CLIENT
Our client is a MNC in the Professional Services / Legal industry, one of the top 3 in their field of work. An opportunity for a year-long maternity cover starting in March has just arisen, and this would be an excellent opportunity for the right person to join an amazing fast-paced MNC with a great work culture.
SUMMARY OF ROLE:
This role has two direct reports with the main tasks of covering core accounting, financial audit, treasury, banking, and insurance activities in the GCC region. This is a managerial role (however, still hands-on) with a strong focus on financial closing, audit readiness, delivery and issuance of statutory financial statements.
PLEASE NOTE: Candidates from the professional services sector (legal / consulting etc) would be strongly preferred for this role, however, the client would also consider someone from a MNC background from another sector.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Oversee the day-to-day operations of the GCC Accounting team to ensure accurate and timely delivery of accounting activities across multiple legal entities
- Lead and manage the full financial close cycle, including month-end and year-end close processes
- Own the preparation, coordination, and successful execution of interim and year-end financial audits across GCC entities
- Act as the primary regional point of contact for external auditors, managing audit planning, fieldwork, issue resolution, and final sign-off
- Ensure timely and accurate preparation and issuance of statutory financial statements in accordance with local regulatory requirements and company policies for all GCC entities
- Review and approve key accounting outputs, including journals, balance sheet reconciliations, and supporting schedules
- Ensure balance sheet accounts are complete, accurate, and audit-ready
- Oversee intercompany accounting activities, including settlements, reconciliations, and coordination with global counterparts
- Oversee and ensure the timely issuance and accuracy of bank guarantees, including appropriate monitoring, reconciliation, and documentation in coordination with banking partners and internal stakeholders
- Oversee cash forecasting and cash pooling activities in coordination with treasury and banking partners to support effective liquidity management across Middle East entities
- Lead regional insurance renewal and client-specific insurance activities in coordination with external brokers, ensuring accurate and timely issuance of insurance documentation for all GCC entities
- Manage financial data requests, disclosures, and information requests from internal and external stakeholders, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and appropriate approvals
- Coach, guide, and mentor Accounting professionals, building strong technical, audit, and control capabilities within the team
- Drive process and system improvements to strengthen controls, efficiency, and scalability of accounting operations
- Manage day-to-day escalations and act as a business partner on accounting, audit, and compliance matters
- Coordinate closely with AP, Payroll, Tax, and Global Finance teams to ensure end-to-end financial accuracy and alignment
- Support on ad hoc projects and tasks as required
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in accounting, Finance, or a related field
- 8+ years of relevant accounting experience, preferably within a MNC or within the professional services industry
- Accounting qualification preferred (CPA, ACCA, CA, CMA, etc)
- Management experience of a small team
- Good experience in managing financial close processes, interim and year-end audits, statutory financial statements
- Technical accounting, financial controls and audit knowledge are required, treasury is an advantage
- Knowledge of SAP preferred
