Director of Finance

Imagine Recruitment & Advisory; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Imagine Recruitment & Advisory seeks a strategic Director of Finance to lead the accounting function for a growing, multi-entity organization in Canada.

The role will own controllership, financial reporting, and ERP readiness, partnering with IT and external providers to deliver a durable finance operating model and scalable processes. You will mentor teams and drive close quality and automation.

Qualifications

• Active Canadian CPA designation with corporate experience; Big 4 experience is an asset.
• 10+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including leadership in multi-entity environments.
• Broad accounting experience spanning close, consolidation, reporting, and internal controls.
• Experience leading ERP implementation transitions involving data conversion, cutover, or go-live is an asset.
• Deep expertise in IFRS, U.S. GAAP, close processes, and SOX/ICFR controls.

Responsibilities

• Build and scale the accounting function, governance, policies, and controls.
• Lead controllership, close, consolidation, and reporting across a multi-entity portfolio.
• Define ERP readiness, process design, and data requirements for future-state accounting.
• Partner with IT and implementation specialists to translate accounting needs into system design.
• Drive transformation, standardization, and automation initiatives, including AI opportunities.

Skills

Ownership mindset

Strategic leadership

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

CPA designation (Canada)

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Our client is seeking a strategic and hands-on finance professional to join its corporate finance team in a leadership-level position.

The ideal candidate is a Canadian CPAs who are proactive problem-solvers, bring sound judgment, build momentum, and have an ownership mindset. If you thrive in fast-paced environments, tackle complex challenges with curiosity, and have the resilience to turn setbacks into growth, you will play a central role in the growth of our teams.

The Director of Finance will be the senior accounting leader within a growing, multi-entity organization, reporting to the VP, Finance, with a mandate to build a scalable accounting function. This is a builder role for a hands-on leader who can create structure where it does not yet exist, establish practical standards, develop people and processes, and move the organization from its current operating model to a durable future state.

The role combines broad controllership, business partnership, transformation leadership, and sound technical judgment. The Director will work across internal business teams, affiliated service organizations, portfolio companies, technology partners, and external service providers to ensure reliable financial information, disciplined controls, and a successful transition of finance responsibilities. An outsourced implementation partner will lead the technical ERP delivery; this role will own the accounting perspective, business decisions, process design, readiness, and outcomes required from the solution.

Key Responsibilities

1. Build the Accounting Function

• Build the foundation of the accounting function, including its operating model, team capabilities, governance, policies, processes, controls, and service expectations.
• Develop a practical roadmap for the transition of accounting responsibilities from existing business units and service providers, ensuring continuity, clear ownership, and disciplined execution.
• Establish scalable ways of working across project accounting, procurement, billing, general accounting, consolidation, and financial reporting.
• Recruit, organize, coach, and develop a high-performing accounting team with clear accountability, strong succession depth, and a culture of ownership.
• Create alignment across stakeholders, resolve differences constructively, and make timely decisions that balance immediate delivery with long-term scalability.

2. Controllership and Financial Reporting

• Lead accounting operations across a complex portfolio of entities and businesses, ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of financial information and underlying trial balances.
• Establish and drive a disciplined, predictable, and efficient close and consolidation process, with clear standards for review, issue resolution, and reporting.
• Provide authoritative guidance on complex IFRS and U.S. GAAP accounting matters and the application of company accounting policies.
• Lead audit readiness and execution, oversee SOX/ICFR compliance, identify control risks, and drive timely remediation of gaps.
• Deliver decision-ready financial information, insights, and recommendations to senior leadership and business stakeholders.

3. Transformation, Standardization and ERP Readiness

• Define and standardize future-state accounting processes, policies, data requirements, and internal controls across the organization.
• Own the business-side accounting requirements and key design decisions for the permanent ERP solution, ensuring that the future state supports effective operations, reporting, controls, and growth.
• Partner with IT and implementation specialists to translate accounting requirements into fit-for-purpose system design, challenge proposed solutions, and ensure clear accountability for deliverables.
• Lead accounting readiness for testing, data conversion, cutover, and go-live, including the integration of accounting information from multiple entities and business units.
• Sponsor continuous-improvement initiatives focused on simplification, standardization, close quality, audit readiness, and appropriate automation, including AI-enabled opportunities.
• Ensure technology decisions enable the operating model rather than allowing system implementation to shadow the broader mandate to build the accounting function.

Leadership Expectations and Key Competencies

• Operate with an ownership mindset: translate ambiguity into a clear path, create momentum, and build enduring capabilities rather than temporary workarounds.
• Make value-driven decisions, provide clear strategic direction, and maintain a strong bias for action while exercising sound judgment.
• Lead with a hands-on, low-ego approach and move comfortably between executive-level issues and detailed operational problem-solving.
• Foster a high-performance culture through ambitious expectations, effective delegation, regular feedback, talent development, and succession planning.
• Build deep, trust-based relationships across executive, cross-functional, operational, technology, and service-provider teams.
• Challenge the status quo constructively and embed an ownership and continuous-improvement mindset across the function.

Knowledge and Experience Required

• Active Canadian CPA designation, gained through direct corporate experience or extensive public accounting experience; Big 4 experience is considered an asset.
• 10+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience, including significant leadership responsibility in large, complex, multi-entity, shared-services, or matrixed environments.
• Broad accounting experience spanning project accounting, procurement, billing, general accounting, consolidation, financial reporting, and internal controls.
• Demonstrated success building or materially scaling an accounting function, operating model, team, or controllership capability in an evolving environment.
• Deep expertise in IFRS, U.S. GAAP, enterprise financial close, and SOX/ICFR control frameworks.
• Experience standardizing accounting processes, policies, and controls across multiple entities or businesses, and leading complex transitions involving diverse stakeholders.
• Experience supporting an ERP implementation through business requirements, process design, testing, data conversion, cutover, or go-live is an asset. The emphasis is on accounting ownership, judgment, and partnership with implementation specialists rather than technical system delivery.
• Experience with enterprise consolidation or financial reporting platforms is an asset.

WHY IMAGINE?

Imagine’s accounting & finance team is made up of senior-level industry veterans who are experienced in working in industry and public accounting. We’ve done the audits, managed compliance with new regulations, and navigated mergers, integrations and other demanding projects. We have direct relationships with hiring managers, so you can expect that we proactively market your skill‑set to prospective clients that we mutually agree make sense—promoting your strengths to our client relationships.