Controller

Financial Controller
Location: Toronto, ON | Hybrid, approximately 2 days/week at the downtown office
Compensation: $100,000 to $120,000 base + 10% target bonus
Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

IQ PARTNERS is representing Piano Piano, a growing multi-unit restaurant group with seven locations alongside a growing consumer packaged goods business. Following a recent investment, Piano Piano is continuing to expand and is building the finance infrastructure to support a materially larger organization.

The Opportunity This is Piano Piano's first Controller, making this a true builder role rather than an opportunity to inherit a mature function.
Reporting to the CFO, the Financial Controller will take full ownership of the accounting function and help build the systems, controls, processes, policies, and team required to support the company's next stage of growth.

Over the next 18 months, the business expects to complete its first external financial statement audit, close a debt facility, integrate new restaurant openings, and scale its growing CPG business. The successful candidate will work closely with the CFO and executive team, with exposure to board reporting, lenders, investors, capital initiatives, and operational leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the month-end close, including the close calendar, cut-off, checklist, deadlines, and continuous improvement.
• Prepare consolidated financial statements across multiple legal entities, including intercompany transactions and eliminations.
• Own revenue recognition and sales entries from POS through to the general ledger.
• Produce monthly management reporting, including consolidated results, store-level P&Ls, variance analysis, and operating KPIs.
• Prepare board and lender reporting materials and quarterly and annual financial statements.
• Lead Piano Piano through its first external financial statement audit, including PBCs, workpapers, technical accounting memoranda, and day-to-day coordination with auditors.
• Own indirect tax filing, compliance, and reconciliation, and coordinate corporate tax filings with external advisors.
• Establish and document accounting policies covering areas such as gift cards and loyalty, lease accounting, pre-opening costs, capitalization, and inventory valuation.
• Design and implement the internal control environment, including approval matrices, segregation of duties, cash and deposit controls, and inventory controls.
• Own the accounting systems stack, including the general ledger, AP automation, POS-to-GL integration, inventory system, and chart of accounts.
• Optimize AP automation across a function processing approximately 1,500 invoices per month.
• Review the semi-monthly payment run for CFO approval and work with People & Culture on payroll preparation and approval.
• Own the finance workstream for new restaurant openings, including entity and banking setup, system configuration, opening balance sheets, pre-opening costs, and capital expenditures.
• Own fixed asset accounting and lease administration.
• Prepare daily and weekly cash reporting and maintain the 13-week rolling cash flow forecast.
• Monitor and report on debt covenant compliance.
• Manage, coach, and develop the Accounting Manager and build out the team as Piano Piano scales.
• Partner with operations on P&L literacy, food and labour cost analysis, and margin performance.

What We're Looking For

• CPA designation.
• 6+ years of progressive accounting experience, including Controller or Assistant Controller-level experience.
• Experience owning a full-cycle month-end close in a multi-entity environment, including consolidation and intercompany eliminations.
• Direct experience preparing for and supporting an external financial statement audit.
• Strong working knowledge of Canadian accounting standards and HST compliance.
• Advanced Excel skills and comfort working with accounting and reporting systems.
• A hands-on operating style, with the ability to personally prepare schedules and post entries as well as review them.

Strongly preferred:

• Experience in restaurants, hospitality, multi-unit retail, or food manufacturing.
• Experience with inventory-based businesses and cost of goods accounting.
• Experience with Sage Intacct.
• Experience implementing or materially improving accounting systems, AP automation, or reporting infrastructure.
• Experience supporting rapid unit growth.
• Experience in a private equity or institutionally backed environment, or supporting lender reporting and covenant compliance.

How You Work

You are comfortable with ambiguity and building something that does not yet exist. You communicate directly and clearly, including with non-finance stakeholders, understand materiality and prioritization, and care about accuracy without losing sight of deadlines.

What Success Looks Like

• By 90 days: Complete the first independent month-end close, map the current control environment, and identify the highest-value process and automation opportunities.
• By 6 months: Make the close meaningfully faster and fully documented, establish key accounting policies, and have the audit readiness plan underway.
• By 12 months: Complete the first external audit, establish trusted management reporting, integrate new store openings through a repeatable finance playbook, and structure the accounting team for a materially larger business.

Compensation & Benefits

• $100,000 to $120,000 base salary
• 10% target annual performance bonus
• Comprehensive benefits plan
• CPA/professional dues reimbursement
• Three weeks' vacation
• Hybrid work environment, typically 2 days/week at the downtown Toronto office
• Employee dining discounts at Piano Piano restaurants
• Exposure to executive leadership, board reporting, lenders, and investors
• Potential future participation in long-term incentive or equity-linked programs