Senior Accountant

About Element Event Solutions Element Event Solutions, is Canada’s premier provider of tent and event services, orchestrating over 30,000 memorable events annually in partnership with top venues, caterers, planners, corporate partners, and private hosts. Established in 1911 as Chair-man Mills, our company has grown through a legacy of excellence with renowned brands including Event Rental Group, Contemporary Furniture Rentals, Regal Tents & Structures, Advanced Tent Rental, A&B Partytime, Loungeworks, MacFarlands, and Higgins Event Rentals.

Driven by our mission to craft engaging spaces that foster remarkable experiences and connections, we provide the infrastructure essential for Canadians to unite through social, corporate, philanthropic, and community gatherings. Proudly Canadian-owned and operated, we are committed to family values and investing in our local communities.

Position Summary

The Senior Accountant is a hands-on member of the Finance team. This role supports the Senior Controller, who owns the month-end close, the general ledger, balance sheet reconciliations, and the financial statements: executing assigned close activities, preparing reconciliations and schedules for their review, supporting the year-end audit and inventory counts, and progressively taking on more as documented procedures are handed over. This role also owns fixed assets, leases, capital tracking, and the vehicle fleet schedule outright. Under the Director of Finance, it provides variance and profitability analysis, budget support, and finance systems and projects.

The role reports to the Director of Finance, with day-to-day direction from the Senior Controller on close, controllership, and audit work. Over time it supports continuity of the close. It offers broad exposure to controllership in a growing, acquisitive business.

The ideal candidate can independently prepare review-ready work, manage recurring deadlines, and apply sound judgment to investigate and resolve accounting issues. They have hands-on experience supporting a month-end close, are comfortable moving between close work and analytical work, and follow documented procedures rigorously.

Key Responsibilities

Month-end close and controllership support

• Execute assigned tasks on the month-end close calendar so the Senior Controller can complete the close accurately and on schedule. The Senior Controller owns the close, the general ledger, balance sheet reconciliations, and the financial statements.
• Prepare and post recurring and non-routine journal entries, including accruals, prepaids, payroll, corporate card, and foreign exchange entries.
• Prepare supporting schedules and account analyses that are complete, clear, and ready for Senior Controller review.
• Prepare assigned balance sheet reconciliations for Senior Controller review, ensuring balances are accurate, properly supported, and unusual transactions or discrepancies are investigated and resolved.
• Reconcile revenue, accounts receivable, and customer deposits between Point of Rental Elite and Dynamics GP; maintain related deferred revenue schedules, support period-end cut-off, and investigate differences.
• Reconcile bank and corporate credit card accounts and resolve reconciling items promptly.
• Maintain prepaid, accrual, and deferred revenue schedules; the Senior Controller owns the deferral and recognition judgments.
• Support the sales commission process: prepare the first pass of the commission file and any manual commission calculations for Senior Controller review and approval.
• Prepare HST and provincial sales tax returns for Senior Controller review and filing.
• Support AP and AR subledger tie-outs, period-end cut-off, and other recurring close controls.
• Learn Element's documented close procedures from the existing team and progressively take on additional close activities as they are handed over; maintain the written procedures for those activities.
• Support continuity of the close during the Senior Controller's absences, with Director of Finance review.

Fixed assets, leases, capital and fleet

• Maintain the fixed asset and rental equipment continuity schedules, including additions, depreciation, transfers, disposals, and construction in progress.
• Maintain capital lease schedules under ASPE for vehicles, equipment, and facilities, including new facility leases.
• Track capital spending against approved budgets, including the 2027 head office build-out and other facility projects, and report status to the Director of Finance and VP Finance & IT.
• Maintain the vehicle fleet schedule (owned, long-term leased, and short-term rental units) and the related cost and depreciation records, supporting insurance renewals and fleet compliance reporting.

Analysis, systems and projects

• Prepare variance analysis (actual versus budget, forecast, and prior year) with supporting explanations for the Director of Finance's monthly reporting.
• Maintain and review the profitability analysis tool, reconcile its data back to the general ledger, and produce regional, product-line, and event profitability analysis.
• Support the annual budget and reforecast process led by the VP Finance & IT: data pulls, schedules, prior-year analysis, loading and checking.
• Maintain the procurement and purchase order system, take an active role in the procurement efficiency project, and administer other finance tools as they are handed over (for example expense management and online purchasing platforms).
• Validate data warehouse and Power BI reporting against the general ledger so business intelligence reports can be relied on.
• Respond to ad hoc analysis requests from the leadership team with clear, review-ready working papers.

Year-end, audit and inventory counts

• Support the Senior Controller on the year-end audit: prepare assigned working papers and audit schedules for the prepared-by-client (PBC) list and respond to auditor requests as directed. The Director of Finance owns the audit overall; the Senior Controller owns the PBC list.
• Support the Senior Controller in planning and executing the annual physical inventory counts across locations, including count instructions, on-site coordination, and reconciliation of count results.
• Prepare maintain standing PBC templates so year-end preparation starts early and is consistent year over year.

Process improvement

• Identify and recommend improvements to the month-end close, reconciliations, reporting, and recurring accounting workflows, with Senior Controller sign-off on close procedures.
• Use AI (Claude and others), Excel, Power BI reporting, and other tools to reduce manual effort and improve the quality and consistency of recurring work.

Requirements & Qualifications

Required

• 3 to 6 years of progressive accounting experience, including hands-on month-end close experience such as journal entries, reconciliations, and supporting schedules.
• Experience maintaining fixed asset or lease schedules, or other sub-ledger ownership.
• Strong reconciliation, journal entry, and account analysis skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to investigate complex accounting issues independently and communicate findings clearly.
• Ability to prepare clear, accurate, review-ready working papers and supporting schedules.
• Experience preparing audit working papers and responding to external auditor requests.
• Strong Excel skills, including lookups, pivot tables, financial modelling, and working with large data sets.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple recurring deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to follow documented procedures and to document a process clearly for others.

Preferred

• CPA designation, or within 12 months of completing the CPA program.
• Experience working in a multi-entity, multi-location, or operationally complex business.
• Experience using technology to streamline accounting workflows, improve accuracy, or reduce manual effort.
• Working knowledge of ASPE, particularly property and equipment, leases, revenue recognition, and impairment.
• Microsoft Dynamics GP experience; experience with a rental or inventory ERP (Point of Rental or similar) is a strong asset.
• Background in rental, equipment, distribution, construction, or another asset-intensive or seasonal business.
• Experience working with Power BI reporting or other reporting tools.
• Experience administering a purchase order, procurement, or expense management system.