COMPANY OVERVIEW:
The La Rocca tradition of dessert making began 60 years ago in Naples, Italy. Our family’s passion for the art of baking inspired the many original and unique recipes we have today. In 1986, La Rocca Creative Cakes was established in Canada. Over the last forty years, we’ve grown to become one of the most respected artisanal dessert manufacturers in North America.
Today, as part of the Sammontana Italia family, La Rocca brings together European craftsmanship and modern scale to deliver premium cakes to thousands of grocery, foodservice, and fine food partners. We are entering an exciting phase of growth and modernization under La Rocca.
ROLE PURPOSE:
Support the month-end close process and prepare group financial reporting packages for the head office in Italy, ensuring accurate, complete, and timely financial results in compliance with internal and external standards. Beyond close and compliance reporting, this role is expected to build and own recurring financial analysis and dashboards that reduce reliance on senior finance leadership for routine business insight, and to act as a finance business partner to Operations and Supply Chain.
REPORTS TO: Assistant Controller.
ANNUAL COMPENSATION:
Competitive annual compensation ranging from $80,000 to $85,000. A higher starting salary may be offered based on the successful candidate's experience, qualifications, and demonstrated expertise, plus a potential performance bonus.
EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Permanent, Full-Time, On-site.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
The following is not intended to be all inclusive or restrictive; other duties may be assigned as necessary.
- Month-End Close & Reporting (≈ 40%)
- Perform the month-end close process, working with accounting and operations teams to ensure financial results are accurate, complete, and delivered on schedule.
- Prepare and review journal entries, accruals, and account reconciliations to support a clean and audit-ready close.
- Ensure close and reporting activities comply with internal controls, GAAP/IFRS, and group accounting policies.
- Ensure the accuracy, cleanliness, and timely reconciliation of all balance sheet accounts.
- Execute monthly and yearly reconciliations as mandated by the Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC).
- Support regulatory and tax filings, including monthly HST returns.
- Support audits, policy compliance, and continuous improvement of financial reporting processes and controls.
- Financial Analysis & Business Partnering (≈ 30%)
- Prepare monthly variance analysis on P&L and balance sheet results, translating drivers (volume, mix, input cost, labour) into plain-language explanations for management and corporate leadership.
- Support annual budgeting and rolling forecasts, including cost center-level input and consolidation.
- Build and maintain recurring dashboards (e.g. margin by SKU/category, cost center spend vs. budget, industrial KPIs) in Power BI to give Operations and Supply Chain self-serve visibility, reducing ad-hoc data requests to Finance.
- Partner directly with Operations and Supply Chain on cost and margin questions, acting as first point of contact before issues are escalated to the Assistant Controller or CFO.
- Compliance and Reporting Support (≈ 30%)
- Prepare the full monthly, quarterly, and annual group reporting packages, including sales reporting, board business review, cash forecasts, inter-company, workforce/FTE, and industrial KPI reporting.
- Ensure all financial and compliance reporting to the head office in Italy meets internal and external standards and regulatory requirements.
- Manage and respond to ad-hoc financial requests and projects as needed, providing flexibility and support to the finance department.
CORE COMPETENCIES:
- Self-motivated and self-directed
- Detail-oriented with strong organizational and communication skills
- Financial & Analytical Acumen - able to independently interpret results and identify root causes, not just report numbers.
- Systems & Technical Proficiency - ERP, Excel, Google Sheets, and BI tools used to build reusable reporting, not one-off analysis.
- Ownership & Follow-Through - resolves issues to closure and drives recurring reporting independently, with minimal need for senior review.
- Collaboration & Business Partnering - works cross-functionally with Operations and Supply Chain as a peer, not just a reporting function.
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATION:
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field.
- CPA designation or active progress toward CPA designation is preferred.
- 3–5 years of progressive experience in accounting, financial analysis, FP&A, or a related finance role.
- Demonstrated experience building forecasts, budgets, or margin/cost analysis in a manufacturing or CPG environment not close/reporting experience alone.
- Industry experience is required, with experience in a CPG, food manufacturing, or other high-volume manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
- Previous experience with a public accounting firm is considered a strong asset, particularly candidates with exposure to audit, financial reporting, internal controls, or manufacturing/CPG clients.
- Hands-on experience supporting month-end close, including journal entries, account reconciliations, financial statement preparation, and management reporting.
- Strong analytical capability with the ability to translate financial and operational data into meaningful business insights.
- Proficiency with ERP systems such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, NAV, or equivalent, together with advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
- Experience with Power BI or other business intelligence/reporting tools is considered an asset.
- Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, and other business teams.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:
- Understanding of accounting principles (GAAP/IFRS) and financial reporting processes.
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills with proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, lookups, formulas)
- Ability to interpret financial and operational data, identify variances and cost drivers, and provide clear, decision-ready recommendations - not just flag the variance.
- Knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis in a manufacturing cost structure (fixed vs. variable, cost center ownership).
- Comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy and taking ownership of recurring deliverables end-to-end.
- Awareness of compliance, audit, and internal control frameworks.
- Eagerness to learn and adapt within a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
