Senior Financial Analyst

Job Description:

Here at Rakuten Kobo Inc. we offer a casual working start-up environment and a group of friendly and talented individuals. Our employees rank us highly in terms of commitment to work/life balance. We realize that for our people to be innovative, creative and passionate they need to feel valued and supported. We believe in rewarding all our employees with competitive salaries, performance based annual bonuses, stock options and training opportunities.
If you’re looking for a company that inspires passion, personal, and professional growth – join Kobo and come help us on our mission of making reading lives better.

The Role:

Rakuten Kobo Inc. is looking for a Senior Financial Analyst to join our Finance Operations team. This role will be crucial in driving financial performance through robust reporting, forecasting, and insightful analysis of Kobo’s hardware sales and inventory. The Senior Financial Analyst will collaborate cross-functionally with finance, supply chain, and sales operations to support key business decision-making.

We are seeking a proactive individual who thrives in a fast-paced, innovative culture, can navigate dynamic structures, and is committed to delivering results with an emphasis on meaningful insights. As an integral part of our finance team, this role will be pivotal in supporting period-end accounting, monthly planning, and financial reporting.

Responsibilities:

The Senior Financial Analyst will be supporting Hardware Sales and Inventory. The role will assume key ownership in:

• Inventory risk management: excess and obsolescence analysis, end-of-life exposure, and reserve forecasting
• Hardware royalties: calculation, tracking, reporting, and forecasting of royalty obligations
• Purchase hedging: tracking, accounting support, and forecast impact analysis
• Sales hedging: monitoring hedge positions, accounting alignment, and revenue impact forecasting

Day-to-day responsibilities include:

• Lead the accurate and timely execution of financial close and planning processes.
• Prepare and post month-end journal entries and adjustments.
• Perform detailed variance analysis to identify performance drivers versus budget, forecast, and prior periods.
• Ensure balance sheet reconciliations are complete, accurate, and in compliance with accounting standards.
• Provide actionable insights and recommendations to business leaders through cost and margin analysis and reports.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Sales Operations, and FP&A to enhance forecast accuracy, streamline planning processes, and ensure reporting integrity.
• Transform large financial data sets into concise summarized presentations to business leaders.
• Prepare royalties billing and reporting to external vendors.
• Act as a key liaison for Hardware operations during external and internal financial audits.
• Design, maintain, and improve reporting tools that highlight performance and trends.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including within SAP, to enhance efficiency, optimize system performance, and streamline business operations.
• Create and maintain documentation for internal users.
• Provide ad-hoc analysis and support for special projects as required.

The Skillset:

Required:

• 5+ years of progressive experience in a highly analytical environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a proven ability to collaborate effectively and build relationships with diverse stakeholders, including those without a finance background.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex financial information to senior management and non-finance audiences.
• Professional presentation skills in front of senior management.
• Comfortable with ambiguity; able to thrive with minimal oversight and process.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in MS Excel.
• Post-secondary degree in Accounting, Business, Commerce, Finance, or a related field, and a relevant professional accounting designation (CPA, CA, CMA, CGA).

Nice to Haves:

• Experience with SQL.
• Prior experience with SAP or similar ERP.
• Experience with inventory-related data analysis.

The Perks:

• Flexible hours and hybrid remote working environment
• Subsidized in-office lunches
• Four extended long weekends in the summer
• Full benefits starting from your first day
• Paid Volunteer days, unlimited sick days, and 3% RRSP matching
• Work From Anywhere Program for up to 3 months (90 days)
• Monthly commuting allowance for those who are hybrid
• Lifestyle spending account
• Talent and development training budget
• Free Kobo device + free weekly e-book or audiobook
• Weekly Kobo Tech University sessions
• Maternity/paternity leave top up
• Dog friendly office

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.
Rakuten Kobo Inc. is the world’s digital bookseller created by and for booklovers. Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten Group, Inc. and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo’s millions of worldwide users can read anytime, anywhere, and on any device. With a mission to make reading lives better for all, Rakuten Kobo connects readers to stories using thoughtful and personalized curation of eBooks and audiobooks, and the best dedicated eReaders and apps for reading. With the singular focus of making reading lives the best they can be, Kobo’s open platform allows people to fit reading into more moments in their busy lives. To learn more about Rakuten Kobo, visit www.kobo.com.

Rakuten Kobo Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Accessibility accommodations for candidates with disabilities participating in the selection process are available on request. Any information received related to accommodation needs of applicants will be addressed confidentially.  

Rakuten Kobo would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this role however only qualified candidates will be shortlisted.  

#RKIND

Five Principles for Success
Our worldwide practices describe specific behaviors that make Rakuten unique and united across the world. We expect Rakuten employees to model these 5 Shugi Principles of Success.
Always improve, Always Advance - Only be satisfied with complete success - Kaizen
Passionately Professional - Take an uncompromising approach to your work and be determined to be the best
Hypothesize - Practice - Validate – Shikumika - Use the Rakuten Cycle to succeed in unknown territory
Maximize Customer Satisfaction - The greatest satisfaction for our teams is seeing their customers smile
Speed!! Speed!! Speed!! - Always be conscious of time - take charge, set clear goals, and engage your team

Rakuten is an equal opportunity employer. Accessibility accommodations for candidates with disabilities participating in the selection process are available on request. Any information received related to accommodation needs of applicants will be addressed confidentially. 

Rakuten would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this role however only qualified candidates will be shortlisted.

Beware of fraudulent job offers claiming to be from Rakuten. Rakuten does not send unsolicited job offers or request money during the recruitment process. Learn more: https://rakutenemploymentalert.com/

At the time of posting, Rakuten expects the Compensation (base salary + discretionary bonus) for this role to be within the range shown below. Individual compensation will vary based on job-related factors, including the skills, qualifications, and experience of the successful candidate as well as business need and geographic location. The successful applicant for this role will be eligible for stock options, health, vision, dental insurance, RRSP matching, Personal Time Off (PTO), Volunteer Time Off (VTO), and other employee benefits as the company implements.