Robert Half Management Resources is the worldwide leader in specialized consulting and staffing services for senior-level accounting, finance and business systems professionals. 

Our client, a private school in Ottawa, is seeking an experienced Interim Chief Accountant for a 3-month contract to provide interim hands-on support. This highly visible role requires a professional who has great interpersonal skills, can work independently, manage the full accounting cycle and maintain strict confidentiality. This role is 100% on-site, Monday to Friday in Ottawa.

The Chief Accountant duties will include:

• Manage full-cycle accounting, including AP, AR, general ledger, bank reconciliations, and month-end close
• Oversee payroll administration and employee contract tracking with a third-party provider
• Support budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and budget-to-actual analysis
• Manage tuition billing, parent invoicing, collections, and payment processing
• Process vendor invoices, payment runs, HST filings, donation receipts, and other transactions
• Prepare financial information for board meetings, finance committee discussions, and annual audits
• Liaise professionally with parents, school leadership, board members, and external stakeholders
• Identify opportunities to strengthen financial processes, controls, and reporting accuracy
• Occasional attendance at monthly Board meetings may be required

The ideal candidate will have the following skills and experience:

• 5+ years of progressive accounting experience with full-cycle accounting responsibility
• Strong knowledge of AP, AR, payroll, budgeting, forecasting, reconciliations, and financial reporting
• Advanced Excel skills and experience with QuickBooks or similar accounting systems
• Solid understanding of Canadian accounting principles and reporting requirements
• Experience in a private school, not-for-profit, educational, or community-based environment is an asset
• Payroll knowledge and experience in a collective agreement environment are considered assets

Robert Half is the world’s first and largest specialized talent solutions firm that connects highly qualified job seekers to opportunities at great companies. We offer contract, temporary and permanent placement solutions for finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and administrative and customer support roles.

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This job posting is for a current vacancy with our client.

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