We are seeking a highly organized Accounting Manager who is committed to delivering exceptional client experiences and has a keen eye for detail. You'll lead and coach a pod of staff and senior accountants, own the accuracy and timeliness of monthly accounting activities across your client portfolio, and act as the primary advisor for mid- to high-complexity client engagements. This role carries full ownership of your pod's performance - from gross margin and KPIs to client growth and team development - and is ideal for someone who is proactive, eager to grow others, and dedicated to continuous improvement.
The ideal candidate is a self-starter who takes ownership, does what's right for the client, is approachable and resilient, and builds trust with the people around them.
Key Responsibilities:
Team Leadership & People Management
- Lead and manage a pod of accountants and senior accountants, providing coaching, technical guidance, and regular feedback.
- Oversee all monthly accounting activities (A/R, A/P, payroll entries, reconciliations, accruals, adjustments), ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
- Lead mid- to high-complexity client engagements, acting as the primary accounting advisor and main point of contact.
- Prepare and present advanced financial reports, KPI dashboards, and budgets, providing meaningful insights and recommendations.
- Conduct 1:1s, performance check-ins, and semi-annual reviews, ensuring each team member is progressing toward goals.
- Support staffing, workload balancing, and scheduling to ensure efficient delivery across the pod.
- Provide escalation support for technical accounting issues, client challenges, and workflow blockers.
- Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and high-quality work within the pod.
Client & Engagement Oversight
- Oversee a portfolio of mid- to high-complexity clients assigned to the pod, ensuring all deliverables meet quality and timeliness standards.
- Review and approve financial statements, reconciliations, working papers, and month-end packages prepared by the team.
- Monitor client satisfaction and proactively address concerns, scope issues, or workflow challenges.
- Support team members in client meetings, stepping in when higher-level expertise or conflict resolution is needed.
- Build strategic, long-term relationships with clients while managing expectations and providing proactive communication and guidance.
Financial Performance & Pod Metrics (Ownership)
- Own the gross margin of the pod, ensuring efficient resourcing, appropriate scoping, and smart allocation of work across team members.
- Oversee budget vs. actual hours, identifying efficiency gaps or scope misalignments and coaching the team accordingly.
- Track and manage the pod's KPIs, including overdue work items, on-time delivery, revenue retention, upsells, and workflow consistency.
- Work closely with the Director of Operations on pricing, resourcing, and capacity planning.
Client Growth & Revenue Management
- Review client scopes across the pod and ensure alignment with actual work performed.
- Identify upsell and expansion opportunities (additional services, special projects, cleanups, advisory) and support team members in presenting them.
- Manage overall revenue performance for your pod, ensuring renewals and pricing changes are handled proactively.
Process Improvement & Quality Assurance
- Ensure your pod consistently applies Zenbooks best practices, SOPs, documentation standards, and internal controls.
- Lead process improvement initiatives within the pod and contribute feedback to L&D, Operations, and Client Success.
- Support and oversee special projects for your clients or across the firm, including system improvements and catch-up work.
Cross-Department Collaboration
- Work closely with Tax and Payroll teams to ensure seamless cross-functional delivery.
- Collaborate with the Director of Operations to escalate concerns, review capacity, or delegate processing tasks to the appropriate staff.
- Participate actively in internal meetings, reporting pod metrics and contributing to issue-solving
Core Competencies
- Attention to Detail and Strong Organizational Skills
- Customer Service-Oriented with Excellent Communication
- Adaptability and Effective Problem-Solving Skills
- Time Management and Multitasking Abilities
- Collaboration and Initiative in Team Settings
Experience + Requirements
- 1-2 years of experience managing a team
- 1-2 years of experience in a controllership role (or handling controllership-level responsibilities)
- 2-3 years of client-facing experience supporting monthly reporting
- Strong working knowledge of cloud accounting software (e.g., Xero and/or QBO)
- Must pass a criminal background check and/or education/employment verification
- This is a remote role requiring high-speed internet access and availability during core business hours
Benefits & Perks
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: $85,000 to $92,000 per year
- 5 Personal Days + 15 Vacation days + 1 week during the winter holidays
- 100% Employer-paid Health benefits (medical, dental, disability, life insurance, and vision) (including EAP) and flexible health spending account
- Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)
- 100% Employer-paid Laptop, monitor, keyboard and mouse
- 100% Employer-paid Ergonomic assessment of your home office (Virtual)
- Flexible work schedule
How to Apply:
- Submit your Resume and Cover Letter through the platform where you found this posting or directly on our website (Cover Letters are optional but encouraged).
Our Interview Process:
- Phone Screen: Selected candidates will be invited to a phone interview with our People & Culture Generalist, Ashley Saunders, to discuss the role in more detail.
- Case Activity: Candidates moving forward will be asked to participate in a Case Activity. Access to Excel or Google Sheets is required.
- Interview with Leadership: Candidates progressing to the final stage will take part in a Zoom interview with the management team. During this interview, you'll discuss your case, address any final questions, and some candidates may be asked to complete a QBO walkthrough.
- Final Stage: The selected candidate will be extended an offer and introduced to the team!
