Controller

Job Description

The Organization:

LGM is a national leader in providing warranty, finance and insurance services to the Canadian automotive industry. Since 1998, LGM has been successfully supplying quality products and leading training solutions to over 1,500 Canadian franchised new car dealerships. Dealer partnerships are complemented with the strong backing and support of their automotive manufacturing brands, which include BMW/MINI, Kia, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar/Land Rover and Mitsubishi Motors.

Salary: base: 125,000-145,000 plus bonus 

Key Responsibilities:
 

1. Financial Oversight
   
   • Prepare accurate and timely financial statements, including balance sheets, income statements.
   • Oversee the month-end and year-end closing processes.
2. Budgeting and Forecasting
   
   • Develop and manage the annual budget and financial forecasts in collaboration with department heads.
   • Provide variance analysis and actionable insights to stakeholders.
3. Compliance and Audit
   
   • Ensure compliance with all financial regulations, tax laws, and internal controls.
   • Coordinate audits and liaise with external auditors to ensure accuracy and compliance.
4. Team Leadership
   
   • Lead and mentor the accounting team, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
   • Establish best practices and maintain a high-performing financial function.

Leadership Competencies:
 

• Self-Management - Is authentic and open with others about their own emotions and feelings, and uses this honesty to build trust and inspire others around them.
• Results Focused - Pursues continuous improvement in areas of responsibility that enables sequentially higher goals to be set for their team.
• Effective Communicator - Communicates succinctly, ensuring that verbal and non-verbal communications are aligned to avoid confusion, and maintains a propensity to listen to others to ensure clear and thorough understanding before action.
• Empowers and Coaches Others - Manages by objectives vs. command/control, coaching individuals to reflect on performance, set goals, and identify/implement actions to achieve them, and foster innovation and creativity to reach for increasingly more difficult goals.
• Collaboration and Influence - Builds effective working relationships, partnerships and collaborative endeavors within their department and with other departments.
• Builds Teams - Builds teams with diverse skills, styles, and backgrounds and encourages constructive debate to make the best decisions required for their purpose.
• Innovation and Change Leadership - Knows critical factors of success in their functional area and foresees the impact of change and how it adds value. Identifies and harnesses new opportunities for improvement in their own area, proactively challenging the status quo, and leverages short-term wins to galvanize change efforts.
• Strategic Orientation Knows the market well enough to identify and share emerging changes with their team.

Required Skills:
 

• Proficient with MS Office product suite and excellent computer skills.
• Proven ability to support the team and help where/when needed - a hands-on approach.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Present and speak at departmental and management meetings.
• Highly collaborative and facilitative leadership style vs. hierarchy and controlling.
• Treats confidentiality of information with the utmost of respect.
• Demonstrate ability to complete tasks under strict deadlines.
• Ability to multi-task
• Ability to work well under pressure and in an environment of change.
• Well organized and able to maintain accurate and timely records.
• Experience in coaching and mentoring other staff members

Education:
 

• Post-secondary degree in Accounting/Finance or related discipline.
• CPA Designation

Experience:
 

• Advanced accounting and software knowledge.
• 2 to 3 years audit experience
• 7+ years people management experience.
• 2 to 3 years of tax related experience
• 7+ years relevant experience in a professional corporate work environment in finance/accounting
• Insurance industry experience (asset)

The Rewards:

 

• We offer a highly competitive compensation package including: comprehensive health benefits plan, Group RRSP, performance bonus, education sponsorship, and four paid days when "giving back" to the community. We also offer a vehicle rebate program.