Senior Manager, Accounting & Compliance

 Reference Number : 971 

Status : Permanent - Full-time  

Annual Salary / Hourly Rate : 102 816 - 127 008

Number of positions to be filled : 1 

Application Deadline : 09/08/2025

Did you know that VIA Rail is carrying out ambitious projects to modernize its services and infrastructure? From our new ultramodern train fleet to ongoing improvement of our infrastructure, we’re building the future of transportation in Canada. Working for VIA Rail is being a part of a collective effort in sustainable mobility. 

The Senior Manager, Accounting and Compliance is responsible for the production, analysis, and monitoring of the company’s operational results (funded results), which include annual revenues of over $400M and operating expenses nearing $800M.

They lead a team of analysts (approximately 5 professionals) across Canada who act as business advisors to various groups within the company, helping them track their financial results. This involves preparing financial statements, accounting, analyzing, and validating variances against budgets and the previous year. Additionally, they provide support and guidance on financial, and governance matters to ensure compliance with business rules and company procedures.

In their role, they analyze the company’s results and ensure that internal controls in place are continuously applied.

They are also responsible for analyzing results in collaboration with various operational groups.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the team that will act as financial experts (approximately 5 team members), each paired with different operational groups to support the analysis, interpretation, and monitoring of their financial results, with a client-focused approach;
• Lead the preparation of all financial reports necessary for decision-making, achieving financial objectives, and respecting budgetary limits across the company’s various departments;
• Oversee the preparation of financial reports and analyses required by the management committee and the board of directors regarding actual results;
• Responsible for certifying the company’s internal controls;
• Documents and updates the company’s key processes in accordance with COSO (internal control framework);
• Ensures that key controls are documented in a timely manner by the relevant stakeholders;
• Follows up on internal control recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General or internal auditors;
• Analyze and document existing financial processes by identifying inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and opportunities for automation;
• Recommend preventive actions or controls to be implemented while ensuring continuous improvement of financial processes;
• Ensure that all process changes are properly documented and coordinate the execution of testing with end users;
• Ensure compliance with internal financial policies and external regulations during the implementation of changes or improvement projects;
• Work closely with the Budget Planning group to validate budget assumptions based on actual results and trends;
• Work closely with the Strategic Planning group to validate the achievement of continuous improvement objectives.

Requirements:

• Recognized accounting designation (CPA-CA, CPA-CMA, or CPA-CGA);
• 10 years of experience, including a minimum of 5 years in a financial team management role;
• Knowledge and understanding of the transportation industry;
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral).

Competencies:

• Strong attention to detail;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Demonstrates flexibility and ingenuity to deliver results under tight deadlines;
• Strong leadership skills;
• Proven ability to explain complex situations/issues clearly and concisely;
• Excellent political acumen to build positive relationships with stakeholders across various groups within the company;
• Strong strategic vision;
• Proven ability to mobilize and motivate staff;
• Ability to work under tight deadlines;
• Sense of urgency;
• Strong interpersonal skills and resilience.

At VIA Rail, we are proud to be an employment-equity employer and we strive to form teams that reflect the diversity of Canadian society. We aim to remove barriers to employment accessibility and aspire to provide an inclusive and equitable work environment where everyone is valued, regardless of their identity or differences, to enable them to reach their full potential.

If you need assistance in making the recruitment process or the position you are applying for more accessible, please let us know. Alternate arrangements may be offered to individuals who request them at any stage of the recruitment process. All information received in relation to arrangements will be kept confidential.

Note that we will only contact those who are selected for an interview.

Join our 3,000 other employees in helping provide Canadians with a safe, accessible, environmentally sustainable way to travel!