Chief Accountant

The Chief Accountant ensures that the accounting is correct, transparent, complete, and delivered on time, always guaranteeing 100% compliance with all relevant local legislation (e.g.: statutory accounting standards, IFRS, tax law) and internal group accounting guidelines. The CoA is responsible of all auditing process inside the company and related to contracts, payments, and taxes.

KEY RESPONSABILITIES: 

GENERAL.

• Guarantees 100% compliance with all relevant local legislation (e.g.: statutory accounting standards, IFRS, tax law) and internal group accounting guidelines.
• Ensures that the accounting is correct, transparent (within the organization and towards HQ) and complete (including appropriate accruals/deferrals). The financial statements must present a true and fair view of the financial position, financial performance, and cash flows of the reported period.
• Assures timely submission of accurate financial information to all stakeholders (e.g.: HQ Accounting & taxes team, tax authorities, other local authorities).
• Assists the Finance Manager in proactively managing the year end audit process and the external auditors to secure clean Early Warning Memorandums and clean Management Letters strictly avoiding an “Emphasis of Matter” or a “Qualified Opinion”.
• While maintaining quality, continuously drives efficiency by streamlining processes (within accounting and beyond accounting) and the use of available tools.
• Ensures that the accounting operations are fully integrated from a process, systems, and control perspective.
• Supports the Finance Manager in establishing an effective tax management in cooperation with the tax specialists in HQ and external tax advisors.
• Lead any project related to changes/updates in accounting systems and inform opportunely any accounting system thar is not working properly.

BOOKKEEPING:

• Maintains the fixed asset register and supervises the asset accounting in the fixed asset ledger.
• Manages the accounts payables ledger as well as the periodic payment runs while ensuring segregation of duties.
• Controls the accounts receivable ledger and the dunning process.
• Supervises the bank statement postings as well as the reconciliation of the bank accounts.
• Reconciliation of all tax accounts.
• Guarantees the timely and accurate reporting to local authorities.
• Maintains the general ledger.
• Maintains the sanity checks in terms of master data creation, modifications, etc., identifying any potential risk, solving the situations identified.
• Conciliation of open items.

PERIOD CLOSING:

• Review and check the optimum liquidity level for the company, looking closely the cash collection and payments, avoiding any cash risk for the company in each month.
• Responsible for the timely compilation of the monthly and annual closings including the communication of the closing timetable within the organization (local and with corporate teams).
• Carries out depreciation runs, posts all accrual and deferral entries as well as revaluations, write offs and provisions.
• Reconciles all clearing and intern company accounts.
• Carries out any other period closing postings.
• Prepares the annual statutory financial statements.
• Conducts a thorough review of all monthly reports and financial statements prior to the submission to HQ or authorities to make corrections if needed.
• Coordinate all the tax obligations monthly and yearly with the local team and the external advisors, if required.

AUDITING COORDINATOR:

• The CoA coordinates all auditing processes inside company (Related to taxes, contracts, payments, etc.)
• Conducts a thorough review of all monthly reports and financial statements prior to the submission to HQ or authorities to make corrections if needed.
• Supervises the bank statement postings as well as the reconciliation of the bank accounts.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT:

• Builds a team of highly engaged and motivated people.
• Develops and updates regularly the job descriptions for all accounting staff.
• Ensures that sufficient resources are in place and each position is held by a person with the appropriate qualification.
• Agrees on annual objectives and links variable pay to the achievement levels.
• Holds biannual performance reviews giving clear, honest and fair feedback.
• Promotes development, internal trainings to elevate knowledge levels within the team.
• Assures that all key processes are documented in writing and that checklists are being used.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS Holds a relevant accounting qualification (Certified Management Accountant)

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant accounting experience in a similar organization.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Vast knowledge of all local tax regulations, local GAAP and IFRS
• Strong leadership skills
• Capable of communicating precisely, effectively, and convincingly based on facts with internal and external stakeholders.
• IT literate and SAP knowledge.
• Collaboration, empathy and open communication as teamwork skills.
• A structured and well-organized individual
• Must be self-motivated, self-directed and be able to work under pressure in a fast-paced team environment.
• English language skills