Controller

Clarity Recruitment; Brampton; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Clarity Recruitment is assisting a Canadian manufacturer in Brampton to appoint a senior controllership leader. You will own the full monthly close, financial statements, P&L, and annual audit, while ensuring Canadian tax compliance and covenant reporting.

You will lead the accounting team, optimize internal controls, manage treasury and cash forecasting, and partner with operations on margin improvements and cost reduction initiatives across multi-entity entities.

Qualifications

• CPA designation required and progressive accounting experience.
• Controller or senior controllership experience in manufacturing.
• Deep costing, absorption and production variance knowledge.
• Experience with treasury, cash management and bank reporting.
• Proven track record building internal controls and process improvements.
• Strong leadership and credibility with executives.

Responsibilities

• Own monthly close, financial statements, and close cycle efficiency.
• Design and enforce internal controls framework.
• Oversee costing, inventory, standard costing, and production variance analysis.
• Prepare covenant and compliance reporting for lenders and owners.
• Manage treasury, cash forecasting, and working capital.
• Prioritize supplier payments with COO.
• Lead the annual audit end-to-end.
• Oversee Canadian tax compliance and transfer pricing support.
• Lead accounting team with clear ownership and cadence.
• Assess capability and gaps; plan succession.
• Support multi-entity consolidation, intercompany reporting.
• Lead ERP remediation and automation of processes.
• Partner with operations on margin and cost improvement.

Skills

CPA designation

Manufacturing controllership

Costing & variance analysis

Internal controls

Leadership

Education

CPA designation

Job description

Our client is a Canadian manufacturer with plants in North America and internationally, selling into major retail across North America and Europe.

You will own the full controllership function and act as the financial control point for the business: the monthly close, financial statement preparation, full P&L, the annual audit, and Canadian corporate tax compliance, together with monthly covenant and compliance reporting to a lending syndicate and to institutional ownership. You will work daily with the executive team and operations and quarterly with the ownership.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the monthly close and the preparation of financial statements, and shorten the close cycle through process improvement
• Design, document and enforce a framework of internal controls across the business
• Own cost accounting and inventory, including standard costing, absorption and production variance analysis, and settle accounting policy where it is currently unsettled
• Prepare monthly covenant and compliance reporting for the lending syndicate and institutional ownership
• Manage bank positions, working capital and short-term cash forecasting, and contribute to a weekly cash call with leadership and external advisors
• Prioritize supplier payments in partnership with the COO
• Manage the annual audit end to end, including file preparation and resolution of findings
• Oversee Canadian corporate tax compliance, including corporate and commodity tax filings and supporting schedules
• Lead the accounting team, setting clear ownership by role and a reporting cadence the business trusts
• Assess team capability, document gaps and bench strength, and act on what the assessment shows
• Support multi-entity, multi-currency consolidation, intercompany reporting and transfer pricing
• Act as the finance lead on ERP remediation and module rollout, and drive automation of transactional processes
• Partner with operations, supply chain and plant leadership on margin, plant metrics and cost improvement

What You Bring

• CPA designation with approximately 10 years of progressive accounting experience
• Controller or senior controllership experience in a manufacturing environment
• Plant or manufacturing controllership background with real depth in costing, absorption and production variances
• Experience owning treasury and cash management, including bank reporting, covenant compliance and short-term forecasting
• Track record building internal controls and improving process where little structure existed
• Demonstrated people leadership, including evaluating talent and making difficult decisions
• Presence and credibility with senior leadership, operations and external stakeholders
• Comfortable in a small to mid-size business where the work is broad and the environment is not fully refined

Clarity Recruitment is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process and workplace. If you require accommodation, please let us know in advance and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Please note: We use AI-assisted tools for notetaking during the screening process.