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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Chartered Accountant

💰 $ - $

FinanceAccountingAuditTaxCorporate Finance

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires a skilled and commercially minded Chartered Accountant to manage end-to-end accounting functions, ensure statutory and tax compliance, deliver timely and accurate financial reports, and support strategic financial decision-making. This role combines technical accounting expertise (IFRS/US GAAP), tax and regulatory knowledge, audit liaison experience, and the ability to drive process improvements and automation within an ERP environment. The Chartered Accountant will work closely with Finance Leadership, business unit heads, external auditors and tax advisors to safeguard financial integrity and support sustainable growth.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Audit Senior or Senior Associate in a Big Four or mid-tier public practice firm
  • Management Accountant or Financial Analyst in corporate finance teams
  • Tax Associate / Tax Analyst with public practice or in-house tax experience

Advancement To:

  • Finance Manager / Senior Finance Manager
  • Head of Financial Reporting, Financial Controller
  • Assistant/Deputy CFO leading broader finance operations

Lateral Moves:

  • Internal Audit Manager
  • Tax Manager or Transfer Pricing Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Prepare, review and deliver monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements and management reports in accordance with IFRS and/or US GAAP, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and clear commentary for senior management and board-level stakeholders.
  • Lead statutory reporting and compliance activities including preparation and filing of statutory accounts, corporate tax returns, VAT/GST returns and other regulatory submissions, ensuring all deadlines are met and risks are mitigated.
  • Coordinate and manage external audits and regulatory inspections, serving as the primary point of contact for external auditors, providing schedules, reconciliations and supporting documentation, and implementing agreed audit recommendations.
  • Oversee month-end and year-end close processes, including general ledger maintenance, journal entry approvals, account reconciliations, intercompany eliminations and consolidation of group accounts.
  • Design, implement and maintain strong internal controls, financial policies and SOX-compliant procedures to reduce financial risk, prevent fraud and ensure compliance with corporate governance standards.
  • Conduct detailed variance analysis and financial modelling to explain drivers of performance, support forecasting, and deliver actionable insights to support commercial decision-making and budget owners.
  • Manage corporate tax planning and compliance including current and deferred tax computations, transfer pricing documentation support, tax provision calculations and liaising with tax advisors on complex tax issues.
  • Lead cash flow forecasting and treasury activities, optimizing working capital, managing bank relationships, overseeing daily cash positions and recommending financing strategies.
  • Develop and maintain robust budgeting and forecasting processes, partnering with business units to produce rolling forecasts, scenario analyses and long-range financial plans.
  • Drive process improvement and automation across accounting workflows, leveraging ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Sage) and advanced Excel techniques to increase efficiency and reduce month-end cycle time.
  • Supervise and mentor junior accounting staff, assign tasks, conduct performance reviews, deliver technical training and build a high-performing accounting team.
  • Manage fixed assets accounting, capitalization policies, depreciation schedules and impairment assessments in accordance with accounting standards.
  • Prepare consolidated group reporting, intercompany reconciliations and elimination entries for multi-entity organizations, ensuring accurate presentation of group results.
  • Support mergers, acquisitions and divestitures by leading financial due diligence, purchase price allocation analyses, post-acquisition integration of accounting policies and reporting processes.
  • Develop and deliver financial KPIs, dashboards and MIS to senior stakeholders, translating complex financial information into clear, business-focused insights.
  • Maintain awareness of changes in accounting standards (IFRS/US GAAP), tax legislation and regulatory requirements and lead timely implementation of relevant changes across the business.
  • Administer payroll accounting oversight, including payroll reconciliations, statutory payroll reporting and coordination with HR and payroll providers to ensure accuracy and compliance.
  • Oversee revenue recognition policy application and review contracts for complex revenue arrangements in line with ASC 606 / IFRS 15, ensuring correct timing and presentation of revenue.
  • Manage relationships with banks, external advisors, tax authorities and statutory bodies, resolving queries and negotiating on financial and tax matters as required.
  • Prepare and present finance-related materials for board packs, audit committees and executive leadership, ensuring clarity, accuracy and alignment with strategic priorities.
  • Conduct cost accounting, margin and profitability analyses for products, projects and business units to support pricing strategies and operational efficiency initiatives.
  • Apply XBRL/e-filing standards, electronic statutory filing and digital reporting practices where required by regulators.
  • Lead ethics and compliance initiatives within the finance function, ensuring adherence to corporate policies, anti-money laundering (AML) obligations and relevant industry regulations.
  • Perform ad-hoc financial projects such as system implementations, chart of accounts redesigns and accounting policy harmonization across multiple jurisdictions.

