Role overview

Business Unit Controller

Location: Toronto, Ontario
Travel: Approximately 10–20%
Reports to: North American Financial Controller, with a dotted line to Business Unit leadership
Industry: Industrial / Engineered Solutions
The Opportunity

What if your next Controller role put you inside the business, not simply reporting on it?

Our executive search team has been retained to identify a Business Unit Controller for a growing international organization with expanding operations across North America.

This is a highly visible finance leadership opportunity for someone who wants to work directly alongside Business Unit General Managers and North American finance leadership, providing the financial insight, discipline and commercial guidance needed to help multiple business units perform and grow.

You will take ownership of the day-to-day financial reporting and analysis for multiple business units while becoming a trusted financial partner to the leaders running them.

This is not a role for someone who simply wants to close the books and report the numbers.

The organization is looking for a Controller who can understand the story behind the numbers, identify opportunities and risks, challenge assumptions, and help business leaders make better decisions.
Your Mandate

As Business Unit Controller, you will become an integral member of both the Business Unit management teams and the North American Finance function.

You will take ownership of financial reporting, analysis and controls across multiple business units while partnering directly with operational and commercial leadership.

Your mandate will include:

Taking day-to-day ownership of the financial reporting for multiple business units
Partnering directly with Business Unit General Managers to provide financial guidance and support better business decisions
Delivering accurate and timely financial statements, management reporting and performance analysis
Leading the monthly, quarterly and year-end financial close processes for your assigned business units
Preparing and analyzing balance sheets, profit and loss statements and other financial reports
Completing balance sheet reconciliations and ensuring the integrity of financial information
Analyzing actual performance against budgets, forecasts, prior-year results and strategic plans
Providing clear commentary on business performance, financial trends, risks and opportunities
Supporting annual budgeting, forecasting and longer-term financial planning
Conducting product costing, margin and profitability analysis
Monitoring and communicating capital expenditure projects
Reviewing excess and obsolete inventory
Supporting accounts receivable collection and working-capital management
Identifying opportunities for cost reduction and improved operational efficiency
Working across Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll and other shared finance functions
Maintaining accurate reporting across ERP and financial consolidation systems, including Hyperion
Supporting audit, tax and internal reporting requirements
Ensuring compliance with applicable Canadian financial, tax and regulatory requirements
Leading special projects in partnership with Business Unit General Managers and North American finance leadership

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role goes beyond producing accurate financial statements.

The strongest Business Unit Controller will become a trusted financial partner to the business.

You will bring greater visibility to performance, help leaders understand what is driving their results, and provide the financial insight needed to make better decisions.

You will help create:

Better financial visibility. Stronger accountability. Smarter decisions. More profitable growth.

As the organization continues to expand, your ability to build strong financial processes and provide meaningful commercial insight will play an important role in helping the business scale.
Who We’re Looking For

We are looking for an experienced finance professional who combines strong technical accounting knowledge with commercial business judgment.

You may currently be a Controller, Business Unit Controller, Finance Manager, Plant Controller or senior accounting professional ready to take on broader ownership across multiple business units.

The strongest candidates will bring:

Proven experience as a Controller or in a similar senior finance role
A strong understanding of accounting principles, financial controls and financial reporting
Experience managing monthly, quarterly and year-end close processes
Strong experience with budgeting, forecasting and financial analysis
The ability to analyze complex financial information and communicate the key business implications clearly
Experience identifying and resolving financial discrepancies and irregularities
Strong knowledge of Canadian accounting and tax requirements, including GST, HST and RST
Working knowledge of Canadian payroll taxes and corporate income tax requirements
Experience with product costing, margin analysis or inventory would be highly valuable
Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel and financial systems
Experience working with ERP and financial reporting or consolidation platforms
Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail
The ability to work effectively across finance, sales, operations and senior leadership
A CPA designation or equivalent recognized accounting qualification
A degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field

Experience working within an international, industrial, manufacturing, distribution or multi-business-unit organization would be particularly valuable.
The Leadership Profile

This opportunity will suit someone who sees finance as a business function, not simply a reporting function.

You are likely:

Commercially minded and naturally curious about how a business makes money
Comfortable challenging assumptions and asking the right questions
Analytical without losing sight of the bigger picture
Highly accountable and capable of owning the financial responsibilities of a business unit from top to bottom
Able to translate complex financial information into clear business insights
Comfortable working directly with General Managers and senior leadership
Self-directed and capable of managing multiple priorities with limited oversight
Detail-oriented while still able to think strategically
Comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment where priorities can change
Motivated by improving processes, solving problems and helping the business perform better

You understand that great financial leadership is not about telling the business what happened last month.

It is about helping the business understand why it happened, what it means and what to do next.
Why This Opportunity?

Many Controller roles keep finance at arm’s length from the business.

This one puts you directly alongside the people running it.

You will have the opportunity to partner with multiple Business Unit General Managers, work closely with North American finance leadership, and influence the financial performance of a growing international organization.

You will have meaningful ownership, visibility across the business and the opportunity to help build the financial discipline and insight required to support continued growth.

For the right finance leader, this is an opportunity to move beyond reporting the numbers and become a true strategic partner to the business.

The numbers tell the story. Your role is to help the business write what happens next.