Financial Controller

Location
Remote (Canada-Only)
Job Type
Full-Time
Apply Now

About Liberty Horizons

Liberty Horizons is the future of accounting for small businesses. We provide a white glove service that has not been provided in the small business accounting industry. We do this through a tech-enabled approach that allows accounting professionals to provide the highest quality and fastest turnaround of accounting, bookkeeping, fractional controller, and fractional CFO services to an underserved market of small business owners.

‍

We are a small team with high standards. That means real ownership, real exposure, and real growth opportunities for the right person. If you want to own a function, work directly alongside senior leadership, and build something that matters to the businesses you serve, this is the right environment for you.

‍

About the Role

As a Financial Controller, you own the output of the accounting team. That means the quality, timeliness, and consistency of every client close, and the performance and development of the people who produce it. You are accountable for the result. You also own the client relationship, so founders trust you to explain what their numbers mean and what to do next.

‍

Good execution looks like this:

  • Every client's books closed within three business days of period end, so our team and the client can spend more time planning for the future than catching up on accounting
  • Work that is clean before it reaches a client
  • A team that is measurably better each quarter

You are not just a reviewer. You know the books and can step in and finish them when needed. You are planning for the future, giving clients proactive advice on their business, taxes, and strategy.

‍

What the First 90 Days Look Like

‍

Days 1 to 30: Learn and Orient‍

  • Understand the full client portfolio: who they are, what they need, and what good work looks like for each
  • Get up to speed on QuickBooks Online, Dext, Plooto, Google Sheets trackers, payroll platforms, and filing schedules
  • Meet one-on-one with every team member and understand their workload, strengths, and gaps
  • Review the current close process, controls, and written procedures, and document where they are slow or incomplete

Days 31 to 60: Contribute Independently

  • Take ownership of the month-end close calendar and run it with your team
  • Set clear expectations, deadlines, and review standards for every team member
  • Give direct, specific feedback to each person on your team
  • Demonstrate values alignment in real work situations

Days 61 to 90: Own It

  • Lead your first full close cycle across your clients, on time and to standard
  • Achieve a three-business-day close for every client
  • Run owner review conversations with books ready in advance
  • Bring at least three process improvements to leadership, with a plan to implement each one
  • Commit to quarterly goals for yourself and each team member

Responsibilities

‍

Team Leadership and Standards

  • Own team performance: assign work, set deadlines, review output, and keep every person on target
  • Give direct feedback in the same quarter an issue appears, including when it is hard
  • Set and track quarterly goals with each team member, including budget hours and process improvement targets
  • Be the bridge between leadership and the team on process, tools, and client questions
  • Ensure your entire team uses AI tools actively, and model that use yourself

Close, Reporting, and Quality

  • Deliver a consistent three-business-day close for every client
  • Review reconciliations and financial statements so errors are caught before clients see them
  • Investigate variances and understand what is driving them
  • Fix root causes so the same issue does not come back

Client Impact

  • Prepare for and lead review meetings with clients, and define the real problem before proposing a solution
  • Build budgets, cash flow models, and forecasts that help owners make decisions
  • Track client receivables, payables, and cash position, and raise problems early
  • Support client onboarding, including technology setup and training
  • Follow up on outstanding items and collections firmly and professionally

Compliance, Systems, and Craft

  • Oversee AP runs, payroll, remittances, T4s, ROEs, HST/GST, and corporate filings to deadline
  • Maintain and strengthen internal controls, accounting policies, and written procedures
  • Lead rollouts of new tools and make sure the team adopts them
  • Keep time tracking and budget hours accurate by client
  • Contribute to R&D every quarter: learn, build, or test something and bring it back to the team

What an A-Player Looks Like in This

  • Output quality: The team's work is clean before it reaches you, because you set the bar and hold it
  • Ownership: When something goes wrong in your area, you surface it immediately, own it fully, and come with a fix. You do not try to explain away the failure. You fix it
  • Team performance: You address underperformance in the same quarter you see it. You coach privately and own the result publicly
  • Developing others: You build A-Players and invest in the ones who are close
  • Strategic thinking: You understand the financial implications of every recommendation and think several moves ahead
  • Client trust: Owners trust you because you are prepared, clear, and honest, even when the news is bad
  • Speed and adaptability: You make decisions at your level, move fast without losing quality, and are comfortable operating in ambiguous situations
  • AI and systems: Tools are how you work. You build AI-integrated workflows and share them with the team
  • Integrity: You surface problems early, tell the truth when it creates friction, and do the right thing when no one is watching

Who This Role Is For

  • Someone who has served small business owners directly and wants to make a significant impact on them
  • Someone who has led people and takes full responsibility for their results
  • Someone who stays hands-on in the work and does not hide behind review
  • Someone who gives direct feedback with respect and does not avoid the hard conversation
  • Someone who defines and expands their own role without waiting for permission
  • Someone who invests in their craft outside of work hours without being asked

Who This Role Is Not For

  • Someone whose experience is limited to large-firm or audit work with no direct client exposure
  • Someone who manages by reviewing work rather than making sure it gets done
  • Someone who softens the truth to manage perception, with clients or with their team
  • Someone who waits for direction or escalates decisions they could own
  • Someone who treats AI adoption and ongoing learning as optional
  • Someone who wants a comfortable seat and not a growing one

Qualifications

  • CPA designation
  • Degree (or equivalent) in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
  • 5+ years of experience at a small to mid-size accounting firm (roughly 10 to 50 people)
  • Prior experience managing a team
  • 5+ years of hands-on QuickBooks Online experience
  • Strong bookkeeping fundamentals and comfort with payroll, HST/GST, and remittances
  • Working knowledge of accruals, tax returns, T-slip returns, budgeting, and cash flow forecasting
  • Solid understanding of GAAP and Canadian regulatory compliance
  • Proven ability to deliver to client deadlines through other people, in a remote environment
  • Strong written and verbal communication

Nice to Have

  • Experience preparing T2 and personal tax returns
  • Experience leading a software or process implementation, such as payroll or AP automation
  • Experience with Xero, Dext, Plooto, Wagepoint, Payworks, ADP, or Knit People
  • Prior experience in a fractional CFO, startup, or multi-client accounting environment

What We Offer

  • $90,000 CAD – $110,000 CAD base salary (based on experience)
  • Full benefits package
  • Paid time off
  • Professional development budget
  • Full-time remote with genuine flexibility
  • Direct exposure to a diverse portfolio of founder-led businesses
  • Real ownership of a team and a book of clients
  • A small, high-standard team where your work is visible and your contribution matters

The Hiring Process

‍

This process is deliberate. We are selective because the standard matters, to us and to our clients.

  • Stage 1 – Application and Values Pre-Screen: A written application with structured values questions. Generic answers are rejected without review.
  • Stage 2 – Screening Interview: A 45-minute video call covering your experience, standards, and values.
  • Stage 3 – Hiring Manager Interview: A deep dive on role competency, people leadership, and ownership. Expect to be asked what you built yourself versus what you managed someone else to build.
  • Stage 4 – Final Interview: A values and leadership conversation with our Managing Partner.
  • Stage 5 – Reference Checks: A minimum of two professional references, at least one a direct manager.

How to Apply

‍

Submit your application by selecting the "Apply Now" button. You will complete a short written values response as part of the application. This is not a cover letter, and generic answers will not advance.


Liberty Horizons is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome all qualified applicants, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

‍

Apply Now

‍