Financial Controller

About this role

Lazer https://www.lazertechnologies.com is a world-class digital product studio composed of 180+ senior engineers and designers with backgrounds from companies like Apple, Google, Coinbase, and more. With our product experience, we have designed, engineered, and grown products from $0 to $200M in revenue.

Clients seek out our help because we have the talent to deeply understand their needs and provide industry, technical, or product insights that are uniquely valuable to their efforts. Our clients range from early-stage startups and venture studios to recognizable retail brands and exciting enterprises. Some of our notable clients include Google, Shopify, Coinbase, Alchemy, Hinge, OVO, Polymarket, and more.

We are a remote-first organization headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with employees worldwide. We believe in providing the best experience possible for all Lazerites by fostering a strong community through regular events, company vacations, competitive compensation, unlimited PTO, and more!

Join Lazer and help us solve problems and build the next generation of products!

Lazer is seeking a hands-on Controller to own the day-to-day accounting function and strengthen the financial systems that support our growth. Reporting to the CFO and partnering closely with our Finance Manager, you will own and execute the close, financial reporting, cash management, audit, tax, and compliance work. This is a working Controller role in a lean team, not an oversight-only position.

You will also improve how finance operates. You will simplify processes, introduce practical automation and AI, strengthen project and margin reporting, and give leaders clear information they can use. The right person combines strong accounting judgment with the initiative to challenge assumptions, fix gaps, and build systems that scale without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.

WHO YOU ARE:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

- CPA designation with at least seven years of progressive accounting and finance experience.

- Experience owning the close and financial reporting as a Controller, Assistant Controller, Senior Accounting Manager, or equivalent role.

- A track record of working hands-on in a lean finance team, ideally within a startup, scale-up, technology, consulting, or professional services business.

- Strong technical accounting judgment and experience with audit, tax, controls, and multi-entity reporting.

OPERATING AND COMMERCIAL SKILLS

- Experience with project or contract-based revenue, including time-and-materials, fixed-fee, or retainer engagements, and an understanding of how delivery decisions affect margin, cash, and revenue recognition.

- Strong analytical skills with the ability to move from transaction detail to clear business recommendations.

- Comfort operating in an environment where processes are still evolving and the answer is not always documented.

- Sound judgment, high ownership, and the confidence to challenge senior stakeholders constructively.

SYSTEMS AND COMMUNICATION

- Demonstrated experience improving finance systems, close processes, reporting, or data quality, supported by strong spreadsheet skills and experience with Xero or a comparable cloud accounting platform.

- Practical examples of using automation or AI to make finance work faster, more reliable, or more useful.

- Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain accounting issues to non-finance colleagues.

- Ability to collaborate effectively in a remote-first organization.

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

- Experience in a Canadian company with operations, customers, or team members in the United States is an asset.

- Experience implementing or optimizing an ERP, close management platform, reporting tool, or finance workflow is an asset.

- Experience supporting financing, acquisitions, diligence, or investor reporting is an asset.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

ACCOUNTING AND CLOSE

- Own the monthly, quarterly, and year-end close across Lazer entities, including journal entries, reconciliations, consolidations, and supporting schedules.

- Prepare accurate and timely financial statements, management reporting, and variance analysis.

- Maintain clear accounting policies and working papers that support consistent treatment and a clean audit trail.

- Stay close to the details and complete or review the work directly when needed.

REVENUE AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

- Own the accounting for time-and-materials, fixed-fee, and retainer engagements, including work in progress, unbilled revenue, deferred revenue, and the related revenue recognition judgments.

- Run regular project reviews with delivery leaders to improve reporting on revenue, cost, margin, utilization, and labour economics, and identify budget overruns, change orders, and billing gaps early.

- Support forecasting, scenario analysis, pricing decisions, and other work that connects financial results to business performance.

- Review client contracts and statements of work with commercial and delivery teams for revenue recognition, billing terms and collectibility.

FINANCE OPERATIONS AND COMPLIANCE

- Oversee cash management, banking, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll, while standardizing invoicing and collections for project-based work.

- Lead the annual audit and act as the primary contact for auditors, tax advisors, banks, and other finance partners.

- Coordinate Canadian tax and compliance requirements, including GST and HST, year-end filings, SR&ED support where applicable, and cross-border or multi-entity requirements.

- Maintain appropriate controls for a growing, remote company while keeping processes practical and efficient.

SYSTEMS AND AUTOMATION

- Assess the current finance stack and prioritize the improvements with the greatest operational impact.

- Automate reconciliations, close tasks, reporting, and recurring workflows where doing so improves speed and…