ABOUT WESTERN SOLAR
Established by two local co-founders, Western Solar has grown from a small entrepreneurial venture into an established solar energy company with ambitious plans for continued growth. Following a significant investment and ownership transaction in 2025, the company is expanding beyond Alberta and already operates in the United States through its sister company, Western Solar USA Inc. With Alberta offering some of Canada’s strongest solar energy potential, Western Solar’s full-service team of engineers and project managers delivers solar design, installation, and integration solutions to businesses and farms, and installs utility-scale solar projects as a subcontractor in Canada and the United States.
Western Solar offers an entrepreneurial, energetic, and growth-oriented environment where people work hard, support one another, and have fun along the way. With a true “all for one, one for all” approach, the team works closely together, and every employee has the opportunity to make a visible contribution to the company’s success. For someone looking to grow alongside an expanding organization, it is an exciting time to join Western Solar.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Controller is a newly created position that reflects Western Solar’s continued growth and expansion. The Controller will lead day-to-day accounting and financial reporting while strengthening monthly reporting, forecasting, cash flow management, financial controls, and banking compliance. Working closely with the co-founders, operational leaders, banking partners, and external advisors, this role will provide timely financial information and insights to support informed business decisions.
This is an exciting opportunity for a hands-on accounting professional who wants to grow alongside the business and help shape its evolving finance function. The Controller will provide oversight and direction to an experienced Bookkeeper, improve processes and reporting, and contribute across a broad range of financial activities, including cross border transactions between Canadian and the U.S.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead month-end close and prepare accurate, timely monthly financial statements, including income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow reporting packages.
- Maintain project accounting: job costing, percentage-of-completion revenue recognition, and margin by project.
- Develop and maintain rolling forecasts, budgets, and cash flow projections.
- Provide practical financial analysis and insights to support business decisions.
- Improve financial reporting, account structures, and general ledger information to support the company’s continued growth.
- Develop, implement, and strengthen financial controls, policies, and procedures, including controls related to field purchases, expenses, approvals, and documentation.
- Monitor banking requirements, reporting obligations, and financial covenants.
- Coordinate cross-border accounting, tax, and compliance requirements, and state-level tax and transaction requirements as the U.S. business grows.
- Oversee payroll and labour compliance in Canada and the U.S., including multi-state payroll, workers’ compensation, year-end slips and forms, and prevailing-wage, apprenticeship, and certified-payroll requirements where projects require them.
- Review account reconciliations and resolve financial reporting or transactional discrepancies.
- Support contract, purchasing, and technology-related financial reviews as needed.
- Identify opportunities to improve financial processes and efficiency through technology and automation, including the effective use of QuickBooks Online and Microsoft Excel.
- Provide oversight, coaching, and support to the Bookkeeper, including accounting or bookkeeping coverage when operational needs require it.
- Communicate financial information clearly and effectively to leaders without accounting backgrounds.
- Lead year-end activities, external reporting, and audit or review requirements.
- Complete financial and operational projects based on the evolving needs of the business.
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
- CPA designation required; 5+ years of relevant experience.
- Public practice and/or industry accounting experience will be considered.
- Experience preparing monthly financial statements and management reporting, with strong knowledge of month-end close, reconciliations, and general ledger accounting.
- Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management.
- Ability to develop and implement practical financial controls and processes.
- Experience with bank reporting and financial covenants is an asset.
- Cross-border, multi-currency, and/or U.S. transaction experience is an asset.
- Strong QuickBooks Online skills preferred; advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel is an asset.
- Interest in leveraging technology and artificial intelligence to improve financial processes and efficiency.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify meaningful financial insights and communicate financial information clearly to employees, leadership, banking partners, and external advisors.
- Comfortable working independently in a growing and evolving organization; practical, flexible, and willing to contribute beyond a narrowly defined job description.
- Sound judgment, discretion, and attention to detail when handling confidential financial information.
If you are interested in this exciting, newly created Controller opportunity and have the required skills and qualifications, please apply today through MNP’s official recruitment process or email your resume to gena.griffin@mnp.ca with “Western Solar Controller” in the subject line. Please do not contact Western Solar or its employees directly regarding this opportunity. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected to move forward in the recruitment process will be contacted.
FINAL - Position Profile - CONTROLLER.pdf