Reports to role Country Statutory Finance Head
Role purpose
• To secure a solid bedrock for finance activities in the country.
• Deliver high quality set of accounting data to facilitate group, statutory and tax reporting
• Manage local Finance staff and coordinate Finance services with outside service provider
• Coordinate compliance processes in country
• Manage group reporting process in country
• Deliver Finance services (as defined in global policies and process standards) to local Business
• Protect company assets in country
• Represent company towards external auditors


QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE
• Qualified accountant with at least 8-12 years post qualifying experience in relevant roles (must have completed articles with a recognised accounting/auditing firm).
• Evidence of independency in work, ability to set objectives, deadlines and meet these.
• Either experience in managing teams or expressing clear leadership skills.
• Process management and compliance knowledge within a complex, matrix organization and across different functions.

Critical technical, professional and personal capabilities
• Credible with local senior management and comfortable with expressing his views or putting alternate point of view in a constructive way.
• Strong controls and compliance focus
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
Critical leadership capabilities
• Can demonstrate examples of clear achievement against performance goals
• Ensures plans with resources, milestones, measures
• Builds up quickly and maintains networks with relevant customers and stakeholders
• Displays positive attitude to change and progress
• Follows up and checks progress – confronts performance progress directly
• Gives and seeks feedback systematically and constructively



Accountabilities
Operational responsibility
• Coordinate Finance processes in country and ensure all these processes / activities follow local & group compliance standards
• Ensure timely and accurate recording of all business transactions in ERP system according to the IFRS accounting rules used for Group reporting and local GAAP rules for statutory reporting in local ERP system. Acts as chairman of "lock meetings" (operational review meeting between 3rd party provider, Country Statutory Finance Head, Lead Finance Business Partner and Local SBS Lead) to facilitate correctness of data in ERP system.
• Ensure statutory ,tax and management reports are returns prepared for Country Statutory Finance Head and BP's in accordance with local GAAP, Tax regulations and Group standards.
• Ensure for all legal entities in country that there is a strong and effective internal control framework in place including Delegated Authorities and Segregation of Duties
• Ensure that data and output provided by the outsouce partner are reliable and meeting defined performance indicators.
• Ensure that assets are safeguarded in accordance with Corporate Policies and Procedures. Prepare all financial & defined management reporting to fulfil reporting requirements, including legal, VAT, social insurances, statistical information and support local statutory finance head on tax and statutory reporting requirements.
• Ensure all documents comply with legal and tax requirements and related compliance and are authorized according to the formalised authority levels in the organisation.
• Ensure all accounting processes/activities are properly documented
• Approve relevant journal entries in local entity books, as prepared by service centre + "facilitate
• payment runs".
• Accounting and reporting - Sustain high standards on verification of assets and liabilities in the balance sheet, review and approve financial accounting schedules, ensure compliance to standardised accounting, reporting and financial systems as well as policies and procedures. Also manages all local accounting issues to ensure unsual transactions are corrected accounted for and reported.
• Ensure SOX compliance and manage country SOX reporting. This requires the job holder to understand the end to end processes (eg Accounting to Reporting, Procure to Pay etc) and key internal controls for these processes and ensure that the procesess operate effectively and are documented and tested as necesssary in accordance with SOX or other requirements.
• Provide Finance support via local team regarding activities which are not outsourced (potential examples weekly cashforecasting, bank mandates, foreign exchange hedging with group treasury etc).
• Ensure Group Transfer Pricing framework is implemented and followed,country specific regulations regarding Transafer Prices are understood and effects agreed with Group Tax team.
• Where applicable ensure Pension fund management and and related accounting, including managing actuarial calculation has been dealt with in an effective and compliant manner.


Critical success factors & key challenges
• Create effective and reliable Finance service facilitated by number of different service providers including considerable volume of services provided by 3rd party providers
• Facilitate group/ local compliance agenda
• Meet all group reporting requirements & deliver data on time and in full to meet tax & statutory
• reporting time tables
• No significant SOX or internal/external/tax audit issues
• Strong communication and relation with local management and other stakeholders

Knowledge, experience & capabilities

Critical knowledge
• Good understanding of local Generally Accepted Accounting Policicies
• Good understanding of business end to end processes and internal controls necessary to
safeguard the Company’s assets.
• Local tax rules (especially, if no local tax team)
• Understanding of company's matrix organizations, in particular company business services framework
• Good understanding of a how the business operates (eg Seeds, CP, R&D, manufacturing, pension fund rules, HR policies)
• Good working knowledge of IFRS (and local Generally Accepted Accounting Policies)
• Knowledge of relevant company policies and procedures (eg Reporting, capital process, Group
• Treasury policies, transfer pricing manual etc).
• Best practice corporate governance
• Appreciation of Information Technologie
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should you not hear from us within 7 working days, please consider your application to be unsuccessful. However, we will keep your CV on our database for any position that may become available.