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IT Project Manager II - Job Opportunity at First National Financial

Toronto, Canada
Full-time
Mid-level
Posted: July 29, 2025
On-site
CAD 85,000 - CAD 105,000 annually. This estimate reflects the mid-level experience requirements, Toronto market rates, specialized financial services domain knowledge, and the company's position as a major non-bank lender. The combination of required PMP certification, 3-5 years IT project management experience, and 10+ years financial services background commands premium compensation in the Toronto market.

Benefits

Highly competitive compensation package combining base salary, performance bonus, and comprehensive benefits creating a total rewards structure that positions above market median
Comprehensive health benefits program including Health Spending Account providing flexible healthcare coverage beyond standard insurance
Enhanced parental leave benefits with maternity and parental leave top-up ensuring financial security during family transitions
Extensive professional development and training programs designed to accelerate career progression and skill advancement
Modern collaborative office environment strategically located steps from major public transit, reducing commute stress and improving work-life balance
Strong team-oriented culture fostering professional relationships and knowledge sharing
Corporate social responsibility programs providing meaningful community engagement opportunities
Regular social events and team building activities enhancing workplace satisfaction and employee retention

Key Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end project management for critical IT initiatives, ensuring strategic alignment with business objectives and technology roadmap while delivering measurable business value
Develop comprehensive project plans with complex dependency management, directly impacting organizational efficiency and technology delivery timelines
Establish and control project scope boundaries, preventing scope creep while maintaining focus on high-priority deliverables that drive business outcomes
Define clear roles and responsibilities across multi-disciplinary teams, enabling effective collaboration between product managers, architects, developers, and quality specialists
Identify and secure critical resources while managing stakeholder expectations, ensuring projects have adequate support for successful completion
Create and maintain executive-level reporting for all project work packages, providing visibility into project portfolio performance and enabling data-driven decision making
Contribute to IT portfolio management and long-range strategic planning, influencing technology investment decisions and implementation roadmaps based on business priorities
Coordinate application development and release scheduling, ensuring optimal resource utilization and minimizing business disruption during deployments
Ensure compliance with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements and regulatory policies, maintaining organizational risk management standards

Requirements

Education

Bachelor degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or related discipline

Experience

3-5 years of relevant IT Project Management experience and 10+ previous or current work experience in the Financial Services industry, preferably with exposure to mortgage lending

Required Skills

Strong communication (verbal/written/presentation), relationship building and analytical skills Strong understanding of Agile project management principles and practices and experience managing projects in an Agile environment Mature interpersonal skills with the ability to work with, and influence, all types of professionals Knowledge of project management tools (e.g., CA PPM) and techniques Track record managing IT projects You embrace and champion change. You'll continuously evolve your thinking and the way you work in order to deliver your best

Certifications

PMP certification Scrum Master Certification (CSM) is an asset
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Sauge AI Market Intelligence

Industry Trends

Financial services organizations are increasingly investing in digital transformation initiatives, particularly in mortgage lending technology, creating sustained demand for experienced IT project managers who understand both technology delivery and regulatory compliance requirements. The mortgage industry specifically is undergoing significant modernization with automated underwriting systems, digital application processes, and integrated customer portals becoming standard expectations. Agile and hybrid project management methodologies have become the dominant approach in financial services IT departments, with organizations seeking project managers who can navigate both traditional waterfall approaches for regulatory compliance projects and agile methodologies for customer-facing digital initiatives. This dual competency is increasingly valuable as financial institutions balance innovation speed with risk management. The Canadian financial services sector is experiencing consolidation and competition from fintech startups, driving established players like First National to invest heavily in technology infrastructure and customer experience improvements. This creates a robust job market for IT project managers with domain expertise in mortgage lending and regulatory compliance.

Role Significance

The project manager will typically coordinate teams of 8-15 professionals across multiple disciplines including product managers, software architects, developers, QA specialists, and business analysts. While not having direct reporting relationships, the role involves matrix management of diverse technical and business stakeholders with varying priorities and expertise levels.
This is a mid-level individual contributor role with significant cross-functional influence and visibility to senior leadership. The position reports directly to AVP level management and involves strategic portfolio planning, indicating substantial organizational impact despite not having direct reports. The role bridges tactical project execution with strategic planning responsibilities.

