Job Title: Finance Manager, M&A Integration (Occasional travel required)
Department: Finance
Location: Hybrid (Mississauga)
Job Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Salary: $70,000 - $75,000 Annually
About Us
Bluestar Professional Services Inc. is an investment office operating across Canada and the United States. We acquire and operate small to medium-sized businesses with a long-term, value-driven approach focused on sustainable growth and meaningful outcomes for employees, clients, and investors.
Our businesses bring together legal, accounting, wealth management, and advisory expertise under one platform, creating a collaborative environment focused on simplifying complexity and delivering thoughtful, long-term solutions.
At Bluestar, we believe great businesses are built by great people. We foster a culture of collaboration, growth, excellence, and continuous learning, where individuals are supported, empowered to take initiative, and given opportunities to make a meaningful impact.
About the Role
About the Role
Bluestar Professional Services Inc. is seeking a Finance Manager, M&A Integration. The Finance Manager, M&A Integration plays a critical role in supporting the organization's growth through acquisitions. Reporting to the Director of Finance, this position is responsible for managing and executing all accounting, finance, payroll, and onboarding activities associated with new acquisitions and strategic partnerships.
Acting as both project manager and hands-on contributor, this individual will coordinate cross-functional integration efforts to ensure newly acquired firms are successfully onboarded. The successful candidate will lead finance-related due diligence activities, oversee integration project plans, implement standardized accounting and payroll processes, coordinate system transitions, and serve as a key point of contact for acquired firms throughout the onboarding and integration process.
This role is ideal for an organized, execution-focused professional who enjoys managing complex projects, improving processes, building relationships, and driving successful business integrations.
Key Responsibilities
Financial and Operational Due Diligence
- Coordinate and manage finance-related due diligence activities for prospective acquisitions.
- Develop and track due diligence request lists, timelines, and outstanding items.
- Review financial statements, tax filings, payroll records, organizational structures, and operational processes.
- Analyze revenue, profitability, cash flow, accounts receivable, payroll practices, and key financial metrics.
- Identify financial, operational, process, and compliance risks for leadership review.
- Prepare due diligence summaries, reports, and recommendations.
- Support valuation and transaction teams by gathering and validating financial information.
- Coordinate information requests between internal stakeholders, firm owners, and external advisors.
Acquisition Project Management
- Serve as a project manager for acquisition onboarding and integration activities related to finance, accounting and payroll.
- Develop, maintain, and execute detailed integration plans, schedules, milestones, and deliverables.
- Facilitate integration meetings and provide status updates to stakeholders.
- Monitor risks, dependencies, and project timelines, escalating issues when required.
- Ensure all finance and payroll integration activities are completed according to established timelines.
Finance Integration and Implementation
- Lead the onboarding of acquired firms into the organization's accounting, finance, and reporting infrastructure.
- Coordinate transitions of bookkeeping, accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing, cash management, and financial reporting processes.
- Manage chart of accounts mapping, data conversion, and financial system implementations.
- Validate opening balances and ensure accuracy of migrated financial information.
- Assist with month-end and year-end integration activities.
- Implement standardized accounting policies, procedures, controls, and reporting requirements.
- Coordinate banking transitions, payment processing setup, and financial account administration.
- Support budgeting, forecasting, KPI reporting, and management reporting implementation for acquired entities.
Payroll Integration and Administration
- Lead payroll onboarding and transition activities for newly acquired firms.
- Coordinate payroll system implementations, conversions, and employee data migrations.
- Validate employee information, earnings histories, deductions, benefits, vacation accruals, commissions, and bonus programs.
- Ensure payroll continuity throughout acquisition and onboarding activities.
- Partner with HR to facilitate employee onboarding and compensation transitions.
- Assist with integrating compensation structures, incentive plans, partner/owner remuneration arrangements, and payroll.
Systems, Data, and Process Integration
- Partner with IT teams to support financial software implementations and system
- migrations.
- Assist with data validation, reconciliations, and user acceptance testing.
- Ensure financial and payroll data integrity throughout conversion processes.
- Maintain integration documentation, onboarding records, and implementation
- checklists.
- Develop and continuously improve acquisition and onboarding playbooks,
- templates, and workflows.
- Identify opportunities for automation and process standardization.
- Post-Acquisition Support
- Monitor integration progress following transaction close.
- Track completion of onboarding and integration milestones.
- Assist acquired firms during transition periods and provide ongoing operational
- support.
Post-Acquisition Support
- Monitor integration progress following transaction close.
- Track completion of onboarding and integration milestones.
- Assist acquired firms during transition periods and provide ongoing operational support.
- Identify process gaps and recommend corrective actions.
- Support performance tracking and reporting for newly integrated firms.
- Ensure successful adoption of standardized processes and procedures.
Qualifications/Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
- 3-4 years of experience in accounting, finance, payroll, business operations, project management, or a related field.
- CPA designation or CPA candidate is preferred.
- ***Travel will be required based on location of acquisition
- Microsoft Office applications experience is required. Adaptable to different systems as they will differ with each acquisition.
- Required Skills:
- Ability to manage multiple projects & initiatives.
- Highly organized.
- Strong communication skills.
- Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
- Ability to manage tight timelines and work in a high paced environment.
Experience
- 3-4+ years of experience in accounting, finance, payroll, business operations, project management, or a related field.
- Experience managing multiple projects and cross-functional initiatives.
- Experience with acquisitions, business integrations, onboarding, system
- implementations, or operational transitions is strongly preferred.
- Experience within professional services environments, including law firms,
- accounting firms, wealth management firms, insurance brokerages, or consulting organizations, is considered an asset
What We’re Looking For
Project Management
- Strong project planning, coordination, and execution skills.
- Ability to manage multiple workstreams, stakeholders, and deadlines simultaneously.
- Strong organizational and time-management capabilities.
Accounting and Finance
- Solid understanding of accounting principles and financial reporting.
- Experience with budgets, forecasts, reconciliations, and financial analysis.
- Familiarity with accounting software, ERP systems, and financial process integration.
Payroll
- Experience with payroll administration, payroll systems, and payroll conversions.
- Understanding of employee compensation structures, benefits administration, and payroll reporting processes.
Communication and Relationship Management
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to build relationships with firm owners, partners, executives, employees, and external advisors.
- Strong stakeholder management and collaboration abilities.
- Problem Solving and Execution
- Highly detail-oriented with strong analytical skills.
- Comfortable balancing strategic coordination with hands-on execution.
- Ability to identify issues proactively and implement practical solutions.
Success Measures
Success in this role will be measured by:
- Successful completion of acquisition onboarding and integration projects.
- Timely execution of due diligence and onboarding activities.
- Accuracy of accounting, payroll, and financial data transitions.
- Adoption of standardized processes by acquired firms.
- Achievement of integration milestones within established timelines.
- Continuous improvement of onboarding and integration processes.
- Positive stakeholder feedback from acquired firms and internal teams.
- Reduction of disruption and operational risk during acquisitions and integrations.
What We Offer
- Flexible hybrid work arrangement.
- Supportive and collaborative team environment.
- A competitive compensation package
- Dental care, Extended health care, and Life insurance
- Paid time off
- On-site parking
Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Bluestar Professional Services Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply.
Bluestar Professional Services Inc. adopts an inclusive and accessible environment and is committed to providing support to applicants and firm members with disabilities. If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment, selection, or assessment process, please let us know.
