Specialist Technical Accounting

Canadian Pacific Railway; Calgary; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible benefits

Pension plan

Employee share purchase plan

Performance incentive plan

Annual fitness subsidy

Job summary

CPKC is seeking a Specialist Technical Accounting (Accounting Policy) to support external financial reporting with strong U.S. GAAP expertise and policy governance.

You will provide technical accounting guidance, support corporate reporting processes, and collaborate with Finance and business teams to assess accounting impacts of contracts and disclosures. This role offers broad organizational visibility and requires clear communication to finance and non-finance stakeholders, within a dynamic

Qualifications

• CPA designation with 3+ years of experience in financial reporting, accounting policy, or technical accounting.
• Experience with U.S. GAAP and/or IFRS in a large public company, Big 4 firm, or complex multi-entity environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to explain complex matters clearly to finance and non-finance audiences.
• Solid accounting research, analysis, and documentation capabilities; experience researching contracts and guidance implications.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

• Support the Accounting Policy work plan with prioritization, timing, and alignment to objectives and deadlines.
• Monitor U.S. GAAP, SEC reporting, and other developments; assess impacts and update policies as needed.
• Research and document technical accounting conclusions for complex transactions and contracts.
• Collaborate with Finance and business teams to provide guidance and training on accounting matters.
• Support quarterly contract reviews, intake and coordination, and training for business units.

Skills

CPA designation

Technical accounting research

Financial reporting

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Prioritization

Job description

Join CPKC, North America’s first transnational railroad connecting U.S., Canada, and Mexico, where your career drives progress and safety is paramount. We connect communities, fuel economic growth, and provide meaningful work in a culture that values diversity, accountability, and pride. With opportunities for training, development, and advancement, you’re not just building a career—you’re part of something bigger. Together, we move goods, connect people, and create lasting change. Your future starts here.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

Reporting to the Director, Accounting Policy, the Specialist Technical Accounting(Accounting Policy) will support the integrity and quality of CPKC’s external financial reporting by helping ensure the Company’s financial statements, disclosures, and accounting policies comply with U.S. GAAP, SEC reporting requirements, and other applicable regulatory standards.

The successful candidate will provide technical accounting guidance, support corporate reporting processes, and collaborate with Finance and business teams to evaluate the accounting and disclosure impacts of transactions, contracts, policies, and financial reporting developments.

This opportunity offers broad organizational visibility and is well suited to a CPA with technical accounting expertise, sound judgment, and the ability to communicate complex matters clearly to finance and non-finance stakeholders.

POSITION ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Support the Accounting Policy work plan, including prioritization, timing, resourcing, and alignment with strategic objectives, stakeholder needs, reporting deadlines, and team capacity
• Monitor U.S. GAAP, SEC reporting, and other financial reporting developments; assess impacts to CPKC, support implementation of required changes, and update accounting policies as needed
• Research, analyze, and document technical accounting conclusions for complex, unusual, or significant transactions, including contract reviews and application of accounting guidance to specific fact patterns
• Partner with Finance and business teams to resolve accounting and reporting matters, build stakeholder relationships, and provide targeted accounting guidance and training
• Support the quarterly significant contract review process, including intake, preliminary assessment, review coordination, and training for business unit representatives
• Support corporate reporting and external audit processes, including disclosure checklists, management representation letters, subsequent events procedures, technical accounting documentation, and auditor inquiries

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• CPA designation, with 3+ years of progressive accounting experience in financial reporting, accounting policy, technical accounting, or application of U.S. GAAP and/or IFRS
• Experience in a large public company, Big 4 accounting firm, or complex multi-entity environment, including quarterly and annual external reporting processes
• Experience with complex contracts, revenue recognition, leases, business combinations, financial instruments, impairment, regulatory reporting, or other technical accounting areas
• Experience working with or for public companies, including exposure to SEC reporting requirements or equivalent public-company reporting standards
• Strong technical accounting research, analysis, and documentation skills, including experience analyzing contracts and assessing accounting implications
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders in a dynamic environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex matters clearly to finance and non-finance audiences
• Collaborative problem-solver with confidence interacting with stakeholders at various levels of the organization, including senior management

WHAT CPKC HAS TO OFFER:

• Flexible and competitive benefits package
• Competitive company pension and/or retirement plans
• Employee share purchase plan
• Performance incentive plan
• Annual fitness subsidy

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS:

• Criminal history check
• Education verification
• Professional references

BECOMING A RAILROADER:

As an employee with a North American presence, the possibility does exist that the location of your position may be changed based on organizational requirements.

Management Conductor Program

Becoming a qualified conductor or locomotive engineer is the single best way for a management employee to learn the business at CPKC. You may be required to obtain a certification or to maintain your current certification/qualification as a conductor or locomotive engineer.

CULTURE OF INCLUSION:

For our U.S. applicants, CPKC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, inclusive of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For Canadian applicants CPKC is an employment equity employer committed to the principles of employment equity and inclusion. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply including: women, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), members of the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities. Accommodations for the job application process can be provided, as appropriate, upon request. All applicant information will be managed in accordance with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).