Role: Controller Company: Virtual Finance Department (VFD) Location: Barrie Ontario| Hybrid | Full-time, part-time considered for the right fit
Start Date: As early as August 1st 2026
Reports to: CEO
About VFD:
Virtual Finance Department (VFD) is a fast-growing firm of professionals redefining how small and mid-sized businesses manage their finances. We deliver a fully integrated financial function—harmoniously delivering high value bookkeeping, accountancy, controllership, and CFO-level advisory services as a seamlessly collaborative team of finance professionals for our clients.
Our approach goes beyond traditional reporting. We equip business owners with timely, accurate, and actionable insights that drive smarter decisions and real growth. By combining modern technology with hands-on financial leadership, we’re raising the standard for what businesses should expect from their finance function.
At VFD, we vision a nation of democratized expert financial leadership for small and growing businesses, catalyzing collaboration and accountability across the financial services industry to build thriving businesses and communities.
At VFD, our mission is simple: To fill the expertise gap in small and growing businesses financial support by providing a fully integrated & outsourced financial team that delivers accurate, timely and clear performance reporting to springboard informed and insightful decision making.
We are looking for an energetic Controller to join our team who is passionate about reviewing & analyzing client financial results in the context trending, budgets and business plans, identifying the causes of significant deviations and producing relevant executive reporting for review with internal & client management teams. The controller level insight will focus on the business drivers and variations, emphasizing potential actions and cash flow impacts. This position is a client engagement position, empowering the client to make informed business decisions through the interpretation & easy consumption of financial results.
This role is ideal for an experienced CPA with at least five years of experience who is seeking a more dynamic opportunity, particularly someone transitioning from a larger organization and looking for greater variety and impact. The successful candidate will bring strong teamwork, personable client service, and clear, effective communication, while contributing to continuous learning, ad hoc analysis, and project work. Joining at an early stage, you will help shape the client experience and adapt big-company skills to better serve small business clients. The role involves reviewing financial results, improving processes, and building systems that support reliable reporting and decision-making in a growing environment with room to advance.
What You’ll Do
· Collaboration & Client Engagement
o Serve as the primary point of contact for senior client leadership
o Build strong relationships through clear communication with clients and internal teammates
o Collaborate cross functionally to ensure harmonious and high-quality service delivery
o Participate in onboarding and integration of new clients
o Lead and participate in one-time projects internally and for clients as assigned
o Perform other duties and special projects as required based on client needs & scope
· Financial Close & Reporting:
o Prepare and present insightful, accurate and timely monthly/quarterly/annual performance reporting across multiple client engagements based on their unique needs which could include (but is not limited to): Budget variance reporting, Pro forma’s, Historical performance trending, including comparison to prior periods, benchmarks & KPI trending & alignment to wealth management plans.
o Effectively collaborate with VFD teammates & client counterparts to achieve reporting deadlines for client engagements.
o Review & approve complex accountancy journal entries, draft WIP & COGS adjusting entries for our clients to ensure true gross margin data at both the project level and in aggregate by function or department
· Financial Analysis & Insights
o Analyze and interpret financial results in the context of trends, budgets, and business plans
o Identify trends, variances, anomalies, and key business drivers, and raise items requiring clarification
o Conduct ad hoc financial analysis to support senior management decision-making
o Contribute to cash flow, margin, and cost structure analysis
o Monitor and support the development of client KPIs
· Controls, Policies & Process Improvement
o Develop, Implement and enforce accounting policies and procedures
o Establish and maintain effective internal controls
o Identify opportunities for process improvements both internally and across client engagements
o Lead and participate in internal and client specific projects as assigned
· Operational Accounting Oversight:
o Support and optimize workflows across AP, AR, Payroll, expense capture and reporting cycles.
o Assist with chart of accounts design & financial structure improvements.
o Ensure alignment and efficiency and process optimization across all financial systems including (but not limited to), client project management software, accounting software, payable and receivables software, payroll software and practice management software.
The Ideal Candidate:
· Possesses an CPA designation & 5+ years controllership experience
· Demonstrated strong working knowledge of advanced accounting principals
· Sees numbers as stories & has proven competent and is excited about performing complex financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, presenting financial performance results to senior level management
· Passionately serves our client base of small and growing businesses and assists client senior level management improve their financial acumen and takes pride in ownership of their work to provide insightful and actionable financial performance metrics and results.
· Experienced in multi-system & integrated technology environments & is has effective remote team collaboration skills
· Is experienced using Power BI, Microsoft Excel Power Query and Power Pivot (asset)
· Experience developing custom dashboards encompassing financial performance, KPI trending and benchmarking, and WIP & employee utilization tracking & trending
· Is known to be reliable, proactive and a professional teammate who embodies & exemplifies VFD’s vision, culture and values
· Enjoys staying up to date with technological advancements that support continuous improvement of service delivery.
What We Offer
· Hybrid work environment & flexible work schedules
· Well rounded benefits package including life insurance, accidental death & dismemberment, dependant life insurance, extended health care, dental and long term disability insurance.
· Flex plan offering annual customizable balance split between Health Spending Account and Wellness Spending Account of $1500/year
· Paid time off including vacation pay, sick days and personal days
· Opportunity to grow with a new and expanding company.
Along with your application, please provide your resume & cover letter. In your cover letter please answer the following questions:
- How does your controllership experience translate to serving as a virtual controller for small businesses at VFD?
- Which accounting software platforms have you worked with, and do you have a preferred system?
- What is the most interesting or impactful work you have completed in a controller role?
Our focus is on quality of fit rather than speed of hire, and we’re willing to wait for the candidate who is truly the right match for this opportunity.
At VFD, we value continuous improvement, accountability, teamwork, integrity, confidentiality, and clarity. If you want to help build a finance function that gives business owners better insight and better decisions, we’d love to hear from you!
Pay: $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Dental care
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Extended health care
- Flexible schedule
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Profit sharing
- Vision care
- Work from home
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Barrie, ON
