Controller, Finance Operations and Transformation

H&R Block Canada•Calgary, AB

About The Position

The Controller, Finance Transformation reports to the Modernization Program Lead and Finance Leadership. The role is responsible for leading the Finance workstream within the Block Centre project. This role serves as the primary liaison between Finance, Technology, external implementation partners, and business stakeholders to ensure finance requirements, processes, reporting needs, and integrations are effectively defined, configured, tested, and implemented. The role provides senior level finance subject matter expertise and leadership to guide solution design, assess options, provide recommendations, and support key project and business decisions. Working closely with Finance leadership and the Finance Project Manager, the Controller helps drive successful delivery of a future-state solution that supports operational effectiveness, data integrity, financial controls, and strategic business objectives. This position also coordinates user acceptance testing, change readiness, risk identification, dependency management, and process improvement opportunities to support successful adoption across Finance and related business functions. In addition to project responsibilities, the role provides leadership and hands-on support for ongoing Finance initiatives and day to day operational activities as required, ensuring continuity and effective use of finance expertise throughout the project lifecycle. This is a 18 to 24 month contract with a possibility of extension and/or permanency.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Information Systems, or a related field and 10+ years of progressive experience in finance operations, finance systems, business transformation, project implementation, or a related discipline, with at least 5+ years in a leadership role including experience leading initiatives and providing business recommendations to senior stakeholders.
Experience supporting finance application implementations, ERP/financial systems, workflow tools, reporting platforms, or enterprise transformation projects is required.
Expert proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and related collaboration/project management tools.

Nice To Haves

CPA, PMP, CBAP, or other relevant finance, project management, or business analysis designation is an asset.
Experience with financial controls, data migration, systems testing, process documentation, and change readiness is an asset.
Experience with Microsoft Dynamics Business Central is an asset.
Strong understanding of accounting processes, reconciliations, approvals, controls, reporting, and month end activities.
Demonstrated ability to bridge Finance and Technology requirements and communicate effectively with both business and technical stakeholders.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, documentation, and process-mapping skills with keen attention to detail.
Ability to lead workshops, facilitate decisions, manage competing priorities, and drive deliverables in a fast paced project environment.
Demonstrated leadership capability with the ability to influence decisions, provide sound recommendations, and build alignment among stakeholders in a complex transformational environment.
Excellent verbal and written English communication skills. French communication skills an asset.
Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to build effective working relationships across departments, vendors, and project teams.
Results focused approach with sound judgement, ownership, and ability to escalate risks and issues appropriately.

Responsibilities

Leads the finance workstream for the finance systems modernization, including planning, requirements validation, solution design input, configuration support, testing, cutover readiness, and post-implementation stabilization. Provides recommendations based on finance and business experience to support project decisions and successful outcomes.
Collaborates with Finance, Technology, project teams, vendors, and cross-functional stakeholders to translate business needs into clear functional requirements and solution decisions.
Partners closely with Finance leadership and other key stakeholders, to provide leadership, facilitate decision-making, and help ensure successful delivery of project objectives.
Documents current state and future-state finance processes, identifies gaps, and recommends practical improvements aligned with project objectives, operational requirements, and internal control standards.
Supports application configuration, workflow design, approval routing, master data requirements, reporting needs, and integrations impacting finance processes.
Coordinates and participates in system testing, user acceptance testing, defect triage, issue resolution, and sign-off activities for finance-related functionality.
Ensures finance data, controls, reconciliations, and reporting outputs are considered throughout design, testing, migration, and deployment activities.
Prepares and maintains project documentation, including process maps, test scripts, decision logs, training materials, standard operating procedures, and support documentation.
Partners with change management and business leaders to support training, communications, user readiness, and adoption of the new finance application capabilities.
Monitors project risks, dependencies, and action items related to the finance workstream and escalates issues as appropriate.
Provides leadership and hands-on support for ongoing Finance department priorities and operational activities as required, balancing project responsibilities with business needs.
Responsible for the day to day accounting and may also provide oversight or support for Procurement, leveraging practical operational engagement to inform and strengthen the build of Block Centre accounting.
Supports benefits realization by tracking expected process improvements, adoption outcomes, and operational impacts following implementation.