About
The Council of Canadian Innovators was created in 2015 by Canada’s most successful technology CEOs to ensure their voice was heard in the public policy development process. Innovation experts say that one essential element in sustained regional growth is the presence of significant concentrations of homegrown high-growth scale-ups. Companies that scale from millions to billions provide the most returns to national economies. For far too long, Canada’s public policy regarding innovation has been dominated by foreign multinationals and other actors whose primary purpose is not to create economic growth in Canada.
Currently, the Council is composed of more than 170 CEOs leading high-growth companies headquartered in Canada. The Council is chaired by Jim Balsillie, former Blackberry Co-CEO and John Ruffolo, Founder & Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity, and Founder of OMERS Ventures.
Our history
2015
In September of 2015, former Blackberry Co-CEO Jim Balsillie speaks to a group of CEOs from Canadian technology companies during an event organized by OMERS Ventures, which was founded and led by John Ruffolo. Balsillie’s message to the group was that the federal government was setting policy which would impact technology companies, but Ottawa was not listening to Canadian tech companies. Out of this meeting, the seeds for CCI are planted.
In October, the Liberal Party of Canada wins the 2015 federal election on a platform which includes a promise to hike taxes on employee stock options, a policy which would severely harm scale-up technology companies’ ability to recruit skilled talent. This served to underscore Balsillie’s message about policy being created without consulting with domestic tech companies and acted as a galvanizing force.
CEOs begin a public and government relations campaign, penning opinion pieces and writing letters to the Minister of Finance.
2016
In response to pressure from the tech sector, the Liberal government revised the policy to exempt most scaling technology companies from tax hikes on employee stock options. Bill Morneau, who was finance minister at the time, remarked, “I heard from many small firms and innovators that they use stock options as a legitimate form of compensation, so we decided not to put that in our budget.”
This proved to many CEOs on the sidelines of the CCI movement that linking arms and advocating with one voice can spur meaningful policy changes and was essential for updating Canada’s economic playbook for the 21st century innovation economy.
In March, Benjamin Bergen was hired as executive director and the first employee of the Council of Canadian Innovators.
Summer
CCI begins working with then-Immigration Minister John McCallum, consulting with scaling technology companies. The result of this work would be the Global Talent Stream, which greatly reduced visa processing times for skilled workers coming to Canada — one of CCI’s first clear policy wins for members.
Around 50 CEOs travel to Ottawa to participate in CCI's first CEO Summit, which includes meetings with key federal ministers and civil servants and exposes CEOs to in-person advocacy firsthand.
CCI begins advocating on behalf of innovators at the provincial level, working first in Ontario to reorient provincial strategies towards supporting homegrown firms.
2017
The federal government announces the Global Skills Strategy, which includes the Global Talent Stream pilot part of theTemporary Foreign Workers Program. CCI is selected as the only non-governmental referral partner to the program. Following the 2017 federal budget, CCI hosts its first pan-Canadian budget debrief for innovators.
Summer
CCI begins to expand its sectoral advocacy efforts into clean technology, health technology, cybersecurity, fintech, and digital services. CCI hosts various advocacy days in Ottawa for innovators.
2018
CCI continues to establish itself as a leading voice for prioritizing homegrown Canadian technology companies through strategic public policy, including the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations, ongoing federal government budget proposals, and the Sidewalk Labs project proposed for Toronto.
Spring
CCI hosts CyberCanada Senior Leadership Summit in Toronto, convening innovators, federal and provincial government leaders, and officials from our national security and defence agencies. In Ottawa, CCI appears before parliament calling for a national data strategy.
Fall
CCI hosts second CEO Summit in Ottawa, bringing together over 100 scale-up leaders from across Canada for over 40 meetings focused on increasing access to talent, capital and customers, and new marketplace frameworks for the 21st century economy.
2019
CCI opens a bureau in Québec with a dedicated provincial affairs lead, a new brand – Conseil canadien des innovateurs – and the addition of Louis Têtu to the Board of Directors of CCI. When the Quèbec government tables their 2019 budget, CCI is on site in Quèbec City analyzing each measure through an innovation lens.
Spring
CCI hosts Spring Intellectual Property Symposium in Toronto, coalescing CCI's calls for a national IP strategy that helps innovators expand their freedom-to-operate to scale globally.
Fall
CCI hosts meetings in Winnipeg with the Manitoba Government, laying the seeds for CCI's future expansion into the Prairies.
2020
At the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, CCI acted swiftly to ensure innovators and business leaders across Canada had access to essential information to keep their businesses running. In March, CCI launched the COVID-19 Slack Channel, which rapidly grew to over 2,500 members nationwide. CCI also began hosting webinar briefings with federal and provincial leaders, providing a platform for business leaders across Canada to engage in critical Q&A sessions during a time of significant economic uncertainty. These forums also allowed business leaders to share best practices and strategies with their peers.
