Africa Controller

Job Description
Roles and Responsibilities

• Legal Entity management including ERP reduction and LE entity reduction. Capital structure fix of entities (debt/equity/quasi loan) and establish process/ownership of LE cashflow management involving cross functional team including treasury/tax/ controllership.
• Establishing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for operational and transactional processes impacting the financial statements, including closing, reporting and analysis.
• Drive consistent and effective policies and procedures during monthly/quarterly close process including account reconciliations, account reconciliation audits, GEHC Data Request (DR) submissions, representation letters and adjusting entries.
• Work closely with the COE teams to ensure the appropriate level of support is provided by the COE teams, as well as being a point of contact for issue resolution and support, as appropriate. Monitor, Identify and rectify process defects in processes run by BPOs and other COEs to ensure timely, accurate reporting.
• Monitor & drive GEHC initiatives, simplification projects, integration projects, IT finance projects and International region transformation projects. Provide leadership on these projects.
• Monitor and drive special projects related to internal control over financial operations & reporting AND business growth with P&L and Functional Finance Leaders as determined by EAGM Zone Controller & LCT CFO.
• Ensure Controllership & Compliance of all Finance Activities & Documentation within Local Statutory, GEHC Business practices, policies & requirements.
• Plan and budget the resources necessary to complete all activities on-time and in accordance with authoritative guidance.
• Perform financial analysis of balance sheet accounts to ensure compliance, integrity of account balances/financial reporting and effectiveness of business processes.
• Work closely with financial and operational leadership to pro-actively assess and manage financial risk. Identify potential risks & opportunities and communicate effectively. Interpret finance risks & opportunities to local circumstances & present workable solutions.
• Partner with GEHC Internal Audit for internal GEHC compliance reviews. Drive closure of open audit issues and proactively work to prevent future issues / manage risk. Lead resulting corrective action process implementation and follow up throughout the organization.
• Manage relationship with auditors to drive efficient & effective audit processes (audit planning, debrief meeting, audit fees etc.)
• Monitor and review that appropriate Internal Controls are in place, in line with GEHC GAP, US GAAP, and critically examine potential issues where financial risks & opportunities may be drawn out.
• Ensure that the balance sheet account reconciliations are completed within GEHC guidelines.
• Ensure compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley 404 requirements.
• Partner with GEHC Tax leader to manage the relationship with Tax Advisors to drive efficient & effective tax processes (CIT/ VAT/WHT tax returns preparation, tax audit support, FAS 109 completion).
• Ensure readiness for tax field audits and establish right archiving mechanism for processes owned by GEHC and monitor/test archiving mechanism for processes owned by business teams and BPOs and ensure compliance to GEHC Map 20.20.

Required Qualifications

• Qualified ACA, CIMA or ACCA or Masters in Accounting, Finance, or other business related-field, with at least 10 years progressive accounting or finance experience

Desired Characteristics

• External Auditing Firm graduate (Big four preferably)
• Strong controllership analytical skills – able to link financial results to operational performance drives
• Experience leading cross-functional projects / process improvement within operations / finance function
• Adaptable/Flexible: being open to change in response to new information, different or unexpected circumstances, and/or to work in ambiguous situations
• Team Leadership & excellent collaboration and communication skills
• Support a positive environment despite constant changes
• Self-starter & a quick learner with a commitment to meet deadlines
• Strong attention to details & experience with data analytics
• Strong PC skills, experience with ERP and reporting systems
• Experience working in a matrixed environment
• Strong interpersonal skills and excellent verbal/written communication skills and the ability to communicate complex business issues in a clear/concise manner
• Integrity: accepting and adhering to high moral, ethical, and personal values in decisions, communications, actions and when dealing with others
• Self-starter and a quick learner with a commitment to meet deadlines
• Strong experience in internal controls (including Sarbanes Oxley 404)
• Strong attention to details