Secondary Functions

  • Provide technical accounting advice and act as an internal subject-matter-expert on complex accounting queries raised by business stakeholders.
  • Support cross-functional projects (ERP rollouts, system upgrades, process transformation) by translating accounting requirements into system specifications and test cases.
  • Contribute to the development of the finance team’s data analytics capability by defining key data requirements and validating outputs.
  • Assist in scenario modelling for strategic initiatives including capital expenditure evaluation, pricing changes and restructuring plans.
  • Participate in vendor and contract reviews to ensure appropriate accounting treatment and risk allocation.
  • Represent finance on business continuity, risk management and internal compliance committees as needed.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Chartered Accountant qualification (ACA, ACCA, CA or equivalent) with demonstrated technical proficiency in IFRS and/or US GAAP.
  • Strong statutory and management reporting experience, including consolidation, intercompany eliminations and group reporting.
  • Corporate tax knowledge including tax provision (current and deferred), transfer pricing fundamentals, indirect tax (VAT/GST) and tax filings.
  • Audit and assurance experience, including production of audit packs and managing external auditor relationships.
  • Advanced MS Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Power Query), plus familiarity with financial modelling and scenario analysis.
  • ERP experience (SAP FI/CO, Oracle Financials, NetSuite, Sage or similar) including month-end processing and configuration understanding.
  • Experience with SOX/ICFR frameworks and designing/monitoring internal controls to meet regulatory compliance.
  • Proficiency in cash flow forecasting, treasury management and working capital optimization techniques.
  • Competence in revenue recognition accounting (ASC 606 / IFRS 15) and complex contract review for accounting impact.
  • Experience preparing board packs, board-level financial presentations and executive dashboards.
  • Knowledge of XBRL, e-filing and digital statutory reporting processes where applicable.
  • Familiarity with payroll accounting, fixed asset management and cost accounting methodologies.

Soft Skills

  • Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving capability with a commercial mindset.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy under tight deadlines.
  • Clear and persuasive written and verbal communication, able to explain technical accounting matters to non-finance stakeholders.
  • Stakeholder management and negotiation skills; able to influence cross-functional leaders and external advisors.
  • Leadership and people development experience; capable of coaching and mentoring junior staff.
  • Time management and prioritization skills, able to manage multiple deliverables during close cycles.
  • High integrity, ethical judgment and commitment to compliance and governance.
  • Adaptability and resilience in changing regulatory and business environments.
  • Project management skills to lead accounting change initiatives and system implementations.
  • Customer-focused approach with service orientation towards internal business partners.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Fully qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CA) or equivalent professional accounting qualification.

Preferred Education:

  • Chartered qualification plus degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce or Business.
  • Additional certifications (CPA, CFA, Diploma in Taxation, Certified Internal Auditor) considered advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Commerce
  • Economics
  • Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3 to 8 years of progressive accounting experience (public practice and/or corporate finance); mid-level roles typically require 3–5 years, senior roles 5–8+ years.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years including exposure to public practice (Big Four or mid-tier) and corporate in-house financial reporting, tax compliance, audit coordination and ERP systems implementations.
  • Experience in multi-entity consolidation, cross-border tax matters and supporting M&A / due diligence preferred.
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