Controller (12-Month Contract)

Our client is in the retail sector is looking for a Controller for a 12-month contract. The role will require working in Toronto 2 days a week. Job #: 484796

Responsibilities:

• Manage the full-cycle accounting process, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, payroll accruals, and intercompany transactions.
• Manage the month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close process, ensuring deadlines are met and the general ledger is accurate and complete.
• Prepare and review consolidated financial statements in accordance with ASPE/IFRS, including the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement.
• Oversee the preparation and review of monthly balance sheet account reconciliations, ensuring all accounts are supported and variances are investigated and resolved.
• Review bank reconciliations, intercompany reconciliations, and inventory/COGS reconciliations across multiple entities.
• Maintain and continuously improve the chart of accounts, accounting policies, and internal controls to safeguard company assets.
• Review and approve journal entries prepared by the accounting team, ensuring accuracy, proper supporting documentation, and appropriate account coding.
• Review complex and non-standard journal entries, including accruals, allocations, and adjusting entries.
• Ensure the general ledger reflects accurate, complete, and timely financial activity to support reliable financial reporting.
• Ensure compliance with tax filing requirements (HST/GST, corporate tax, payroll remittances) in coordination with external tax advisors.
• Support the year-end audit by preparing audit-ready working papers, schedules, and reconciliations, and act as a key point of contact for external auditors.
• Develop schedules and analyses to support budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting requests from FP&A and senior leadership.

Business Partnering & Compliance

• Serve as a trusted finance partner to FP&A, Operations, and other departments, providing accounting guidance and analysis as needed.
• Support internal and external audits, including preparation of audit schedules and responses to auditor inquiries.
• Monitor changes in accounting standards and regulatory requirements, assessing and implementing impacts on the organization.
• Respond to ad hoc requests from senior leadership with timely, accurate financial information and analysis.

Team Leadership & Process Improvement

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of accountants and accounting analysts, providing coaching, training, and performance feedback.
• Identify and implement process improvements and automation opportunities to streamline the close, reconciliation, and reporting processes.
• Document accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls to strengthen consistency and institutional knowledge.
• Champion the effective use of ERP and accounting systems to improve efficiency, accuracy, and reporting capabilities.

Requirements:

• 7+ years of progressive full-cycle accounting experience, including 2+ years in a supervisory or management role.
• Demonstrated experience owning month-end/year-end close, account reconciliations, and journal entry review in a corporate environment.
• Experience working directly with external auditors through year-end audit engagements.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge of ASPE/IFRS and internal control frameworks.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including reconciliations, schedules, and large data sets.
• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Business Central) for journal entries, close, and reconciliations.
• Strong attention to detail with a commitment to accuracy and data integrity.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple close deadlines.
• Strong leadership and people-management skills, with a track record of developing team members.
• Effective communicator, able to explain accounting matters clearly to non-finance stakeholders.
• Proactive, hands-on problem solver who thrives in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.