Assistant Controller

Belonging to Air Canada is to belong to a Canadian symbol, Air Canada recently elected best airline in North America. Take off your career by joining our innovative and diversified team at the forefront of passenger air transport.

Reporting to the Vice-President, Finance and Controller, the Assistant Controller directs the Global Center of Excellence for Financial Reporting, located in Winnipeg. The person in this position is responsible for overseeing Air Canada's and its subsidiaries' consolidated financial reporting and accounting methods, particularly regarding planning, accounting advice, guidance, and support for daily operations and business units. They direct the Global Center of Excellence for Financial Reporting, fixed asset accounting, and debt and lease accounting, acting as the authority for accounting interpretation, method application, and consistent execution across all regions and entities.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the preparation process of Air Canada's consolidated financial statements, including the preparation of audited financial statements and coordination of the external audit, in accordance with Canadian Securities Commission requirements.
• Define and govern the global operating model for the Centers of Excellence in financial reporting and accounting, ensuring clear handoffs to Shared Services and regional teams where appropriate to manage and oversee the company's various international regulatory financial document filings.
• Improve the quality and usability of financial reports produced to support senior management decision-making, particularly by improving analytics, estimation transparency, and prospective financial reporting.
• Assume responsibility for all the company's accounting methods, including research, interpretation, development, governance, and application of accounting methods relating to complex technical issues across the organization, based on the evolving regulatory framework and business initiatives.
• Maximize the efficient use of technology in financial reporting, accounting operations, and internal control processes.
• Provide leadership, direction, and advice to a high-performing team focused on accounting methods, financial reporting, accounting operations, and internal controls. Establish, through teamwork, a vision, operating principles, and goals for the group. Cultivate a philosophy that challenges the status quo and stimulates individuals and the group, as a team, to achieve excellence. Build a strong management team and plan for succession. Set and achieve ambitious goals and objectives for the team. Develop subordinates by offering guidance and training.
• Proactively develop solutions or strategies to solve complex issues and challenges related to operations and systems, notably systems and processes related to financial information.
• In collaboration with the company's actuaries, perform the accounting for Air Canada's defined benefit pension plans, notably the reassessment of actuarial assumptions.
• In support of the company's internal control environment, provide leadership and management of the program for continuous monitoring, evaluation, and improvement of management methods related to finance, accounting, and internal controls, including bank reconciliations.
• Supervise general fixed asset accounting, including for Aeroplan, ensuring robust governance of capitalization, valuation, depreciation, impairment, and retirement of assets, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) requirements.
• Supervise the processing and accounting of all lease payments and debt repayment, including global administrative activities, the application of accounting methods, and accounting controls compliant with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
• In collaboration with the Vice-President and Controller, advise the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors on accounting and financial reporting issues.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance or accounting.
• Professional accounting designation (CPA).
• At least 10 to 15 years of experience in financial statement preparation in a complex large public company environment.
• Proven experience in operational support activities and special projects.
• Proven experience in supervising financial statement preparation and managing external financial statement audits.
• Excellent understanding of financial statement reporting obligations.
• Experience in the airline or travel industry, an asset.
• Strong talent for presentations to senior management, analysis, and project management.
• Ability to establish strategic and tactical plans while evolving within a constantly changing business context.
• Strong knowledge and experience of International Financial Reporting Standards and Securities Commission reporting standards.
• Proven ability to work in a highly dynamic and high-pressure environment.
• Strong analytical mind and proven ability to manage multiple files.
• High professional credibility, uncompromising ethics, and exemplary integrity.
• Exceptional discernment, and strong organizational and decision-making skills.
• Strong business acumen.
• Results-oriented attitude, team spirit, and strong work ethic.
• Excellent interpersonal and oral and written communication skills.
• Strong leadership, personnel management, coaching, and mentoring skills, and ability to guide, support, and train direct reports and members of an expanded team.
• Curiosity, flexibility, perseverance, and ability to manage stressful situations with tight deadlines and quickly adapt to change, essential aspects for success.
• Availability to travel, as needed.
• Demonstrate punctuality and reliability to support the team's overall success in a fast-paced environment.

Conditions of employment :

Candidates must be eligible to work in the country concerned at the time an offer of employment is presented and are responsible for obtaining work permits, visas, or other necessary authorizations. Proof of eligibility must be provided before the start date.

Linguistic Requirements

Equal skills permitting, preference will be given to bilingual candidates.

Diversity and inclusion

Air Canada is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion and aims to create a healthy, accessible, and rewarding workplace that highlights the unique contribution of our employees to the success of our business.

As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage diverse applications so that we can have a workforce that is varied and representative of our customers and the communities where we live and offer our services.

Air Canada thanks all candidates for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.