Key Projects

Core mortgage lending system upgrades and modernization initiatives involving customer-facing portals, broker integration platforms, and back-office processing systems Regulatory compliance implementation projects such as stress testing systems, anti-money laundering monitoring tools, and reporting infrastructure to meet federal financial regulations Business intelligence and analytics platform deployments supporting mortgage portfolio analysis, risk assessment, and performance reporting for commercial lending operations

Success Factors

Developing deep domain expertise in mortgage lending processes, regulatory requirements, and industry-specific technology challenges will be crucial for effectively managing projects that directly impact business operations and compliance obligations. Understanding the nuances of residential and commercial mortgage workflows enables more effective scope definition and stakeholder management. Building strong relationships across technical and business teams while maintaining credibility with senior leadership through consistent delivery and proactive communication of project risks and opportunities. The ability to translate technical complexity into business impact will be essential for securing resources and managing expectations. Mastering the balance between agile delivery methodologies and regulatory compliance requirements, which often demand more structured documentation and change management processes than typical agile environments. Success requires adapting project management approaches to meet both innovation speed and risk management needs. Continuously expanding knowledge of emerging financial technology trends, regulatory changes, and project management best practices to provide strategic value beyond tactical project execution. This includes staying current with mortgage industry technology standards and integration requirements.

Market Demand

High demand. The intersection of IT project management skills, financial services domain expertise, and regulatory compliance knowledge creates a specialized talent pool with strong market demand. Toronto's position as Canada's financial services hub and the ongoing digital transformation in mortgage lending contribute to sustained demand for these roles.

Important Skills

Critical Skills

Agile project management expertise is absolutely essential as the financial services industry has broadly adopted agile methodologies for technology delivery, and the ability to manage projects in agile environments while maintaining regulatory compliance requirements represents a core competency that differentiates successful candidates in this market Financial services domain knowledge, particularly in mortgage lending, is critical because the complexity of mortgage processes, regulatory requirements, and industry-specific technology platforms requires deep understanding to effectively manage scope, identify risks, and communicate with stakeholders who assume this baseline knowledge PMP certification and formal project management methodology knowledge is essential for managing complex, multi-million dollar technology initiatives with multiple stakeholder groups, regulatory compliance requirements, and integration dependencies that require structured approach and professional credibility

Beneficial Skills

Scrum Master certification and advanced agile coaching skills will become increasingly valuable as organizations mature their agile practices and seek project managers who can also serve as agile transformation leaders and team coaches Business analysis and requirements management skills will enhance effectiveness in scope definition and stakeholder management, particularly valuable for roles involving complex system integrations and regulatory compliance requirements Change management and organizational development knowledge will be increasingly important as financial services organizations undergo digital transformation and project managers are expected to support broader organizational change beyond technical implementations

Unique Aspects

The role offers specialized exposure to both residential and commercial mortgage lending technology, providing unique domain expertise that is highly transferable within the Canadian financial services sector and valuable for career advancement in mortgage lending, real estate finance, or broader financial technology roles
Working for Canada's largest non-bank lender provides experience with alternative lending models and competitive positioning strategies that differ from traditional bank approaches, offering insights into market disruption and specialized financial services business models
The position combines traditional project management responsibilities with strategic portfolio planning and process improvement initiatives, providing broader exposure to IT governance and strategic planning than typical project management roles
Direct reporting relationship to AVP level management and involvement in long-range planning provides unusual visibility to executive decision-making and strategic initiatives for a mid-level position

Career Growth

Career progression to senior individual contributor or team leadership roles typically occurs within 2-3 years with strong performance and continued professional development. Transition to program management or product management roles may require 3-5 years to develop sufficient strategic thinking and business acumen.

Potential Next Roles

Senior IT Project Manager or IT Project Manager III positions with larger project portfolios and team leadership responsibilities, typically involving enterprise-wide system implementations and multi-million dollar technology investments IT Program Manager roles overseeing multiple related projects and managing program-level dependencies, risks, and stakeholder communications across broader organizational initiatives Product Manager positions in financial services technology, leveraging domain expertise and stakeholder management skills to drive product strategy and roadmap development IT Business Analyst or Solutions Architecture roles combining technical knowledge with business domain expertise to design and implement complex financial services technology solutions

Company Overview

First National Financial

First National Financial is one of Canada's largest non-bank mortgage lenders, founded in 1988, specializing in residential mortgages through mortgage broker channels and holding the position as Canada's largest commercial mortgage lender. The company operates in a specialized niche within the Canadian financial services sector, competing with traditional banks while maintaining independence and focus on mortgage lending expertise.

First National holds a strong market position as a leading alternative to traditional bank lending, with significant market share in both residential and commercial mortgage segments. The company's consistent recognition as a great place to work and higher-than-industry employee engagement scores indicate strong organizational health and competitive positioning for talent acquisition and retention.
The Toronto office location positions this role at the heart of Canada's financial services sector, providing access to the largest concentration of financial services talent, technology vendors, and industry expertise in the country. This location offers significant networking opportunities and exposure to industry best practices through proximity to major banks, fintech companies, and regulatory bodies.
The company emphasizes collaborative teamwork, professional development, and employee engagement, creating an environment that supports career growth and knowledge sharing. The combination of mortgage lending specialization and non-bank independence likely fosters an entrepreneurial culture with more agility than traditional bank environments while maintaining the stability and resources of an established financial institution.
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