Controller Director Path to VP (Manufacturing)

This is a rare opportunity to step into a hands-on Controller seat with a direct stated path to VP Finance and eventually CFO working side by side with the companys long-tenured finance leader as she transitions into a director and strategy role. The company has doubled revenue in under three years is projecting $50 million next year and recently signed a licensing partnership that puts a brands name on client projects. The person who takes this on will build the future financial infrastructure a bonus plan and a project accounting discipline that has never existed here with genuine ownership of how its built.

COMPANY

• Leading manufacturer in their space headquartered in Mississauga ON
• Roughly 75 to 77 employees; manufacturing runs two shifts supported by a design engineering group and a small flat finance/admin team
• Privately held with three active owners
• Revenue approaching $40 million this fiscal year projected to reach $50 million next year; revenue has roughly doubled over the past several years
• Exports approximately 98% of sales to the US; recently opened a US corporate entity to support growth there
• Entrepreneurial fast-paced culture with a direct hands-on leadership style

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

• Base salary: $150000 to $185000 to start flexible for the right candidate with a stated path toward $200000 as scope and impact grow for exceptional candidates
• Bonus: no formal bonus plan currently exists; designing and implementing a profitability and EBITDA-based bonus structure is one of this roles first strategic assignments
• Vehicle allowance and RSP contribution: available structure flexible based on candidate
• Schedule: full time in-office 5 days a week

ADVANTAGES

• Defined Succession Path. This role carries a clear stated runway to VP Finance and CFO as the current finance leader steps into a director and strategy role.
• Ownership of a Blank Slate. There is no existing bonus plan rigid process or legacy system to work around so this person builds the finance function largely from the ground up.
• Direct Access to Ownership. This person works side by side with active hands-on owners rather than through layers of management that dont exist here.
• Explosive Real Growth. Revenue has doubled in under three years and is projected to reach $50 million next year driven by reputation rather than one-off wins.
• High-Profile Brand Association. A newly signed licensing partnership with a major brand gives this companys projects visibility most manufacturers in this space dont have.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

This is not a traditional Controller role limited to close and compliance. It is a hands-on financial leadership seat inside a company that has outgrown its own systems with a stated mandate to build what doesnt exist yet and eventually take over the CFO function entirely.

• Learn and own project accounting and project costing across the business; this is the single most important technical foundation for the role
• Take over day-to-day financial reporting month-end and year-end close and bank and government reporting currently managed by the companys finance leader
• Own general ledger integrity journal entry review and account reconciliation sign-off
• Design document and maintain internal controls and accounting processes appropriate to a scaling private manufacturer
• Manage cash flow forecasting banking relationships and foreign exchange exposure given the high volume of US-denominated sales
• Own job costing methodology work-in-progress tracking and variance analysis between estimated and actual project costs
• Lead the annual budgeting process and ongoing budget-to-actual variance analysis
• Build and maintain a monthly management reporting package with meaningful KPIs an area the business does not currently have in place
• Track fixed assets and capital expenditures including planned investment in manufacturing automation
• Coordinate sales tax and cross-border compliance considerations tied to the companys new US corporate entity
• Oversee the outsourced US accounting firm supporting the companys new US corporate entity expected within the first 12 months
• Manage and mentor existing accounting and administrative staff including a senior accountant and a service/contracts coordinator
• Design and implement a profitability and EBITDA-based bonus plan targeted to begin after year one
• Identify and implement process systems and controls improvements and follow through until changes hold rather than flagging issues and handing them off
• Contribute financial analysis to a future ERP evaluation; Microsoft Dynamics has been explored previously
• Support cost analysis on manufacturing automation and equipment investment initiatives
• Partner directly with ownership on strategic decisions as the company scales toward $100 million in revenue

IDEAL CANDIDATE

• CPA required
• Minimum 7 years of progressive financial accounting and FP&A experience ideally including project-based costing
• Background in manufacturing or construction where projects not just transactions drive the numbers
• Experience gained at an organization larger and more structurally mature than this one; expected to bring systems and processes that dont yet exist here
• A track record of implementing fixes and following through until they hold not just identifying problems and handing them off
• High energy
• Confident and decisive unafraid to make and own mistakes in a fast-moving direct environment
• Comfortable communicating across a wide range of stakeholders from high-net-worth clients to construction crews and tradespeople
• Motivated by ownership and a long runway rather than a static clearly defined controller job
• Not a fit: candidates who are largely strategic or C-suite in orientation with limited hands-on execution or who need significant structure and support to be effective