Controller (CPA)

Company Description:

ORA Graphene is a Montreal-based startup developing advanced graphene-based nanomaterials for high-performance applications. The company has already shipped millions of units into its first market - loudspeakers and headphones. Our graphene speaker membranes enable smaller, louder and more efficient drivers, delivering audiophile sound quality and other benefits to major audio and consumer electronics brands.

Reporting to the CFO, you will own accounting, reporting and financial planning in a hands-on start-up environment. As ORA scales its manufacturing facility to mass produce graphene-based membranes for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers, you will manage day-to-day financial operations while building and strengthening existing finance systems. You will work closely with our finance lead, management and manufacturing team. Your key priorities will be to strengthen financial close and reporting, develop manufacturing costing and inventory accounting, and establish the systems and controls needed to support growth.

What We Offer:

• Base annual salary of $105,000–$125,000, based on experience.
• Participation in our employee stock option plan, so you share in the company you help build.
• Hybrid work arrangement: three days per week at our Montreal office, with the remaining days remote unless additional on-site attendance is required for the role.
• Group health, dental and vision insurance from day one.
• 4 weeks of paid vacation per year, plus paid personal and sick days.
• CPA Québec annual dues covered.
• Direct reporting line to the CFO and real ownership in building the finance processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead month-end and year-end close, including account reconciliations and financial statement preparation in accordance with Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE).
• Prepare investor-ready financial statements, including profit and loss statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement. Produce investor reports and management dashboards.
• Maintain a clear, well-organized chart of accounts by retiring unused accounts and consolidating or regrouping accounts to support meaningful reporting.
• Partner with the manufacturing team on inventory counts, costing and valuation.
• Build and maintain the fixed asset register, review equipment and other assets, establish depreciation policies and reconcile asset balances to the accounting records.
• Develop and maintain product costing and cost of goods sold reporting to support manufacturing operations.
• Build and maintain the annual budget and rolling forecast with support from the CFO.
• Prepare monthly budget-to-actual reporting with clear commentary on variances.
• Support cash flow forecasting and planning for the company’s cash runway.
• Coordinate Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) claims in collaboration with technical staff and external advisors.
• Prepare and track claims for grants and other funding.
• Oversee payroll administered by the Accounting & HR Manager, including vacation and leave accruals. Periodically review employee compliance records, including employment agreements, work permits and visas.
• Oversee GST/QST filings, payroll remittances and other compliance filings administered by the Accounting & HR Manager.
• Serve as the primary contact for external accountants and coordinate the year-end review and/or audit.
• Serve as the primary contact for information requests from the Canada Revenue Agency and Revenu Québec.
• Establish and strengthen internal controls and finance processes suited to a growing company.

Required Qualifications:

You bring at least five years of progressive accounting experience, including at least two years in a manufacturing environment, along with the following qualifications:

• CPA designation (Canada), in good standing.
• Hands-on experience in manufacturing inventory accounting, including costing, valuation, inventory counts and cost of goods sold.
• Strong working knowledge of ASPE.
• Experience with QuickBooks Online.
• Experience preparing budget versus actual reporting.
• Bilingual in English and French, written and spoken.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment, building processes from the ground up and helping shape the finance function as the company grows.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience preparing or managing SR&ED claims.
• Experience with material requirements planning (MRP) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
• Experience developing annual budgets and rolling forecasts from the ground up, beyond preparing budget-to-actual reports.