Hire Waterloo co-op students from the School of Accounting and Finance

Often imitated, but never duplicated, the University of Waterloo blends academia with the working world to immeasurable student and employer advantage. Since the university's inception in 1957, thousands of employers have helped uWaterloo lay the solid ground work beneath this world-renowned program.

The School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) consists of the following programs: Accounting and Financial Management (AFM),  Biotechnology/Chartered Professional Accountancy (Biotech/CPA), Computing and Financial Management (CFM), Mathematics/Chartered Professional Accountancy (Math/CPA) and Sustainability and Financial Management (SFM).

Why hire our co-op students?

1200+

Waterloo alumni have successfully written the CFE since 2015
Year-round availability

Affordable way to fill your full-time talent needs
World's largest co-op program

More than 21,000 active students from 120+ programs

Waterloo students are brilliant, extraordinary individuals and exceptional leaders; year over year, they are the most sought-after students.

Larry Toste, Partner, KPMG

How does co-op work?

Register and post

Access 25,000+ students available for full-time positions
Interview and hire

Hire a student for 8 to 16 weeks
Repeat

Easily repost your job for the next work term on WaterlooWorks

What kind of work can SAF students do?

Accounting and Financial Management students specialize in one of six disciplines: accounting, financial leadership, financial markets, business analytics, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. Students from our other programs typically fit these specializations as well: SFM students fit sustainability; CFM students fit financial markets, and have computer science experience; Math/CPA fit accounting and have a math background; and Biotech/CPA fit accounting, with additional skills in biology.

We've compiled some sample jobs and skills for each specialization, but employers are welcome to learn about our specializations and programs directly. We also publish the SAF Employment Report for employers to use as a resource.

Sample Jobs

Accounting

Sample jobs: 

  • Co-op Staff Accountant
  • Treasury Assistant
  • Tax Analyst
  • Financial Analyst in Tax and Audit

Sample skills:

  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite Products
  • Ability to work with large amounts of data efficiently and effectively
  • Ability to work independently and in a team environment
  • Knowledge of business fundamentals and analytical skills
  • Ability to draw insights from information and convey complex information in a straightforward manner
  • Strong organizational skills and problem-solving skills


Financial Leadership

Sample jobs: 

  • Project Analyst
  • Risk Management Assistant
  • Internal Audit Co-op
  • Financial Analyst

Sample skills:

  • MS Excel, VBA programming and SQL skills
  • Communication and interpersonal skills
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
  • Strong organizational skills with ability to prioritize and manage own work to effectively meet tight deadlines
  • Strong knowledge of accounting principles
  • Detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem solving skills
  • Self-motivated with a high level of analytical capabilities and attention to detail
  • Experience with financial analysis, financial modelling, financial forecasting or financial reporting


Financial Markets

Sample jobs: 

  • Portfolio Operations Analyst
  • Equity Research Assistant
  • Analyst, Investment Banking
  • Private Equity Associate

Sample skills:

  • Capital markets knowledge 
  • Problem-solving skills and business sense
  • Ability to multi-task and prioritize in high pressure environment
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite Products
  • Strong research abilities and excellent analytical skills
  • Self-motivated with an ability to Strong research abilities and excellent analytical and communication skills
  • Communication and interpersonal skills


Business Analytics

Sample jobs: 

  • Data Analyst
  • Market Researcher
  • Investment Portfolio Analyst

Sample skills:

  • Problem-solver 
  • Ability to work as a part of a team and collaborate with supporting teams
  • Knowledge of query writing in SQL
  • Experience coding with open source programming languages
  • Support data analysis identifying improvement opportunities
  • Creative thinking skills to improve customer experience
  • Understanding of core data management, data mining and analytics concepts
  • Strong multi-tasker; ability to manage multiple projects at once


Sustainability

Sample jobs: 

  • Analyst, Sustainable Finance Co-op
  • Sustainability Co-op
  • Co-op Student – Environmental Issues
  • Carbon Accounting Student

Sample skills:

  • Understand various client issues, and design, recommend and implement insightful and pragmatic solutions
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills and an ability to translate recommendations and other ideas effectively and concisely in report
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced constantly changing environment
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite Products
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
  • Strong attention to detail with excellent time management, prioritization and organizational skills 


Entrepreneurship

Sample jobs: 

Sample skills:

  • Entrepreneurial mind-set
  • Desire to work in a start-up environment
  • Ability to multitask, prioritize, and handle multiple responsibilities
  • Able to problem solve and think of innovative ways of accomplishing tasks
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

I have worked with many University of Waterloo undergrad co-op students and MAcc graduates over the years, and they have made a significant contribution to the success of our firm. I am consistently impressed by their technical capability, project management skill and strong work ethic. Each student shows a true willingness to learn new skills and work together as a team to provide the best solutions for our clients.

Ryan Thulien, Partner, PwC Canada