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Controller (Remote/Virtual)

Highlights

  • Must be eligible to work in Canada.
  • Hours are flexible. Pending scope of work agreed to, this position will be a Part-time (60-80 hrs/month) or Full-time (average of 120 hrs/month).
  • Remuneration aligned with Controller positions in small-medium-sized Canadian charities, scope of work, and experience.
  • Start date – ASAP, but negotiable (a staged onboarding is also an option).


The Resilience Institute

The Resilience Institute (TRI) is a national not-for-profit organization with charitable status in Canada. Our mission is to minimize suffering caused by climate change. We work to achieve this through educational and applied research programming that strengthens the capacity of individuals, organizations, and communities to build climate resilience to our changing environment. Currently, the majority of our work benefits small, rural, and Indigenous communities across Canada and on occasion, internationally. As a hybrid organization with home offices, we offer flexibility, and remote work opportunities.


Position Background

TRI has been operating for 10 years and during that time has grown from small charity to a small/med size charity with an annual operating budget of close to $2M. Our finances have been handled by a part-time contractual bookkeeper and accountants. While this served us well for many years, and we have several years of excellent audits, TRI is now in the position of needing to streamline its financial processes, including shifting from spreadsheet-based systems to a financial management program such as Budgyt.

We see this position as helping to inform, establish, and socialize these new processes. As this is a new position for TRI, the role may be part-time or full-time depending on the agreed upon scope of work. Remuneration is negotiable pending experience, the agreed-upon scope of work, and alignment of skills with TRI’s needs.


Position Summary

Working closely with the President/CEO and other financial team members (as relevant), the Controller will be responsible for the overall financial management, integrity, and compliance of The Resilience Institute. This role provides strategic financial leadership while remaining actively involved in ongoing accounting and operations.


Responsibilities

  • Ensures accuracy of financial reporting by establishing and maintaining financial policies, procedures, controls, and reporting systems.
  • Monitors financial condition and guides decisions by conducting reviews of the general ledger (GL) and sub-ledger, and by creating monthly or quarterly financial reports (depending on the needs of the programming team and executive).
  • Coordinates tasks and either leads or supports the delivery of information to external auditors during the annual audit.
  • Supports program continuity and project management by preparing budgets and facilitating access to budget information.
  • Manages cashflow and makes recommendations for cash management.
  • Oversees restricted and unrestricted fund accounting, ensuring donor restrictions are tracked and appropriately accounted for.
  • Collaborates with the programming team to support the preparation of accurate and timely funder budgets and proposals.
  • Maintains the chart of accounts and accounting policies in accordance with applicable accounting standards.
  • Prepares and updates budgets by creating accounting schedules; collecting, analyzing, and consolidating financial data; and recommending plans.
  • Achieves budget objectives by monitoring expenditures, analyzing variances, and initiating corrective actions on a quarterly basis or as needed.
  • Ensures compliance with federal, provincial, and local legal requirements by analyzing existing and new legislation, anticipating future legislation, enforcing adherence to requirements, filing financial reports, and advising management on necessary actions.
  • Protects operations by keeping financial information and plans confidential.
  • Oversee bookkeeping or, if agreed upon, performs bookkeeping functions, including general ledger maintenance, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and various reconciliations.
  • Special projects as required.


Qualifications / Skills

  • Recognized Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation or an equivalent postgraduate degree.
  • Experience with compilation engagements in a non-profit environment; experience in charities considered an asset.
  • Highly organized, compassionate, and innovative professional who will thrive in supporting a growing charity that is dedicated to climate change.
  • Demonstrated experience with financial software including QuickBooks. Working experience with Budgyt or comparable platform will be an asset.
  • Experience with MS Office Professional Suite; experience with Zoho Projects and Zoho Expenses will be an asset.
  • Knowledge of auditing, accounting, and corporate/not-for-profit finance.
  • Eligible to work in Canada.
  • Experience tracking budget expenses, analyzing information, and developing budgets.
  • Ability to meet deadlines and work in a changing environment.
  • Comfortable working remotely and understanding that working hours are flexible.
  • Experience with sales tax filings (GST and provincial taxes)
  • Experience accounting for government, foundation, and private grants and contributions
  • Minimum five years of experience in accounting/finance
  • Complete and expert understanding of all accounting principles and standards for not-for-profits in Canada is a must; and for charitable organizations an asset.
  • Experience with financial reporting requirements for a charity, society, or not-for-profit.


Interested candidates are invited to send a short email of interest and curriculum vitae (CV) to operations_team@resilienceinstitute.ca. The opportunity will remain open until filled. The start date for this position is flexible.

Cassidy Grimes

Climate Analyst & Coordinator

Cassidy holds a Master’s degree in Climate Change from the University of Waterloo, where she studied topics such as climate science, climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, and community planning for climate change. Cassidy is passionate about supporting communities in preparing for and adapting to climate change through education, community engagement, and applied research. Her work focuses on fostering climate resilience by connecting scientific knowledge with local experiences and community-driven solutions.

Laura Stewart

Board Member

Laura Stewart is the Community Wildfire Resilience Coordinator with Forsite Fire, supporting communities across Canada with wildfire risk assessments, mitigation planning, and program delivery. She has more than a decade of experience advancing wildfire resilience at Indigenous, municipal, provincial/territorial, and national levels. Previously, Laura served nearly eleven years as Alberta’s Provincial FireSmart Specialist, leading community, WUI, neighbourhood, and Home Ignition Zone programs, coordinating funding, and partnering with communities and fire services across the province. She has also served as Board Chair with both the Partners in Protection Association (FireSmart Canada) and the Community Wildfire Resilience Association of Alberta.

 

Sara Walsh, PhD

Board Member

Sara Walsh, PhD, is a disaster risk reduction and climate resilience specialist with more than 15 years of experience spanning Canada, Nepal, the Middle East, and North Africa. Until November 2025, she served as Thematic Lead for Climate and Resilience with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), where she supported Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to strengthen their climate and risk reduction work across the region. Saracurrently works as a freelance consultant with the United Nations, governments, and humanitarian organizations on recovery, risk governance, and community-based resilience. Sara teaches at a Canadian university and holds a PhD in Disaster Risk Reduction. Her work emphasizes anticipatory action, equity, and bridging research with practice to shape more resilient and sustainable futures.

Alison Criscitiello

Board Member

Alison Criscitiello, PhD, is an ice core scientist and high-altitude mountaineer who explores the history of climate and sea ice in polar and high-alpine regions using ice core chemistry. Alison’s work also focuses on environmental contaminant histories in ice cores from the Canadian high Arctic and the water towers of the Canadian Rockies. In 2010, she led the first all-women’s ascent of Lingsarmo, a 22,818-foot peak in the Indian Himalaya. Alison has earned three American Alpine Club (AAC) climbing awards, the John Lauchlan and Mugs Stump alpine climbing awards, as well as the first Ph.D. in Glaciology ever conferred by MIT. She is an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Canadian Ice Core Lab at the University of Alberta. She is the co-founder of Girls on Ice Canada.