Financial Controller

Financial Controller - Industrial Automation & Manufacturing

Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Salary Range: $100,000 - $130,000 per year

About the Group

The Industrial Automation & Manufacturing Group is a growing group of companies operating in engineering, industrial automation, and manufacturing, with business activities in Canada and the United States.

Our businesses specialize in custom industrial automation, robotics, controls integration, engineered equipment, and turnkey automation solutions. As the Group continues to grow, we are focused on strengthening our financial infrastructure, improving operational visibility, and establishing scalable processes to support continued growth.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Financial Controller to lead the accounting and financial control functions across five or more companies within the Group.

Reporting to the CFO and working closely with the CEO and operational leadership, the Controller will oversee day-to-day accounting operations, financial reporting, manufacturing and project costing, working capital, and internal controls.

This is a hands-on, execution-focused leadership role. The successful candidate will be expected to strengthen existing accounting processes, address historical accounting issues, improve reporting accuracy, and establish consistent financial procedures across multiple related entities in Canada and the United States.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical accounting knowledge with manufacturing experience, practical problem-solving skills, and the ability to translate business priorities into measurable results.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead accounting operations across multiple Group companies, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing, banking, general ledger, and payroll accounting.
• Manage month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes.
• Prepare and review accurate financial statements, management reports, and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Oversee intercompany transactions, reconciliations, and related-party balances.
• Monitor financial performance against budgets, forecasts, and prior periods.
• Coordinate with external accountants, auditors, tax advisors, and financial institutions.
• Identify and resolve historical accounting discrepancies and outstanding reconciliations.

Manufacturing & Project Costing

• Oversee job costing, inventory accounting, work in progress (WIP), and manufacturing cost analysis.
• Monitor project profitability from quotation through completion.
• Analyze labour, materials, subcontractor expenses, overhead allocation, and manufacturing variances.
• Identify cost overruns, margin erosion, and discrepancies between estimated and actual costs.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Project Management, Sales, and Operations to improve costing accuracy and profitability.

Working Capital & Cash Management

• Oversee accounts receivable, accounts payable, collections, and payment scheduling.
• Monitor cash flow, inventory levels, receivables aging, and working-capital performance.
• Improve billing turnaround times, collection effectiveness, and cash conversion.
• Provide management with timely reporting on cash requirements and financial risks.

Accounting Process Improvement & Internal Controls

• Establish and maintain accounting policies, procedures, and effective internal controls.
• Improve financial reporting processes, reconciliations, documentation, and close timelines.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and automate repetitive accounting tasks.
• Improve integration between ERP, accounting, and operational systems.
• Ensure appropriate authorization procedures, segregation of duties, and financial risk management.
• Support consistent accounting practices and reporting across Canadian and US entities.
• Lead, coach, and develop the accounting team.
• Establish clear responsibilities, performance expectations, priorities, and deadlines.
• Monitor departmental performance and proactively address workflow bottlenecks.
• Collaborate with senior management and operational teams to resolve issues affecting financial reporting, costing, billing, and cash flow.
• Develop scalable processes and reporting tools to support the Group's continued growth.

Qualifications

• Degree or diploma in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; a CPA designation or progress toward designation is an asset.
• Five or more years of progressive accounting or finance leadership experience, ideally as a Controller or senior accounting/finance manager.
• Manufacturing experience, preferably in engineering-driven, project-based, or custom manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of financial reporting, general ledger accounting, month-end close, and internal controls.
• Experience with manufacturing cost accounting, including job costing, bills of materials (BOMs), labour, overhead, inventory, and manufacturing variances.
• Experience with intercompany accounting and reconciliations across multiple related entities.
• Strong understanding of working-capital management, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, cash flow, and inventory.
• Experience with ERP and accounting systems, including process improvement and reporting optimization.
• Advanced Excel and financial data analysis skills.
• Experience working with external accountants, auditors, tax advisors, and financial institutions.
• Strong organizational, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.

What Will Help You Succeed

• A hands-on approach to accounting and financial problem-solving.
• Strong ownership of priorities, deadlines, and deliverables.
• The ability to identify process bottlenecks and implement practical improvements.
• Sound judgment when balancing urgency, accuracy, and financial control requirements.
• A collaborative leadership style and the ability to work effectively across departments.
• Adaptability and a continuous-improvement mindset in a growing, multi-entity business.
• Experience in a privately held or entrepreneurial organization where finance plays an active role in operational performance.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation based on experience and qualifications.
• A key financial leadership role within a growing industrial automation and manufacturing group.
• The opportunity to improve financial systems, strengthen controls, and support profitable growth.
• Direct collaboration with senior leadership and operational teams.