Group Reporting Specialist

About AkzoNobel

About the assignment

• Ensure and drive timely, adequate and reliable monthly financial closing process for the Region/Global.
• Ensure quality, effectiveness and efficiency of financial reporting to the Region management and Corporate.
• Assist Team Lead and Coordinators with correct consolidation of monthly regional/global financial numbers.
• Monitor quality and content of the balance sheet and P&L from an accounting point of view for all reporting units in the regional/global scope.
• Overall accountable for correct and timely financial reporting of the respective reporting entities to the regional management and Corporate.
• Responsible for IFRS accounting expert role towards the reporting entities and ensure Corporate accounting principles compliance.
• Assist Team Lead and Coordinators with implementing new accounting and reporting guidelines or procedures in the reporting entities and BUs.
• Advice on complex matters or questions related to the IFRS subject.
• Key expert for the region and part of the global IFRS expert network.
• Take the lead to harmonize and standardize the reporting and consolidation processes within the Regional/Globally.
• Identify opportunities to improve and automate processes and controls and drive continuous improvement.

Responsibilities:

Monthly closing & reporting process

• Planning of month-end closing activities in consultation and alignment with other Consolidation and Accounting Experts.
• Organize and set timetables for the monthly close activities.
• Prepare regional/global monthly close and reporting instructions.
• Review and perform validation of the monthly reporting submitted (by local units) to ensure quality of reporting.
• Ensure timely, adequate and reliable monthly financial closing process for the assigned region/global, including management of all relevant central consolidation and elimination adjustments.
• Provide feedback to local reporting entities on quality delivered during month-end closing process.
• Monitor inter-company reconciliation process and drive solving of inter-company differences.
• Provide feedback to Accounting and Reporting employees and local reporting entities on quality delivered during month-end closing process.

Accounting/Reporting performance

• Pro-actively monitor the quality of the balance sheet and statement of income for the respective reporting entities. Work together with the local accounting teams and other Finance Pillars to ensure a healthy financial position.
• Develop and implement guidelines, in consultation with accounting controllers, which sets the minimum requirements for a qualitative balance sheet.
• Drive standard monthly closing procedure for the respective reporting entities.
• Set the accounting agenda (use accounting dashboard) for the respective reporting entities.
• Follow-up on open accounting issues with the local reporting units and monitor on the correct and timely solution of these issues.
• Manage service delivery and accounting performance by local reporting units.
• Work together with the respective local reporting units to ensure compliance with Corporate accounting principles.
• Provide functional direction, training and support to local reporting units.
• Perform visits to the local reporting units in the region.
• Focal Point for discussions with external auditors in the respective region.
• Manage the annual group to statutory reporting process for the relevant reporting entities and ensure analysis of statutory-group reporting differences.
• Be the subject matter specialist on complex accounting subjects.
• Regular interaction with other colleagues on continuous improvements on the closing processes.