including salaried, hourly-paid, union, and non-union, year-round, and seasonal employees in accordance with collective bargaining agreements and company policies.
• Review and administer time tracking for obligation day commitments for all union and non-union officers.  Process incremental payments in excess of obligation day commitments for each payroll, as required.
• Enroll, administer, and reconcile employee benefits, pension, life insurance, AD&D, and union dues in accordance with benefit and pension provider records, collective agreements, and Human Resources.
• Regularly interact with Insurance Providers that are contracted by the company and/or the union (example:  Claims Secure, Green Shield, Industrial Alliance, Ontario Pension Board (OPB), Open Access, Seafarers International Union (SIU), UNIFOR)
• Builds information systems and tracks employee accrual and expenditure data including vacation, sick time, service time, absenteeism, etc.
• Calculate, review and process remittances and invoices related to payroll and benefits for health and dental benefit providers, life insurance pension contributions, union dues, SIU remittances (hiring hall, training institute).
• Respond as the first point of contact for employee and external party inquiries related to payroll and benefits; interacts regularly with Human Resources, as appropriate.
• Year end responsibilities for payroll related to T4s and other tax reporting including reconciliation between external payroll provider (Ceridian) and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) records.
• Conduct research, develop data/statistical reports, analyze data, and produce summary reports for management information and decision making.
• Executes salaries and benefits forecasting, annual budgeting and supports year end processes, including the year-end external audit.
• Develops processes, documentation and recommends improvements.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Accounts Receivable

• Reconciling revenue and point-of-sale systems’ ensuring that account customers are billed and accounts collected.
• Billing the Ministry for operating funding, and review of spending and billing the Ministry for capital throughout the year.
• Assists in the budgeting and year end processes including the year-end external audit.
• Develops processes, documentation and recommends improvements.
• Serve as back up for other team members, as appropriate.
• Other duties, as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, WORK EXPERIENCE, and SKILLS

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Degree or Diploma in Management, or Business plus five (5) years of relevant experience in hourly/salaried payroll, and benefits administration with at least three (3) year shall be in payroll administration, and
• Completion of the Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) designation or equivalent. Enrollment and active participation in the program is a minimum expectation for this position.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Solid understanding of payroll, benefit plans, workers insurance plans, Ceridian payroll system (or equivalent), including match for the calculation of retroactive changes to payroll transactions.
• Proficient of payroll salary and wage journal entries (accounting and bookkeeping) and ability to work with accounting to ensure payroll information is submitted in a timely and accurate manner. 
• Strong interpersonal skills to build and manage relationships between employees and external providers
• Strong analytical and mathematical skills to ensure the correctness of data for payroll and benefits
• Time management and adaptable to a time sensitive environment where having a sense of urgency and the ability to multi-task is essential to achieve desired outcomes.
• Analytical, problem-solving and attention to detail are necessary
• Proficient with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI, Payroll systems (Ceridian), MS Teams and Finance ERP systems (not limited SAGE).

How To Apply?

Please upload your resume in PDF format.

We are committed to the principle of fair representation of individuals from the four designated groups as defined by the Employment Equity Act. We encourage qualified women, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities to apply for our positions.

 If you require any accommodations in the recruitment process, please reach out to HR@ontarioferries.com to discuss, but please note that applications will not be reviewed or accepted via this email address.

Notice on Use of Technology in Recruitment - We may use technology, including AI tools, to support parts of the application process. All hiring decisions are made by people.