The Role

The Accounting Lead reports to the Senior Manager Finance at a global company based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The role covers establishing and leading a local accounting function, acting as the accounting and compliance advisor, and managing the transition from outsourced or shared services to an in-house model. It also includes ERP implementation responsibilities and incentives program accounting.

Key Responsibilities

Accounting Governance, Policies and Continuous Improvement

• Develop, document and maintain accounting policies, standard operating procedures, workflows, approval authorities and internal controls aligned with local requirements and group standards.
• Assess the control environment, identify accounting risks, gaps and inefficiencies, prepare improvement proposals and lead approved changes through implementation.
• Establish process ownership, segregation of duties, review standards and evidence requirements across accounting activities together with the Senior Finance Manager.
• Monitor adherence to policies and controls, investigate recurring exceptions and ensure corrective actions are completed and embedded.

Management Reporting and Decision Support

• Prepare financial statements, management reports, accounting analyses and group reporting submissions.
• Analyse financial performance, costs, cash position, working capital, balance-sheet exposures, compliance matters and unusual transactions; explain material trends and variances.
• Translate accounting information into clear insights, risks and recommendations that support management decisions and forward planning.
• Provide management and group stakeholders with relevant information, highlighting emerging issues and required actions before they affect reporting or compliance.

Incentives Program Accounting and Reporting

• Own the accounting framework for government and other incentive programs, including recognition, accrual, booking and presentation in line with applicable standards, local requirements and group policies.
• Maintain a complete tracker of applications, approvals, claims, conditions, receipts and outstanding balances, supported by audit-ready documentation.
• Reconcile incentive-related balances, receipts, qualifying expenditure and the related accounting impact; investigate and resolve differences promptly.
• Report to management and group on incentive status, expected receipts, financial impact, risks and actions, coordinating with program owners, advisors and auditors as required.

Group Alignment

• Align local close, reporting, accounting treatments, controls, audit requirements and finance processes with group expectations while ensuring compliance with local regulations.
• Communicate local regulatory developments, business changes and accounting implications early, and lead the resolution of differences between local and group requirements.
• Coordinate group information requests and ensure local accounting records and supporting documentation are complete, consistent and readily available.

Accounting Operations and Financial Close

• Own the integrity of the general ledger and oversee accurate and complete recording of financial transactions, including journals, accruals, prepayments, provisions and allocations.
• Adhere to the monthly, quarterly and annual close timetable, establish review and sign-off requirements and ensure reporting deadlines are consistently met.
• Review balance-sheet reconciliations and account substantiation, maintain an appropriate chart of accounts and drive timely clearance of aged, unusual or unreconciled items.
• Oversee sales invoicing, customer balance reconciliations, accounts payable, vendor reconciliations and payment preparation, ensuring contractual, tax and approval requirements are met.
• Ensure accounting records and supporting documentation are complete, retained appropriately and audit-ready; resolve material issues and escalate significant risks promptly.

Tax, Regulatory Compliance, Audit and Third-Party Liaison

• Coordinate the preparation, review and submission of VAT, withholding tax, corporate income tax, transfer pricing and other statutory requirements.
• Maintain tax records, reconciliations and supporting documentation; monitor regulatory changes and assess their accounting, process and reporting impact.
• Serve as the local finance contact for tax advisors, external and internal auditors and other professional service providers; evaluate advice, coordinate inputs and track actions to completion.
• Coordinate audit schedules, reconciliations, evidence, statutory financial statements and disclosures, and lead the timely resolution of audit queries and remediation findings.
• Liaise with procurement stakeholders and group accounting and audit teams to ensure third-party engagements, information requests and compliance matters are managed effectively.

Employee and Cross-Functional Advisory

• Together with the Senior Finance Manager, act as the local advisor to management, employees and process owners on finance procedures, procurement, invoicing, payments, documentation, approvals and compliance requirements.
• Together with the Senior Finance Manager, develop guidance and training, respond to employee questions and promote consistent application of local processes across the company.
• Together with the Senior Finance Manager, partner with Commercial, Sales, Procurement, Operations, HR, Payroll and IT teams to resolve accounting issues and embed appropriate controls within business processes.
• Together with the Senior Finance Manager, communicate policy or regulatory changes and escalate significant non-compliance, control failures or financial risks to the Senior Manager Finance.

ERP Implementation and Finance Transformation

• Act as the principal accounting representative throughout ERP design, configuration, testing, deployment and post-implementation stabilisation.
• Define the chart of accounts, financial dimensions, accounting workflows, user roles, approval controls and reporting requirements within the ERP.
• Lead the accounting validation and reconciliation of master data, historical information and opening balances migrated to the new system.
• Coordinate finance User Acceptance Testing, resolve defects and ensure key accounting scenarios and controls operate as intended before go-live.
• Use the ERP and related process changes to improve reporting quality, control effectiveness, efficiency, automation and scalability.

In-House Accounting Transition and Capability Building

• Develop and execute a structured transition plan covering processes, roles, documentation, data, reconciliations, controls, system dependencies, knowledge transfer and cutover activities.
• Validate the completeness and accuracy of historical records, reconciliations and opening balances transferred from the outsourced or shared-service partner.
• Establish internal ownership, service expectations, standard operating procedures, review controls and acceptance criteria for all transferred activities.
• Manage transition risks, parallel-run or handover requirements and post-transition support to protect the continuity of close, tax, invoicing, payments and reporting.
• Coordinate the shared-service partner, group teams, internal stakeholders, advisors, auditors and ERP implementation team to build a sustainable local accounting function.

Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance; ACCA, CPA, CA, CMA or equivalent preferred.
• Progressive experience leading accounting, close, reporting, compliance and controls, with improvement and advisory responsibilities.
• Experience implementing policy or control improvements and preparing reports that support management decisions.
• Sound knowledge of local accounting and statutory requirements and experience working with a multinational parent, group finance or shared-service environment.
• Knowledge of VAT, withholding tax, corporate income tax and transfer pricing; incentives or grants accounting experience is highly desirable.
• ERP, finance transformation, data migration or outsourced-to-in-house transition experience, supported by strong Excel and systems skills.
• Ability to advise management, guide employees and manage group and external stakeholder relationships.

About MENA Careers

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