Controlling Analyst - Retail

Job description / Role

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group's entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organization to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day

Overview of the role

The job holder m aintains a strong accounting & operational control environment to safeguard assets, improve accounting processes, and manage business risks through financial compliance. Communicates financial concepts clearly and persuasively that is easy to understand and drive desired behaviors.

Ensure that the business activities are conducted by the Financial Control Models (FCM), and you also support the definition of local financial policies and ensure that the adherence to both local and global reporting standards is controlled.

What you will do

Month End Controlling
- Perform a pre-closing balance sheet review in conjunction with the FSSC team to identify any accounting anomalies to be cleared before the book closure
- Support in the monthly accrual process to ensure adequate accruals have been taken for the BU
- Ensure the balance sheet lines are correctly reflecting their balances to avoid Net debit/credit balance misstatements or any negative Balances in Asset lines. Inform FSSC of any errors to correct
- Ensure the bank balance reconciliations provided by FSSC throughout the month match the bank statements - advise on any rectification entries to be passed
- Ensure all leasing accounting entries have been passed and check all lease renewals/modifications have been carried out by the FSSC team
- Support driving any clearing of Balance sheet reconciliations identified post previous month-end closing
- Support document retention compliance process in all BUs being managed

Balance Sheet Reviews
- Complete random audits of workflow to ensure that all accounting transactions are appropriately authorized and executed
- Regular review of Balance Sheet schedules provided by FSSC and driving resolution of misstatements/unreconciled open items in GLs
- Ensure timely submission of Balance sheet substantiation to group finance
- Advise any reclassifications required to be passed by FSSC in the next monthly closing system
- Support the review of SAP to BPC reconciliation every month and minimize the entries posted in BPC
- Support the review of any audit adjustment entries being passed to ensure opening balances are correctly stated

BU Controlling/ Support to FSSC
- Help support the Central Division I2P lead on any AP-related matter not getting resolved (GRIR Clearing / Open Vendor reconciliations / Missing invoices / Missing SOA)
- Drive policy-compliant PO release strategy and establish DoA compliance for Non-PO invoices
- Drive review of Open POs, timely closure & deletion of POs or open line items
- Help in resolving unidentified & unallocated collections/credits in banks in conjunction with the FSSC O2C team by being the main point of contact between the FSSC and the Commercial team
- Help & resolve compliance issues escalated by FSSC

Internal Audit
- Ensure all Internal Audit reports are tracked, responded to, and recommendations are implemented in conjunction with the Operational P&C Team

Automation/ Process Improvement
- Support the streamlining of the finance process through automation where possible
- Support on Implementation of standard operating processes and practice
- Support any escalations related to DoA/policy compliance
- Drive resolution of matters highlighted by Group Finance/FSSC
- Liaise with the concerned team and communicate the closure of stores & company codes

Required Skills to be successful
- Microsoft Office, particularly Excel
- PC skills
- Analysis and troubleshooting
- Strong technical account knowledge and audit experience needed
- Solid experience in International Financial Accounting Standards (IFRS).
- Understanding of internal controls
- Understanding of System governance (especially in SAP)

What equips you for the role

Minimum Qualification and Knowledge

Education

- College or University degree in Finance

Qualified Accountant

Minimum Experience
- Big Four Audit experience with 2 years of industry experience will be highly regarded
- Controller experience of at least 3 years
- Knowledge of SAP BPC or SAP Business Warehouse will be highly regarded
- Extensive use of Excel
- Retail experience is a plus

Behavioral Competencies
- Individual Accountability
- Communication & interpersonal skills
- Personal Integrity
- Strong analytical skills & problem solving skills
- Ability to follow up on outstanding issues
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team
- Ability to manage time & work under pressure
- Readiness to persevere with difficult tasks
- Ability to be assertive without being aggressive
- Able to focus and drive tasks to completion

About Al-Futtaim Retail

Al-Futtaim Retail has established itself as one of the leaders in Retail across the Middle East, Africa & Asia over the past 30 years. We have developed partnerships with some of the biggest and most respected Brands in the world including IKEA, ACE and Toys R Us in the Middle East and the Inditex Group of Brands (Zara, Mango, Bershka and P&B) across Asia. We are also one of the largest Global partners of Marks and Spencer's in both regions with over 75 stores offering both fashion & food options.

Most recently we have been responsible for bringing brands to the Middle East for the first time with the exciting launches of Watsons and B&Q and we aim to continue to be agile and adaptive to our markets with new launches and further development. For this to be possible we aim to recruit the best talent from all backgrounds who will continue to challenge and develop our diverse workforce which includes over 100 nationalities across 12 countries. Join us today and make a difference...

About the Company

Established in the 1930's, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940's and 50's saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.

The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.