Controller

Starlight Investments, in conjunction with WP Osborne Executive Search, is seeking a Controller to join their Canadian Commercial (True North Commercial REIT) Finance team.

Controller

Starlight is one of the most exciting real estate firms to work for in Canada with a track record devoted to creating long-term investor value. Starlight co-invests in each asset, creating meaningful alignment in each of its strategies including joint ventures with institutional partners, publicly traded real estate investment trusts and publicly traded real estate investment funds.

This role reports directly to the Director, Finance (Canadian Commercial) and is dedicated to the financial management of True North Commercial REIT (“TNC”) as well as other commercial portfolios as required.

This is an excellent opportunity for a designated CPA to make a strong contribution to the financial management and business performance of the commercial assets at Starlight. This individual will have exposure to all levels of management and leadership, as well as working cross-functionally with Asset Management and Investment Teams.

We work in a collaborative, open environment and our head office is on the Bloor subway line (we cover Presto passes!). We cover CPA professional dues, provide learning and professional development opportunities, as well as fun team outings and company events throughout the year.

Duties and Responsibilities

Financial Analysis and Business Partnering

• Provide value-add insight to asset management, investments, executive team and finance leadership through the monthly review and analysis of operational and financial performance relative to budget and quarterly reforecasts;
• Review and analyze the property financial results prepared by the third-party property managers and shared service property accounting team to understand and highlight key trends/opportunities to improve financial results;
• Manage process improvement projects to streamline accounting processes, as required;
• Assist with the oversight of accounting for acquisitions, dispositions and refinancing as incurred;

Financial Reporting and Accounting

• Oversee the integrity of financial results including completeness and accuracy of monthly financial results. Ensure that team members are appropriately trained and understand key drivers and risks in financial results to eliminate risk of error and maintain a high degree of accuracy consistently;
• Ensure that shared service accounting team is maintaining appropriate reconciliations and support required;
• Assist in the review of external reporting documents required to be filed, including quarterly/annual financial statements, investor presentations and reporting to the board of directors;
• Review technical accounting memos prepared by shared service reporting team to document the accounting treatment regarding IFRS standards, accounting for complex accounting areas;
• Manage external audits required including the preparation of working papers and relationship management with audit firms to ensure timely audit completion;

Liquidity, Debt and Cash Management

• Assisting with the management of cash availability, including review of cash position reporting prepared by the Starlight shared service treasury team to ensure accurate cash reporting and forecasting;
• Act as key contributor in review of cash flow forecasts with asset management, investments and executive team to provide value-added insights including potential risks and opportunities;
• Ensure lender reporting requirements and covenant calculations are completed accurately and delivered on time;
• Assisting with the management of the partnership’s debt portfolios.

Qualifications

The Controller will possess a University degree in Business/Accounting and a professional accounting (CPA) designation; a minimum of 5 years of public accounting or industry experience ideally in the real estate industry with strong technical accounting knowledge; experience writing or reviewing financial statements, MD&A and press releases; excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills; as well as having an analytical mindset, balancing detail with understanding business needs. The successful candidate must have experience working with Workiva and be proficient in MS Office and advanced Excel skills.

Application

Qualified candidates can submit their resume via LinkedIn. We thank you for your interest in this role, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

WP Osborne Executive Search

WP Osborne is a privately owned search firm delivering full-service recruitment expertise for over 20 years to a broad range of clients in the real estate industry. Our expertise extends across every major asset class including multi-residential, office, industrial, retail, mixed-use, condo, hotels, and senior living across the functions of asset management, investments, development, construction, leasing, property management, portfolio management, finance, marketing, IT, HR and strategy.

Reference #1352 – Controller, Commercial