As governments rolled out relief measures, CCI emerged as a vital voice for Canadian tech, advocating for improvements to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which proved inadequate for high-growth technology companies. This advocacy ultimately contributed to the creation of the $250 million Innovation Assistance Program, providing much-needed capital to innovative tech companies that did not qualify for other programs. CCI also urged faster release of funds from Regional Development Agencies to help companies manage the growing operational pressures they were facing.
2021
CCI Launches the Innovation Governance Program to train prospective board members with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively provide corporate governance oversight in scale-up Canadian technology companies.
2022
CCI entrenches regional advocacy —galvanizing Alberta tech to sound the alarm on regulatory overreach of software engineers, and Quebec tech coming together to push back against overly onerous French language legislation. CCI is also an active voice of homegrown innovation in the Ontario general election.
2023
CCI hosts its first Capital Summit in Toronto, bringing together leading Canadian institutional investors and a CEOs of high-growth technology companies
The Government of Canada announces significant changes to Canada’s economic immigration streams, including a digital nomad strategy and a high potential tech talent stream, in response to CCI’s ongoing advocacy. Many of the policy changes were directly mirrored in CCI’s 2022 Talent and Skills Strategy.
2024
CCI takes a leadership role in the federal government's review of the Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax credit, pushing for policy changes that provide maximum benefit to scale-up companies.
CCI makes government procurement a national priority as a key tool for governments to support innovative technology companies.
2025
Following the federal election, CCI publishes A Mandate To Innovate, which lays out a comprehensive plan for economic growth with mandate letters for 10 key federal government ministries.
At the 2025 CEO Summit, CCI celebrates a decade of advocacy on behalf of high-growth Canadian companies.
Our Board
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Join a team of of professionals working at the intersection of public policy and leading-edge technology, on behalf of Canada's most dynamic, high-growth technology companies.
Finance Coordinator
About The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI):
The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) is a national business association representing over 175 of Canada’s fastest-growing technology-intensive companies. Companies within CCI’s portfolio are market leaders in their verticals and commercialize their technologies in over 190 countries, generating between $10M - $750M in annual recurring revenue. CCI’s member companies are all headquartered in Canada and collectively employ over 52,000 Canadians from coast to coast.
CCI was created in 2015 by the leaders of Canada’s most innovative companies to reorient Canada’s economic strategies towards supporting domestic scale-up companies to aid in their pursuit of becoming engines of Canada’s future economic prosperity. CCI works closely with our members and leaders within federal and provincial governments to develop economic strategies that increase access to talent, capital, and customers for homegrown firms, all while updating Canada’s economic playbook for the 21st-century economy. Since 2015, CCI’s advocacy has led to the government improving the way businesses access international talent, patent their inventions, and navigate the global data-driven economy.
CCI is a peer network of Canadian business leaders and innovators who look to CCI’s leadership and membership for strategic advice and foresight, expert navigation of federal and provincial governments, and for connections to other innovators and institutions that can assist them in scaling their businesses worldwide.
Today, CCI is headquartered in Toronto and has staff located in Vancouver, Edmonton, Atlantic Canada, Ottawa and Montreal. CCI is established as a not-for-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors, with Jim Balsillie, retired chairman and co-CEO of BlackBerry, serving as Chair, and John Ruffolo, founder of OMERS Ventures and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity, serving as Vice-Chair. Both are also co-founders of CCI.
About the Canadian SHIELD Institute:
The Canadian SHIELD Institute is a non-partisan, independent policy institute committed to advancing strategic solutions that strengthen Canada’s economic resilience, sovereignty, and global competitiveness. We convene experts from across sectors—industry, academia, government, and civil society—to surface bold ideas, support practical policy design, and equip decision-makers with tools to address 21st-century challenges.
Our mission is to secure Canada’s long-term prosperity by generating and advancing policy solutions that reflect modern economic and geopolitical realities. We work to ensure Canada builds and sustains the domestic capacity—intellectual, industrial, institutional, and democratic—required to thrive in an increasingly complex and competitive world.
Launched in 2025, the Institute serves as a platform for forward-looking thought leadership across the most pressing areas of public policy, including national security, industrial strategy, innovation, and institutional renewal.
Through research, convening, and public engagement, the Canadian SHIELD Institute aims to equip leaders with the insight and strategies needed to reinforce the foundations of a sovereign, self-reliant, and prosperous Canadian economy.
THE OPPORTUNITY:
The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) – a national business council representing Canada’s fastest-growing technology companies – is seeking a Finance Coordinator to support CCI and its sister organization, SHIELD Policy Institute. The Canadian Council of Innovators (CCI) and the Canadian SHIELD Institute for Public Policy (SHIELD) are sister institutions - separate, distinct organizations with complementary mandates. The two organizations operate under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that enables strategic collaboration and shared resources. This position is a joint appointment, with responsibilities split 80/20 across CCI and SHIELD.
