VP Controller

Employment Type: Full-Time

Location: Newmarket, ON (On-Site)

Salary: $190,000–$200,000

Industry: Real Estate Development & Residential Construction

Position Type: Backfill

About the Opportunity

Our client is a privately held, owner-operated residential developer and builder. For more than a decade it has designed and built luxury custom homes and master-planned communities, managing every stage in-house from land acquisition and design through construction and customer care. The business operates through a multi-entity structure of Canadian corporations, limited partnerships and US entities, with active projects in Ontario, Florida and Texas.

Reporting to the President and leading an Accounting Manager, the VP Controller owns financial reporting, treasury, lender relationships and tax compliance across a multi-entity group.

Key Responsibilities

Treasury and Lending

• Take over day-to-day banking relationships as the lenders’ first call on draws, covenant reporting and new facility requests
• Manage construction loan draw processes across Canadian and US projects, including draw packages and reconciliation of lender reporting to the internal books
• Monitor covenants, guarantees and liquidity provisions across every facility
• Maintain and present the weekly rolling cash flow forecast to ownership, and build out budget-to-actual reporting at the parent level

Underwriting and Financing

• Build underwriting, pro forma and financing models for new land and development opportunities, with sources and uses and a recommended structure
• Negotiate and restructure construction facilities and revolvers on improved terms
• Support capital raising and reporting for private and limited partnership investors

Reporting, Accounting and Tax

• Own financial reporting under ASPE across a multi-entity group, including project reporting, job costing, KPIs and variance analysis
• Oversee intercompany accounting, foreign exchange and the wind-down of legacy entities
• Own the CRA relationship, keeping GST/HST filings and payment arrangements current across all entities, and coordinate with external Canadian and US tax advisors
• Lead entity setup and corporate secretary matters with legal counsel, including minute books, articles and partnership documents
• Lead the annual corporate budget and business plan, including downside scenarios

Team and Systems

• Lead and develop the Accounting Manager toward full independence on the close
• Drive process improvement, documentation and automation, building on an AI-enabled finance stack

What You Bring

• CPA designation with senior finance experience in residential development, home building or construction
• Hands-on experience with construction lending, including draws, covenant compliance, lender reporting and debt financing
• Strong pro forma, budgeting, expense and cash flow forecasting skills
• Project accounting and job costing expertise, with project reporting and revenue and margin analysis
• Multi-entity private company reporting under ASPE, including intercompany and foreign exchange
• GST/HST compliance experience
• Proficiency in QuickBooks and Excel, and a track record of improving and automating finance processes
• A hands-on leader who has worked in small or mid-sized, owner-led environments and is comfortable doing the work, not only directing it

Nice to Have

• US tax exposure and cross-border Canada/US experience
• Experience managing limited partnership investor relationships and reporting
• Entity creation and corporate secretary experience
• Experience using AI tools such as Claude in a finance function

Next Steps

We do appreciate all interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Clarity Recruitment is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process and workplace. If you require accommodation, please let us know in advance and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Please note: We use AI-assisted tools for notetaking during the screening process.

JOB ID # 3702466

About Clarity Recruitment

Clarity is an executive search and recruitment firm specializing in Finance & Accounting talent across Canada - from accountants to CFOs. Additionally, Clarity partners with organizations to hire exceptional talent in HR, Operations, and IT, helping build the teams that power business success. Our process is designed to minimize risk, maximize alignment, and move quickly. With dedicated practices in Executive Search, Full-Time Search, and Project & Interim Consulting, we help organizations grow with confidence. Visit findingclarity.ca to learn more!