Senior Accountant

Senior Accountant, Long Term, Temporary Full-time Position (12 months)

Edmonton, Alberta

[Salary Grade 11 with Market Supplement]


Do you want to be a part of a team that embraces change and seeks to do things better?

Do you have strong commercial acumen, a curiosity to understand pain points within existing processes, and are you able to pay attention to detail while focusing on the key message behind the numbers?

Are you a CPA of the future?

At WCB-Alberta, we make a meaningful impact in the lives of working Albertans. We are a not-for-profit organization legislated to administer the workers' compensation system for the province. When any Alberta worker is hurt on the job, we are here to help. We provide compensation and benefits for workplace injuries and occupational diseases to over 1.7 million workers.

The Finance team is on a journey to evolve our processes and the ways in which we deliver insight to our customers, using technology as an enabler. To help us navigate through these changes, we are seeking the qualifications of a CPA who has a solid understanding of IFRS accounting and is able to pick up concepts quickly in order to support the monthly and year end preparation of our complex financial working papers and reports. Additionally, you have a strong interest in reducing manual effort, and have the advanced skills needed to effectively contribute to the evolution of process automation around the preparation of our working papers and financial reporting. Your self-initiative is strong, and you are comfortable taking on new learning opportunities.

We are a small team who believe in the power of collaboration, teamwork, and the importance of providing quality to our customers. We are curious, problem solvers, and ready to answer the questions related to our business. If these characteristics resonate with you, we’d love to hear from you.

Your Responsibilities:

  • Provide technical leadership on accounting issues within the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) framework including, but not limited to, recommending accounting treatment and the resulting process changes for new accounting standards / new business transactions; support recommendations with the associated analysis in a format that facilitates management decision making; train and mentor accounting staff in the application of approved recommendations.
  • Prepare the monthly and annual financial statements, including supporting working papers, commentary and variance analysis in a summarized format that facilitates decision making.
  • Plays a key role in the year end audit process including, but not limited to, the development of the Management, Discussion and Analysis (MD&A), and external financial statements that form part of the Annual Report, ensuring the on-time production of a high quality and accurate report; as well as participating and facilitating responses to external audit queries.
  • Support upcoming automation to our working papers and financial statement reporting by contributing to the analysis as streamlined processes are established; providing input and evaluating future design models to ensure that business needs are met, and that risks are identified and managed to maintain quality and integrity around financial reporting.
  • Participate in projects as assigned, as well as perform analysis on requests from various stakeholders. These would include the review of business cases, project charters, contracts, and various types of other requests, with a keen eye to evaluating and providing guidance on accounting treatment, budgetary impacts, and financial risk.
  • Attends monthly meetings with the finance division management team to discuss financial statements.
  • Assist the Finance Management team in projects as assigned, and provides backup to other staff within the team.

Your experience and skills:

  • University degree in Business; specialization in accounting and business analytics would be considered an asset.
  • CPA designation.
  • At least 5 years of experience in financial accounting under IFRS, including effective research and recommendation of accounting policies and practices; preparation of complex financial statement working papers; financial analysis; and preparation of budgets.
  • Advanced experience in the use of excel, as well as experience with Power BI, and the analytic tools available within Microsoft 365.
  • Solid understanding around the importance of data management in the context of financial analysis and reporting.
  • Ability to learn quickly when faced with problems and ambiguity.
  • Effective verbal and written communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain complex concepts to non-technical staff, and deliver reports suitable for decision making.
  • Well-developed team management skills, including the ability to prioritize, plan and organize required deliverables and to delegate effectively.
  • Strong interpersonal, customer service, and consulting skills.
  • Strong conceptual and analytical skills, as well as creativity in identifying solutions, with proven decision making ability.
  • Ability to think strategically and adapt effectively in applying problem-solving techniques to meet the information needs for decision making within a constantly changing environment.
  • Ability to remain composed when faced with unexpected problems and work effectively through stressful situations.
  • Experience with IFMS PeopleSoft would be an asset.

Over 96% of our staff agrees that WCB is a great place to work. We offer competitive salaries, a comprehensive benefits package, work-life balance, supportive leadership and a caring and collaborative work environment. We have talented employees who work hard and we want to make sure they’re happy.


SALARY: Grade 11 Start Rate: $73,500 to Job Rate: $99,362/year (includes Market Supplement)
Posted: October 19, 2020 Closes: November 9, 2020

Note: Final candidates for this position will be asked to undergo a security clearance and credit check.
Please apply online quoting competition #J1020-0891 by submitting a cover letter and resume to: www.wcb.ab.ca/careers

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only candidates under consideration will be contacted.