Reporting into our Controller, the Finance Coordinator plays a critical role in supporting the day-to-day financial operations that keep CCI running smoothly and sustainably. This role is responsible for maintaining organized financial workflows, ensuring timely processing of invoices, payroll inputs, reimbursements, and government filings, and supporting internal teams with finance-related questions and tools. From time to time, this role will also support with IT and operational tasks.
This is an ideal role for someone who is detail-oriented, process-driven, and enjoys bringing order and clarity to the workflows that keep an organization running. It is an ideal opportunity for someone with an interest in finance who is pursuing their CPA designation.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES across both CCI and SHIELD:
Finance Operations & Administration: With oversight from a Controller:
- Own invoicing of members, following up on outstanding invoices where needed.
- Collect, review, and process accounts payable invoices.
- Categorize and process staff reimbursements.
- Assist with bank, credit card, and other financial reconciliations.
- Support monthly financial statements, month-end close, and year-end close.
- Support payroll preparation, including drafting payroll inputs and assisting with payroll-related calculations and remittances.
- Prepare and draft government filings and compliance documents, including HST, EHT, T4s, and other required submissions.
Systems, Tools & Internal Support
- Use and maintain finance-related software and tools such as Xero, Wagepoint, Float, and online payment processors.
- Support internal teams with basic questions related to finance tools, expense submissions, invoicing, and payments.
- Assist staff with light finance-related systems support and basic IT or tool troubleshooting where needed.
- Contribute to improving internal finance processes by identifying inefficiencies, suggesting improvements, and documenting.
- Triage incoming finance-related emails, maintain a well-organized finance inbox, and ensure timely responses or follow-ups.
- Maintain organized financial records and ensure consistent filing of documents and contracts within the correct shared systems (e.g. DropBox).
Cross-Functional & Administrative Support
- Hardware administration: manage procurement and delivery of corporate devices, including enrolling devices in a mobile device management (MDM) system. Identify opportunities to lower hardware costs where relevant.
- Subscription management: manage and track staff enrolment in subscriptions and software, flagging unnecessary enrolments where relevant.
- Vendor support: manage and track vendor relationships, including who owns each relationship at CCI. Own and support any vendor relationships without a clear owner. Identify and propose solutions for changing vendors to lower costs where relevant.
- Mail management: Manage physical mail, including physical cheques, where needed.
- Documentation: Document finance and operational tasks where needed.
SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE…
- Finance inboxes, records, and systems are organized, accurate, and up to date.
- Invoices, reimbursements, payroll inputs, and filings are completed correctly and on time.
- Outstanding receivables are tracked consistently, with clear follow-up and communication.
- Internal teams feel supported and confident navigating finance processes and tools.
- Financial documents and records are easily accessible, well-organized, and audit-ready.
QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:
- 2–3+ years of experience in accounting, bookkeeping, or a finance-related discipline
- A post-secondary degree in accounting or a related field
- Experience working with accounting or payroll software such as Xero, Wagepoint, Float, or similar tools.
- Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.
- Comfort working with numbers, financial records, and compliance-related documentation.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to manage recurring tasks and deadlines reliably in a fast-paced environment.
- Proficiency with Google Workspace and shared file systems (e.g., Dropbox).
- Ability to work independently while knowing when to ask questions or escalate issues.
- A service-oriented mindset and willingness to support other teams where needed.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
- Salary Range: $60,000 - $70,000. The salary range provided represents the full scope of pay for this position. We generally hire at the beginning or middle of the range for those who are developing in the role. As employees grow their skills and impact in the position, they have an opportunity to progress toward the upper range based on demonstrated performance and advanced experience.
- Flexible schedule and remote-first workplace (with some in-person retreats and events required throughout the year).
- Comprehensive health and dental benefits.
- $2,500 annual professional development stipend.
- Parental leave top-up and leave program.
- Generous vacation: 3 weeks plus two discretionary office closures: 1 week in July and 2 weeks in December, culminating in a total of 6 weeks off per year.
Our bands are based on paying above-market rates in our industry and paying comparatively to market rates for parallel roles in the tech sector to acknowledge the diverse skill set we need for our work.
We believe in equal pay for equal value of work. For this reason, although we hire all over Canada, we don't adjust our pay based on where you live. We've used a rate that is competitive across the various locations where we hire.
Director, Government Affairs (Ontario)
THE COUNCIL OF CANADIAN INNOVATORS (CCI):
The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) is a national business association representing over 175 of Canada’s fastest-growing technology-intensive companies. Companies within CCI’s portfolio are market leaders in their verticals and commercialize their technologies in over 190 countries, generating between $10M - $1B in annual recurring revenue. CCI’s member companies are all headquartered in Canada and collectively employ over 52,000 Canadians from coast to coast.
