Controller

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Our client is an established, privately held and entrepreneurial organization entering an important stage of growth.

The company has developed a strong reputation for responsive service, trusted relationships and customized solutions. As the business continues to expand, ownership is seeking an experienced and commercially minded Controller who can strengthen its financial foundation and provide the timely, accurate and forward-looking information required to make confident decisions.

The organization has an accounting function in place; however, leadership requires greater visibility into the financial and operational drivers of the business. The successful candidate will move the finance function beyond transactional accounting and historical reporting toward proactive analysis, forecasting and decision support.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Controller will be a trusted financial partner to ownership and the leadership team, providing visibility into profitability, margins, working capital, cash flow, operational performance and growth opportunities.

Initially, the role will be hands-on: validating financial information, improving processes and building the reporting tools, controls and capabilities required to support a more scalable organization.

A central priority will be transforming financial and operational data into meaningful management information so leadership can better understand:

Which customers, services and revenue streams are most profitable, and where margins are being gained or lost;

How pricing, growth, cash flow, working capital and resource needs are affecting performance;

Where operational inefficiencies, billing delays, unrecorded costs or process gaps are reducing profitability; and

How management can make better pricing, investment, hiring, expansion and improvement decisions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial Reporting and Management Information

• Lead timely, accurate monthly, quarterly and annual financial reporting, including close, reconciliation and supporting schedules.
• Develop management reporting, dashboards and analysis that highlight performance, risks, opportunities and recommended actions.
• Translate variances, trends and operational results into clear financial insight for leadership.

Financial Planning and Analysis

• Lead budgeting and rolling forecasting in partnership with ownership and operational leaders.
• Convert operational activity, customer trends and growth plans into practical financial forecasts and recommendations.

Cash Flow and Working-Capital Management

• Maintain cash-flow forecasting and provide visibility into receipts, payments, payroll, tax, borrowing needs and cash constraints.
• Strengthen accounts receivable, billing, collections and accounts payable processes.
• Support banking, financing and covenant reporting while improving cash conversion and working-capital efficiency.

Accounting Operations

• Oversee the full accounting cycle, including AR, AP, billing, collections, payroll coordination, general ledger and reporting.
• Improve accounting processes, roles, approvals, performance standards and information flow across sales, operations, billing and accounting.
• Ensure transactions, estimates and significant accounting items are recorded accurately, consistently and in the correct period.

Internal Controls and Risk Management

• Design and maintain practical internal controls appropriate for a growing entrepreneurial business.
• Establish approval authorities, segregation of duties, documentation standards and controls over payments, banking, vendor changes, system access and key transactions.
• Identify and mitigate financial, reporting, fraud and process risks.

Tax, Compliance and External Relationships

• Coordinate year-end reporting, working papers and external review requirements.
• Manage tax, payroll and statutory reporting obligations accurately and on time.
• Support banking, financing, insurance, legal, tax and due-diligence requests with timely, organized information.

Strategic and Commercial Partnership

• Serve as a trusted financial advisor to ownership on strategy, growth, pricing, staffing, systems and capital allocation.
• Partner with sales and operations to assess profitability, pricing, contracts, efficiency, cost control and margin performance.
• Provide financial analysis for strategic initiatives and help build the infrastructure required to support long-term growth and enterprise value.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

This role is suited to an experienced accounting and finance professional who combines strong technical capability, practical business judgment and commercial curiosity.

The successful candidate will bring:

• Progressive accounting and finance leadership experience, ideally in a Controller, Director of Finance or senior finance leadership role;
• A Canadian CPA designation and strong knowledge of Canadian accounting, reporting, tax compliance and internal controls;
• Experience in a privately held, entrepreneurial or growth-oriented organization;
• Demonstrated ability to build reporting, budgets, forecasts, cash-flow models and financial analysis that support business decisions;
• Strong understanding of margin analysis, customer profitability, working capital and operational finance;
• Experience improving month-end close, billing, collections, financial controls, systems and accounting processes;
• Systems aptitude, advanced Excel skills and experience with accounting, ERP or business-intelligence tools;
• The ability to lead and develop accounting staff while communicating clearly with non-financial leaders;
• High integrity, sound judgment, discretion and a hands-on, solutions-oriented approach; and
• The ideal candidate will be proactive, confident and accountable, with the ability to implement appropriate internal controls and support their adoption across the organization. They will be effective at building buy in while also ensuring that expectations, processes and standards are followed consistently;
• The confidence to challenge constructively while remaining collaborative and commercially focused.

Leadership Characteristics

Their leadership style will be:

Commercial and analytical: Interested in how the company makes money and able to translate data into practical insight.

Proactive and practical: Able to identify issues early and introduce appropriate controls without unnecessary complexity.

Hands-on and accountable: Willing to work in the details while maintaining high standards for accuracy, deadlines and follow-through.

Candid and collaborative: Comfortable giving clear advice and building trust with ownership, operations, sales, accounting employees and external partners.

Adaptable and discreet: Effective in an entrepreneurial environment and able to manage confidential financial, employee, customer and ownership information appropriately.

WHY JOIN

This is an opportunity to join the leadership team of an established entrepreneurial business with meaningful growth potential.

In this role, the Controller will have the opportunity to:

• Work directly with engaged owners and decision-makers;
• Shape the finance function, reporting tools and systems that support better decisions;
• Provide financial insight into strategic, operational and commercial priorities;
• Help translate growth into sustained profitability and enterprise value; and
• Make a visible and lasting contribution to the organization.

COMPENSATION

The expected salary range is $110,000 to $135,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

CONFIDENTIALITY

This search is being conducted on a confidential basis. Additional information about the organization, its operations and strategic priorities will be shared with qualified candidates at the appropriate stage of the process.

Candidates are asked to apply through MNP’s official process by submitting their resume to Daniela.SanPedro@mnp.ca. To support a fair and consistent process for all candidates, please refrain from contacting the client or its staff directly regarding this opportunity.