Job Type: Controller

The Regional Controller is a key company leader who ensures the accurate, timely and efficient delivery of financial information to FirstService Residential clients in assigned regions. The Company operates under 5 Regions within the CA market, and each Region’s Associates reports into the Controller.  FirstService Residential supports hundreds of clients within CA in the area of property, community and Association management, and works closely with the On-Site Property Managers, the Board Members, and the rest of the Accounting, AR and AP Staff to ensure timely, accurate financial statement reporting.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial Reporting Manage a small team of GL staff to ensure monthly financial statements are prepared in a timely and accurate manner. Set monthly client due dates and deliverables.  Perform a review of client financial statements before they are delivered to clients, identifying any errors or omissions that GL staff need to correct. Troubleshoot any accounting or reporting issues in collaboration with the Community Manager or leadership team as needed. Approve monthly Reserve Funding and other cash management transfers initiated by the general ledger staff accountants.   Planning & Budgeting Upon request, assist the Community Manager with annual budgeting and required civil code disclosures. Prepare variable budget workbooks for annual budget preparation. For certain clients, update variable budget workbook templates for annual budget preparation.   Leadership and Supervisory Responsibilities Select, train and develop a highly productive team of staff accountants. Provide accurate, motivating feedback and constructive criticism. Client retention is a key measure of success, so performance issues need to be surfaced with functional management as soon as possible. Attend Board/Finance Committee meetings when appropriate, ready to present and discuss the financial statements and the corresponding reports. Sees matters from the clients’ perspective as well as the companies’ perspective to find approaches that work for both. Adept at handling contentious situations and managing change.   Growth Attend sales presentations for perspective clients. Be able to inform potential and existing clients of our internal controls, investment opportunities and describe our financial statement deliverables.   Other Duties Special Projects as assigned by Director or VP/EVP. 

Skills & Qualifications:

Financial Skills Experience with GAAP Accounting. Excellent Financial reporting and analytical skills. High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Word and Excel.   Excellent Written and Verbal Communication Writes clearly and succinctly in a variety of communication settings and styles. Listens attentively; communicates clearly and often.  

Education & Experience: BA/BS in Accounting Public Accounting (Audit) experience or CPA license preferred.

Compensation:  $130-145k + 10% annual bonus
Who To Contact: Cindy Thom
Phone Number: 949-482-7076
Email: [email protected]

Job Type: Assistant Controller

The Assistant Controller is a key GL Accounting leader who works closely with the Regional Controller to ensure the accurate, timely and efficient delivery of financial information to FirstService Residential clients in assigned regions.  Each FirstService Residential client is a separate business with its own unique budget, vendors, investments, and priorities. The Assistant Controller partners with regional operations leadership and Community Managers to promote client retention, build solid client relationships and help drive growth in the region.  The Assistant Controller is a support leader for any client financial issues and needs to have an excellent working knowledge General Ledger Accounting (GAAP), understanding of AP and AR processes, collection activities, budgeting, and pro-active risk management.  The Assistant Controller serves as the first point on contact for the GL Accountants on questions relating to process, concept, and general assistance in managing workload. 

Key Responsibilities:

Financial Reporting Coordinates with the Regional Controller to ensure monthly financial statements are prepared in a timely and accurate manner as assigned. Responsible for production and review of financial statements on a monthly basis.  Attention to detail to identify potential errors or areas of risk including: variances to budget, linkage to supporting schedules, lingering bank reconciliation items, cash shortages, investment management opportunities, etc.  Troubleshoot any accounting or reporting issues in collaboration with the Community Manager or CM leadership as needed. Listen to clients, plan for their changing needs, monitor client satisfaction and follow up on client inquiries, requests or complaints as requested by the Regional Controller. Work closely with the Regional Controller to identify any areas of concern relating to financial production efforts and work to rectify/provide additional resources ensuring timely and accurate financial statement delivery.  Planning & Budgeting Assist the Community Manager with annual budgeting and required Civil Code disclosures.  Ensure the Community Manager has the appropriate tools to bring before the board.  Review/challenge reserve studies when warranted. Identify trends early and develop plans to mitigate risks and support our clients’ goals and objectives.  Leadership Support an environment that provides direction and promotes continuous learning and development.  Provide accurate and motivating feedback to the General Ledger staff and communicate constructive criticism of the General Ledger staff to the Regional Controllers.  Promotes hard work in others by setting the example. Ensure the GL Accountants provides timely and accurate financial reports by defining and enforcing appropriate service level standards.  Work closely with other Client Accounting departments (Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Banking, Phasing) on key deliverables and resolving issues as they arise.  Client retention is a key measure of success, so performance issues need to be surfaced with functional management as soon as possible. Provide generalized and ad-hoc training to Community Managers as needed.  Collaborate with Community Managers to achieve desired results in product and process.  Mandate standard and effectively manage performance issues by working cohesively with training team and/or obtaining accountability from Community Management leadership team. Attend Board/Finance Committee meetings when appropriate.  Collaborate with Community Management teams and clients to be able to present important issues to the client along with appropriate recommendations. View matters from the clients’ perspective as well as the companies’ perspective to find approaches that work for both.  Adept at handling contentious situations and managing change. Build organizational and industry relationships.  Promote collaboration and remove obstacles to teamwork across the organization. May supervise a small team of General Ledger Accountants.  Other Duties Interact with Community Managers and Regional Controller to review financial statements and respond to questions regarding specific items such as banking and other financial activities. Process recurring journal entries for all checking account bank fees. Review all processing fees to calculate and submit the debit file for all FirstService Residential processing fee receivables. Work closely with Corporate Accounting to clear management reimbursable, provide support, invoices and track credits back to the association. Special Projects as assigned by Regional Controller, Director or VP.

Skills & Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.   Strong understanding of balance sheets, income statements, general ledger, etc. with the ability to explain these financial reports and procedures to our clients and Community Management teams. Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, Power Point, and Outlook Proficiency with accounting software Ability to communicate effectively with co-workers and management and justify certain financial recommendations to clients Ability to crystallize thought, anticipate roadblocks and rally commitment and buy-in. Listens attentively; communicates clearly and often. 

Education & Experience:  Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance preferred Minimum 3 years’ experience in accounting/finance Experience working with multiple clients on a variety of accounting basis (cash, modified accrual, full accrual) 

Compensation:  $85k - $100k   
Who To Contact: Cindy Thom
Phone Number: 949-482-7076
Email: [email protected]