CCI was created in 2015 by the leaders of Canada’s most innovative companies to reorient Canada’s economic strategies towards supporting domestic scale-up companies to aid in their pursuit of becoming engines of Canada’s future economic prosperity. CCI works closely with our members and leaders within federal and provincial governments to develop economic strategies that increase access to talent, capital, and customers for homegrown firms, all while updating Canada’s economic playbook for the 21st-century economy. Since 2015, CCI’s advocacy has led to the government improving the way businesses access international talent, patent their inventions, and navigate the global data-driven economy.
CCI is a peer network of Canadian business leaders and innovators who look to CCI’s leadership and membership for strategic advice and foresight, expert navigation of federal and provincial governments, and for connections to other innovators and institutions that can assist them in scaling their businesses worldwide.
Today, CCI is headquartered in Toronto and has staff located in Vancouver, Edmonton, Atlantic Canada, Ottawa and Montreal. CCI is established as a not-for-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors, with Jim Balsillie, retired chairman and co-CEO of BlackBerry, serving as Chair, and John Ruffolo, founder of OMERS Ventures and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity, serving as Vice-Chair. Both are also co-founders of CCI.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Reporting to the Vice President, Policy and Advocacy, CCI’s Ontario Director will work closely with parliamentarians and officials across the Ontario government and Broader Public Sector to advance CCI’s priorities, ensuring domestic innovators have a seat at key decision-making forums.
CCI’s Ontario Director will work on a wide range of public policy files and will be expected to immerse themselves in discussions taking place across the province, so they become a resource to CCI’s membership.
On any given day, CCI’s Ontario Director could be:
- Developing and maintaining relationships with parliamentarians and officials responsible for or who influence economic policy, finance, and innovation related files and issues to advocate on behalf of domestic innovators.
- Participating and advancing ideas in discussions on a variety of topics, including but not limited to procurement modernization, talent and skills development, data and privacy regulation, commercialization of research and development.
- Leading the management of appearances and submissions before relevant Ontario parliamentary committees.
- Connecting with members of different media outlets acting as an official CCI spokesperson or connecting in CCI leadership/ CCI members on certain topics.
- Developing membership recruitment strategies and ensuring CCI’s suite of member services are meeting the needs of current and prospect members.
- Other duties required with the direction of the Vice President, Policy and Advocacy.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
- Design, coordinate and execute a Government of Ontario engagement strategy that supports member CEO advocacy;
- Abide by all provincial and federal lobbying rules and regulations;
- Organize discussions and forums between Ontario innovators and public-policy leaders related to the priorities of CCI and its membership;
- Assist in the education of CCI members regarding provincial and federal government business support programs;
- Develop a strong understanding of members' businesses, market landscapes and industry trends;
- Monitor current and upcoming provincial legislation and regulations that have an impact on Ontario’s innovation sector, and when necessary, coordinate industry responses to government measures and decisions;
- Contribute to the planning and execution of CCI’s national advocacy agenda, including large-scale advocacy events attended by senior government officials, policy makers and politicians;
- Support the Member Success, Programming and Partnerships teams with the planning and execution of CCI’s regional growth initiatives, strategic engagements, informing business development in Ontario as well as supporting the onboarding of new CCI members;
- Support CCI’s Communications team in the development of media products, including opinion pieces, newsletters, budget submissions, and reports.
- Grow and maintain relationships with members of the local media by developing and delivering strategic and effective media pitches that advance our advocacy efforts;
DESIRED SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:
- A deep understanding of the Government of Ontario and parliamentary processes will be essential to your success in this role;
- A strong understanding and passion for growing Canada’s innovation sector;
- The ability to work independently and telework collaboratively with a small team and thrive in a fast-paced environment;
- The ability to work at the pace of the private sector, responding to the needs of the innovation community and tech sector while meeting government deadlines;
- Consistently maintain a high level of professionalism with CCI membership, the Board of Directors, government officials and other key stakeholders;
- Attention to detail and with superior organizational skills;
- A self-starter with the ability to work independently with minimal oversight;
- The ability to think outside the box, be resourceful and solutions orientated;
- Be part of a highly driven, dynamic, inclusive team with energetic personalities.
SALARY AND BENEFITS:
- Salary $115,000 CAD
- Education/training spend $2,500 per year
- Generous benefits including dental & medical coverage
- Parental leave benefits
- CCI provides employees 3 weeks' vacation each year, in addition to a summer closure in july of one week, and a winter closure of two weeks, totalling six weeks off during the year
APPLICATION PROCESS:
If interested, please submit your application through Breezy by Monday January 19, 5 pm EST.
*PLEASE NOTE:The CCI team will be out of office from December 19, 2025 to January 5, 2026 and will be reviewing applications upon their return, in the first week of January.
Diversity and Inclusion: CCI is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences.