Lease Auditor Specialist

Company Description

Indigo is a physical and digital place inspired by and filled with books, ideas, beautifully designed lifestyle products, and the creative people who help make it all happen. We believe in real books, living life fully and generously, being kind to each other and to the environment, and that stories – big and little – connect us. Indigo is our customer’s happy place – for joyful moments of discovery and to connect with people who share their passion for reading, their belief in ideas, and their commitment to making the world a better and more beautiful place.

Our Mission is to inspire reading and enrich the lives of booklovers. As such, we believe in the power of people and their stories. We aim to attract top talent, nurture the potential of our employees, and create space for everyone to thrive. Our Guiding Principles are the few key ideas that are meant to influence everything we do, every day.

• We Will Hire, Inspire, Promote and Retain the Best
• We Will Be Customer Centric
• We Will Be Entrepreneurial
• We Will Be Committed to Caring About Each Other, Our Communities, and Our Environment
• We Will Be Committed to True and Shared Value Creation
• We Will Be Systems Thinking, Data Driven and AI enabled

Job Description

The Specialist, Lease Auditor, is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of all billings for real estate taxes, common area maintenance charges, utilities, and operating expenses for the company’s existing portfolio of store leases. This position will lead all aspects of the billing audit function and will work closely with the accounting and real estate teams and outside consultants to ensure the integrity of the billings and to proactively identify opportunities to reduce costs.

KEY DELIVERABLES

• Timely review and approval of all outstanding bills
• Timely resolution of billing disputes between the company and its landlords and property managers
• Pro-active identification of billing errors, unusual increases in tax assessed values, opportunities for fee recoveries
• Maintenance of appropriate tracking system of all billing audit activity
• Ability to effectively communicate and negotiate with landlords and property managers
• Ability to work with outside consultants on tax recoveries and assessment appeals
• Ability to work with internal teams and external auditors
• Ability to prioritize issues by metrics such as LL/$$ impact/lease timelines

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Functional

• Review all rent, CAM, tax, utilities and operating expense bills, year-end reconciliations to ensure they are per the terms of the lease agreement
• Approve all CAM, tax, utilities, and operating Expense payments to landlords and property managers
• Reconcile accounts with outstanding balances and effectively negotiate with landlords and/or property managers to resolve any disputes
• Build relationships with landlords and property managers
• Maintain detailed filing system to track the status and correspondence on all outstanding billings
• Prepare quarterly accrual report for accounting team showing disputed unpaid billings and expected recoveries
• Provide support as requested by external auditors for all accruals
• Prepare annual budget worksheets for specific retail store GL accounts as assigned – including review against prior year costs and forecasted increases
• Prepare annual budget worksheets for percentage rent estimates
• Work with outside consultants to appeal tax assessments and conduct business tax reviews
• Manage café and other subtenant administration, including annual budgets and rental advice notices, year-end reconciliations, percentage rent and other billings, hydro recharges, statements of account, café sales and rent reporting, and the receivables budget for Finance.
• Administer the collection of tenant allowances, including preparing and distributing checklists, coordinating required documentation with Store Development and Construction, arranging lien searches, following up on outstanding deliverables, and preparing and issuing invoices to landlords.
• Administer Lucernex lease data and reporting, including setting up and supporting users; uploading annual and additional rent, monthly sales, rolling 12-month sales and EBITDA information; and creating fiscal portfolio reports.
• Update the Statement of Values required for property insurance renewals.
• Act as an advocate for the customer by placing them at the forefront of all decision-making and design processes
• Proactively identify and anticipate customer expectations and needs
• Embrace and seek out technology that creates high tech and high touch solutions for Indigo’s customers
• Challenge the status quo by consistently identifying areas for improvement, diagnosing issues and working to resolve them

People

• Collaborate with others to drive flexible and iterative solutions, quickly and easily
• Share technical knowledge with others and actively seek to learn from those more knowledgeable than yourself
• Help others see the impacts of their efforts and proactively engage other functions to get input
• Encourage others to freely share their point of view and be open to feedback

Cultural

• Model Indigo’s beliefs and convey a positive image in everything you do
• Celebrate diversity of thought and have an open mindset
• Take an active role in fostering a culture of continual learning, taking risks without the fear of making mistakes
• Embrace, champion and influence change through your team and/or the organization

SCOPE

Reports to: SVP, Real Estate

Manager once Removed (MOR): Chief financial officer

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:

• Accounting
• Real Estate
• Legal

External:

• External consultants
• External auditors
• Landlords and property managers

Qualifications

Work Experience / Education / Certifications

• University degree in Accounting, Finance, Real Estate, or Business
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in commercial real estate lease administration and billing audit ideally including previous experience working for both tenants and landlords
• Solid understanding of commercial real estate leases; invoices for taxes, CAMS, utilities, and business taxes; and the tax assessment/appeal process across Canada

Competencies / Skills / Attributes

• Outstanding negotiation skills. Ability to clearly articulate your argument and support it with the facts
• Ability to build relationships and gain respect to effectively negotiate with landlords and property managers
• Ability to work independently and to effectively prioritize and manage daily workflow
• Demonstrated analytical, problem solving and business judgment skills
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work with people at all levels of the organization
• Excellent skills in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Prior experience working with a leasing software database

Other (travel, Bilingual, etc.)

• Competency in French is an asset, but not a requirement

Additional Information

Indigo uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with certain aspects of the hiring process, such as screening and assessments. These tools support our team but do not replace human judgment. We are committed to using AI responsibly, fairly, and in compliance with applicable employment and anti-discrimination laws. We regularly review these tools to help prevent bias or discrimination.

At Indigo, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility are core to our values. We integrate these principles into our training, policies, and hiring practices and continuously evolve to reflect the needs of the communities we serve. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and lived experiences, including but not limited to individuals who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour), members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and persons with disabilities. If you require an accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources at [email protected].

We respect your privacy throughout the recruitment process. Our Candidate Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you apply for a role with Indigo, and the choices available to you.

This posting is for a current opportunity within Indigo.