Controller
Lead accounting and reporting for a growing multi-entity group
LOCATION
Mississauga, ON (in office)
REPORTS TO
Chief Financial Officer
TYPE
Full-time, permanent · Senior
About the opportunity
PRI is a multidisciplinary engineering and environmental consulting firm with offices across British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Ontario, and part of a group of related companies spanning engineering consulting, manufacturing, and construction. We are seeking a Controller to lead accounting, close, and financial reporting across the group's entities, and to build the finance function the group needs as it grows toward 300 people.
This is a hands-on leadership role. You will own the monthly close and consolidated reporting for several legal entities, lead a small accounting team, run the audit and tax cycles, and keep the systems, controls, and intercompany accounting clean across companies with different business models. You will be the CFO's operating partner in finance: the person who makes sure the numbers are right, on time, and useful, and who turns a fast-growing group's accounting into a reliable, scalable function.
What you'll do
Accounting and close
- Own the monthly, quarterly, and year-end close for each entity and the consolidated group, to a fixed calendar, with full reconciliations and review.
- Prepare consolidated and entity financial statements under ASPE, including intercompany eliminations, allocations, and management fees.
- Own project accounting for the engineering firm: revenue recognition on time-and-materials, fixed-fee, and percentage-of-completion work, WIP and unbilled, and project cost reporting.
- Own accounting for the manufacturing and construction entities, including inventory, cost of goods sold, job costing, and holdbacks.
- Oversee accounts receivable, accounts payable, billing, cash application, and payroll accounting, and manage cash forecasting with the CFO.
Reporting, audit, and tax
- Deliver monthly management reporting: entity and consolidated results, margins by practice and sector, utilization and realization, variance analysis, and KPI dashboards.
- Lead the annual audit or review engagement and all corporate tax, GST/HST and PST, and other regulatory filings for each entity, working with external accountants.
- Support banking reporting and covenant compliance, and prepare lender and shareholder reporting packages.
- Support budgeting, forecasting, and the financial modelling behind pricing, hiring, and acquisition decisions.
Systems, controls, and team
- Own the finance side of the ERP (Deltek Vantagepoint) and the accounting systems of the other entities, including the chart of accounts, project structures, and month-end processes.
- Design and maintain internal controls, approval workflows, and documented procedures appropriate to a multi-entity private group.
- Lead, develop, and schedule the accounting team, including project accounting, AR/AP, payroll and benefits, and financial analysis.
- Lead finance integration of acquired companies: opening balances, system migration, policy alignment, and first close.
What you bring
Required
- CPA designation (CPA, CA, CMA, or CGA).
- 8 or more years of progressive accounting experience, including at least 3 years as a Controller or Assistant Controller with ownership of month-end close and financial statements.
- Experience accounting for multiple legal entities, including consolidations and intercompany transactions.
- Strong working knowledge of ASPE, Canadian corporate tax and sales tax compliance, and the audit or review process.
- Experience leading a small accounting team.
- Advanced Excel and strong ERP skills, with the ability to design processes and reports, not just operate the system.
- A builder's mindset: comfortable improving processes, setting controls, and bringing order to a fast-growing group.
Preferred
- Project accounting experience in an engineering, architecture, or professional-services firm, including WIP and percentage-of-completion revenue.
- Deltek Vantagepoint experience, or another project-based ERP such as Deltek Vision, BST, or Unanet.
- Experience in manufacturing or construction accounting (inventory, job costing, holdbacks).
- Experience with acquisition integration or a system implementation.
- Practical use of AI and automation tools to streamline close, reconciliation, and reporting.
Why PRI
- Ownership of the accounting function for a group with genuine complexity and a clear growth plan.
- A CFO who wants an operating partner, and a CEO who invests in finance systems and people.
- The chance to build: processes, controls, team, and reporting, rather than maintain someone else's.
- Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and support for continuing professional development.
PRI is an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, and we particularly encourage applications from Indigenous professionals.
