Job Description

FIRSTSERVICE RESIDENTIAL IS LOOKING TO HIRE A NEW ASSISTANT CONTROLLER TO JOIN OUR TEAM IN THE SCOTTSDALE OFFICE.

The Assistant Controller will be responsible for directly assisting the Regional Controller for Arizona in the day-to-day operations of the Client Accounting Department. This includes taking responsibility for ensuring the accuracy of the Financial Statements by reviewing the work from Staff and Senior accountants, working with the team lead in guaranteeing that Financial Statements are delivered in a timely manner to their respective communities, works with team members to develop and document procedures and processes within the department, manage certain key accounts and work with the Regional Controller to identify concerns within the department and work to solve them in a team environment.

The Assistant Controller should be very tech savvy and able to understand our accounting system and the capabilities with it.

The Assistant Controller will be expected to obtain an excellent working knowledge of HOA accounting issues, including civil code requirements. This position will coordinate and lead all Budgeting activities, guarantee banking investments are done accurately and timely, coordinate tax payments to Federal and State authorities while working with outside accounting firms as well as establishing relationships with Community and General Managers as well as the Board of Directors within the communities we service.

The Assistant Controller will work with General Ledger staff as directed by the Regional Controller; and will have ultimate accountability for all Client Accounting service and deliverables as assigned by the Regional Controller. The Assistant Controller will escalate any responsiveness and/or internal issues to the Controller and work towards a resolution.

The Assistant Controller will be called on frequently to handle special projects or analyses.

The Assistant Controller will oversee several General Ledger department processes and procedures as assigned by the Regional Controller to ensure compliance and prompt resolution

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (Other essential duties may be assigned)

FINANCIAL REPORTING & GENERAL LEDGER ACCOUNTING

• Coordinates with the Regional Controller to ensure monthly financial statements are prepared in a timely and accurate manner as assigned.

• Perform a detailed review of assigned client financial statements each month and 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…Ensure quality control is consistent with expectation set forth by Regional Controller.

• Review delinquency reports for all clients in the region. Ensure they are accurate, meaningful, and able to “stand on their own” without lots of explanation from the Community Manager.

• 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.

• Report observations regarding the efforts of the regional general ledger staff to ensure monthly financial statements are prepared in a timely and accurate manner.

• Analyze and implement agreements between entities and manage communication among parties and attorneys. Identify implementation challenges and work with all parties to resolve.

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.
• Review the budgets before they are sent to the homeowners and entered into the Client Accounting system. Specifically watch for issues related to variable assessment budgets and communities transitioning from the BRE budget.
• Identify trends early and develop plans to mitigate risks and reduce client “surprises”. Prepare multi-year cash flow analyses as needed or appropriate. Prepare ad-hoc or customized reports or analysis, including loan evaluation and unfunded reserve planning.

LEADERSHIP

• Model FirstService Residential leadership principles in all every aspect of the job. Actively supports FirstService Residential philosophies, culture and service. Promotes excellence in others by meeting company standards of quality. Take full responsibility for all aspects of FirstService Residential service.

• 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 transaction processing team provides timely and accurate financial reports by defining and enforcing appropriate service level standards.

• 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 management leadership team.

• Attend board meetings when appropriate (approximately 3–4 nightly meetings per month, Pre-COVID). The Assistant Controller is the “face” of FirstService Residential and needs to be able to present important issues to Boards of Directors along with appropriate recommendations.

• Provide financial workshops for clients throughout the region.

• See 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. Probe for and identify opportunities to reduce client costs.

• Keep pulse on overall operations and mood of clients. Client retention is a key measure of success, so performance issues need to be surfaced with the Controller as soon as possible.

• Build organizational and industry relationships. Promote cohesion and remove obstacles to teamwork across the organization. Must work collaboratively and professionally with team members, clients and vendors.

GROWTH

• Attend sales meetings in effort to obtain new clients. Assist sales team as necessary throughout sales process.
• Manage the set-up of new accounts. Assist with the collection of all required documents and data from the previous management company.
• Ensure account information is set-up accurately in Jenark. Ensure the client is happy with the financial reporting format. Adjust as necessary.

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.
• Prepare monthly report for measuring delivery of financials in comparison to service level agreement and submit to Senior Management. Facilitate communication with regard to status inquiries.
• Manage communication and accountability of all pending reconciliation items with AR Supervisor Staff and banking contacts for all accounts.
• Coordinate with Launch Team for all new accounts to ensure compliance with protocol. Debrief Regional Controller of summary and findings and prepare files for General Ledger Staff.
• Process authorizations for banking transactions and ensure compliance with protocol for all accounts.
• Process recurring journal entries for all checking account bank fees.
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• Review all FirstService Residential receivables for accuracy and submit reimbursement requests to Corporate Account for timely processing for all accounts.
• Review all processing fees to calculate and submit the debit file for all FirstService Residential processing fee receivables.
• Support out of region high-level tasks and projects as assigned by Regional Controller.
• Prepare a financial periodically to stay engaged with production functionality.
• Attend all mandatory company functions.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Yes

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.

FINANCIAL & COMPUTER SKILLS

• Experience with CID accounting. Proficient in at least one accounting software package. Report-writing and database skill a plus.
• Strong understanding of balance sheets, income statements, general ledgers, chart of accounts, journal entries, etc...
• Ability to enter data quickly and accurately.
• High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Word, Excel and Outlook.

EXCELLENT WRITTEN AND VERBAL COMMUNICATION

• Writes clearly and succinctly in a variety of communication settings and styles. Can get messages across that have the desired effect.
• Ability to crystallize thought and anticipate roadblocks. Able to rally commitment and buy-in.
• Ability to explain financial reports and procedures to our clients and Community Management Team.
• Listens attentively; communicates clearly and often.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

Must have strong organization skills.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE AND CERTIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s Degree preferred

Public Accounting (Audit), Bookkeeping and/or General Ledger experience preferred

Must possess a valid driver’s license and state mandated vehicle insurance

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Must be able to lift 25lbs.
• Must be able to sit for extended periods of time.
• Must have finger dexterity for typing/using a keyboard.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics are normal office conditions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Due to the nature of the position, it will be necessary for the employee to work the hours necessary to attend Board meetings and to complete time sensitive deadlines.

• This position will require traveling to other offices and to Board meetings.
• This position will require obtaining industry specific certification. Consistent and regular attendance required.
• Hours over and above normal office hours will occur based on business needs.
• Excellent attendance required.
• This position is not remote and requires the candidate to be in office.

Company Description

About Us: FirstService Residential is North America's foremost property management firm. Our dedication, responsiveness and integrity are why thousands of communities across the U.S. and Canada choose FirstService Residential to manage their properties. We have expertise working with complex communities with large budgets and numerous amenities. In addition, we manage commercial associations and mixed-use developments, as well as multi-family and investor-owned rental and REO properties for institutional and private equity clients. We're all about our associates, and as we continue to grow, we're looking for even more quality people who share our dedication to doing what's right, improving residents' quality of life, building great relationships and truly making a difference for their clients, their colleagues and themselves. Is that you? If so, apply today or join our community and learn more about FirstService Residential. To learn more about our company and culture, please visit www.fsresidential.com/arizona