Accounting Manager

SUMMARY OF THE POSITION

Reporting to the Director of Finance, the Accounting manager is the key manager responsible for ensuring the integrity of the company’s accounting records in accordance with GAAP and producing monthly and annual financial statements in a timely manner. S/he leads day-to-day corporate accounting and supervises a team of professionals with functional responsibility over general ledger accounting, project accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable.

KEY RESPONSABILITIES

Other key functions of the Accounting manager position include:

• preparing forecasts, budgets, and pro-forma financial statements;
• preparing variance analyses against the above-noted budgets and forecasts;
• supervise a team of Projects Financials Officers and Accounting Clerks
• overseeing clients reporting in all stage of projects;
• developing new custom reports, ideally within the accounting system, to provide key performance and managerial information in a timely manner to the company’s senior management;
• championing and leading new accounting software initiatives such as implementing a new module of the accounting system and/or ‘rolling out’ the HQ accounting system to the company’s project locations around the world; providing training related to these initiatives to other staff;
• analyzing and recommending improved procedures to shorten the month-end accounting close process, resulting in more timely financial statements;
• ensuring robust internal control policies and procedures, improving them when required, and supervising their implementation;
• documenting financial policies and procedures and improving financial manuals;
• launching internal audit on projects;
• communicate with different banks;
• preparing short-term and medium-term cash flow forecasts;
• assisting the Director of Finance with research into foreign jurisdiction taxation and its effects on the company’s projects, as well as ensuring adherence to foreign jurisdiction tax return preparation and remittances;
• being the prime interlocutor with external auditors for the company’s annual audit;
• providing technical accounting guidance to the finance team; and
• assisting the Director of Finance in the department’s strategic and annual planning and participating in a wide variety of special projects, reports and initiatives as required.

The Accounting manager shall also work in partnership with the Director of finance to ensure that Cowater has the internal controls, financial policies, systems, manuals, and well-documented procedures in place to support effective project financial management overseas. In partnership with Project Financial Officers and the accountant, the Accounting manager will have general oversight responsibility for the accounting and financial management of the company’s projects. Through this oversight, the Accounting manager will manage all accounting functions, including general accounting, timely sales invoicing and collections, financial reporting and maintaining the integrity of the general ledger.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

Essential:

• CPA with at least 7 years post qualification experience
• 3+ years in a manager-level position
• 2+ years of experience in a supervisory role
• Bilingual mandatory: English and French
• Strong experience using and customizing modern ERP systems
• Excellent Excel spreadsheet skills
• Enthusiasm for, and a demonstrated ability to use, technology, i.e. the company’s ERP software and Excel, for data mining and analysis to provide key performance indicator management reporting
• Solid knowledge of ASPE GAAP and a strong internal control environment
• Solid experience in managing financial reporting, budget development and analysis, accounts payable and receivable supervision, general ledger, payroll
• Experience coordinating audit preparation and in providing timely information to external auditors
• Demonstrated success in managing staff effectively
• Strong customer service orientation
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to interact effectively with all levels of staff and management with varying degrees of financial knowledge
• Ability to “influence without authority” for staff that are not direct reports
• Detail-oriented with the ability to follow-through on all projects; ability to bring projects to timely completion
• The ability to assume non-routine tasks and to take initiative where appropriate
• A strong ability to work independently with minimal supervision as well as part of a team
• Ability to handle highly sensitive information and maintain strict confidentiality

Desired:

• Audit or tax experience through CA articling
• Experience with foreign exchange and multi-currency transactions and accounting
• Experience with project accounting or in a project-driven organization

ABOUT US

With more than 35 years’ experience, Cowater International is Canada’s global leader in management consulting services specializing in international development and has managed the implementation of over 800 projects in more than 80 countries around the globe. We work with governments, partner organizations, communities and civil society to design and implement sustainable solutions that generate lasting social, financial and environmental impacts. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies in 2017 and 2018. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Cowater International also has corporate offices in Montreal, Quebec, Paris, France, Pretoria, South Africa, and London, United Kingdom, Nairobi, Kenya in addition to project offices in a wide variety of other locations across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

We thank you for your interest in building a better tomorrow with Cowater International.

APPLY NOW