Country Finance Senior Accountant

Job Description & Summary

The Chief Accountant is responsible for overseeing and managing the financial operations of an organization.

They provide strategic financial guidance, ensure compliance with accounting principles and regulations, and supervise the accounting team.
The role involves financial analysis, budgeting, and forecasting, as well as financial reporting to stakeholders.

The Chief Accountant plays a critical role in decision-making processes, collaborating with other departments to optimize financial performance and mitigate risks.
They also assist in establishing and maintaining internal controls, contribute to strategic planning, and provide recommendations for improving financial processes.

Strong leadership, analytical skills, and expertise in accounting principles are essential for success in this role.

Key Responsibilities:

Ensure completeness of the month-end and year-end close processes, ensuring adherence to deadlines and reporting requirements.

Detailed review of the transactional activities recorded in the trial balance at a legal entity level and ensuring completeness, accuracy and the existence of balances .

Adherence to the FC deadlines, ensure timely submission of the monthly commentary, checklists etc
Ensure the timely completion of the extended trial balance as per the deadlines of the statutory team and prepare the necessary deliverables for stat compliance (detailed schedules of specific GL codes,key reconciliations, tax schedules etc) Compliance with local tax reporting requirements, including VAT, WHT, CIT, sales tax, payroll taxes etc, and ensure timely payments and submission of returns in conjunction with Firm Tax guidelines.
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Collaborate with the Firm tax team and Tax LoS where applicable to address any tax-related queries, tax assessments or other issues.

Review of tax assessments/audits and obtain approval from Country Finance lead prior to submission
Conduct financial analysis to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

Provide insights and recommendations to the Country Finance Lead to assist in decision-making.

Review of petty cash transactions, while ensuring accuracy and necessary reconciliation are maintained

Oversee the accuracy and integrity of the general ledger, accounting entries, timely billing and reconciliations of key control and suspense accounts.

Perform regular reconciliations and review journal entries to maintain accurate financial records.

Monitor and manage cash flow, including cash position reports, cash movement between banks, and ensuring payment requirements are met.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including financial controls, statutory reporting, procurement, and treasury, to ensure effective coordination and alignment of financial activities.

Collaborate with LoS teams, including LoS finance to understand Net Investment, revenue and accounting for any events that took place
Support internal and external audits, ensuring timely provision of required documentation and addressing audit findings.

Coordinate and liaise with the external auditors on the localisation audits (where applicable), while highlighting any issues and areas of improvement to the ICV/Local Content team
Coordinate with the payroll teams to ensure completeness of transactions and compliance of statutory payments (pension, payroll tax etc)
Approving payment proposals while ensuring compliance and meeting payment deadlines
Coordination with other IFS functions on important compliance aspects, such as license renewals and certificates impacting the firm.
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Payroll reconciliation of salary tax to salary schedules to the tax authority
Local regulatory reporting requirements SOCPA and CMA ADGMA must be responded to in an accurate and timely basis (avoiding penalties)
Including such other duties that may be assigned to you by your manager (do not remove)
Financial Management,
Accounting expertise,
Communication and analytical Skills,
Strong knowledge of accounting principles, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance.

Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail.

Advanced proficiency in financial software and MS Excel.

Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present financial information to non-financial stakeholders.

Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.

English Arabic preferred
A minimum of a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field, professional certification such as CPA or CA,
A minimum of 3 Years

Education

Degrees/Field of Study required:

Degrees/Field of Study preferred:

Certifications

Required Skills

Optional Skills

Desired Languages

Travel Requirements

Available for Work Visa Sponsorship

Government Clearance Required