Specialist Corporate Accounting

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CPKC is seeking a Specialist, Compensation Accounting in Calgary to support payroll, labour relations, and benefits accounting with emphasis on period-end close, forecasting, and SOX controls. You’ll work with payroll, HR, and IT to process journal entries and reconciliations, analyze data, and respond to auditors. Requirements include a Bachelor’s in Accounting or Finance, 3+ years of relevant experience, and CPA or near completion, plus US GAAP knowledge and ERP/SAP experience. To stand out, demonstrate cross-functional collaboration, strong reconciliations, process improvements, and payroll controls in your application. Calgary onsite, full-time, non-union, 0–10% travel. Emphasize alignment with a culture of inclusion and growth.

Join CPKC, North America’s first transnational railroad connecting U.S., Canada, and Mexico, where your career drives progress and safety is paramount. We connect communities, fuel economic growth, and provide meaningful work in a culture that values diversity, accountability, and pride. With opportunities for training, development, and advancement, you’re not just building a career—you’re part of something bigger. Together, we move goods, connect people, and create lasting change. Your future starts here.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

Reporting to the Manager, Compensation Accounting, the Specialist Compensation Accounting sustains and improves accounting and reporting activities associated with labour relations, payroll, vacation and benefits processes. This position provides a unique opportunity to build deep expertise at the intersection of compensation, payroll, financial reporting, and labour relations. In this role, you will gain hands‑on experience managing complex accounting processes that directly support period‑end close, forecasting, audit readiness, and SOX compliance.

POSITION ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Plan detailed accounting and reporting activities on a recurring basis in order to support rapid and accurate period-end close
• Coordinate activities with the multiple internal stakeholders that provide information into the accounting and reporting process (payroll, human resources, labour relations, information systems) or require its output (forecasting, business groups)
• Perform journal entries and reconciliations
• Prepare financial analysis on monthly and quarterly data
• Assess and research implications of significant financial transactions
• Identify, analyze and reconcile inconsistent information and recommend adjustments where necessary
• Ensure accounting and reporting processes comply with applicable internal control (SOX) requirements
• Liaise with Financial Planning to facilitate forecast preparation and monitoring
• Address and respond to queries from auditors and internal reviewers
• Identify and analyze possible improvements to processes and implement selected solutions

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related field
• A minimum of 3 years of experience in accounting and finance, with exposure to payroll, journal entries, reconciliations, financial analysis, and internal controls (SOX).
• Accounting designation (CPA; CPA, CA), or near completion
• Knowledge of US GAAP requirements is desirable
• ERP/SAP expertise is an asset
• Payroll systems and processes is an asset
• Application Expertise is desirable: Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC), Excel, Workiva, Blackline
• Possess a strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders

WHAT CPKC HAS TO OFFER:

• Flexible and competitive benefits package
• Competitive company pension and/or retirement plans
• Employee share purchase plan
• Annual fitness subsidy
• Part-time studies program

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Background Investigation

• Criminal history check
• Education verification
• Professional references

BECOMING A RAILROADER:

As an employee with a North American presence, the possibility does exist that the location of your position may be changed based on organizational requirements.

Management Conductor Program

Becoming a qualified conductor or locomotive engineer is the single best way for a management employee to learn the business at CPKC. You may be required to obtain a certification or to maintain your current certification/qualification as a conductor or locomotive engineer.

CULTURE OF INCLUSION:

For our U.S. applicants, CPKC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, inclusive of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For Canadian applicants CPKC is an employment equity employer committed to the principles of employment equity and inclusion. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply including: women, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), members of the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities. Accommodations for the job application process can be provided, as appropriate, upon request. All applicant information will be managed in accordance with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

• Req ID: 106103
• Department: Finance & Accounting
• Job Type: Full-Time
• Position Type: Non-Union
• Location: Calgary, Alberta
• Country: Canada
• % of Travel: 0-10%
• # of Positions: 1
• Job Grade: 4
• Job Available to: Internal & External

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