Lead Accountant

MAVI partners with high-growth US businesses, embedding experienced accounting professionals directly into their finance operations. In the UAE, we build long-term partnerships with professionals who want genuine general ledger ownership and direct exposure to US finance environments. We are hiring a Lead Accountant with strong US GAAP experience to take senior ownership of accounting operations for US-based clients operating in lean, fast-moving SME environments. You will be the most senior accountant on the client's books — the person US leadership comes to when an accounting question needs a definitive answer. This role is ideal for professionals who want stable US-facing work, real authority over the general ledger, and direct collaboration with US Controllers and business leaders. What You Will Own - Own full-cycle accounting operations under US GAAP, from first accrual to final statement - Own the month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close, with accountability for the calendar and cycle time - Own the general ledger and the balance sheet, driving reconciling items to resolution rather than reporting them - Prepare and finalize financial statements, reporting packages, and supporting schedules, and stand behind them - Own technical accounting treatment — revenue recognition, deferred revenue, accruals, and capitalisation — and document the judgements behind each - Hold final review over journal entries, reconciliations, and schedules prepared by other accountants, and send nothing to the client you have not satisfied yourself on - Review, mentor, and develop the accountants working alongside you, and set the standard their work is held to - Maintain and enforce accounting policies, internal controls, and close procedures, and flag where the current design no longer fits - Own audit readiness, prepare PBC deliverables, and respond directly to auditor queries through to resolution - Support US tax advisers with the accounting inputs they depend on - Partner directly with US Controllers, finance teams, and business stakeholders as the senior accounting voice in the relationship - Identify accounting issues early and drive them through to resolution - Build the close checklists and SOPs that keep the close reproducible, and improve the processes that slow it down What We're Looking For - 6+ years of accounting experience with deep US GAAP expertise - Demonstrated ownership of a full close cycle and the financial statements on an independent basis, rather than contribution to someone else's - Experience reviewing, supervising, or mentoring other accountants - Strong technical judgment, with the ability to reach a defensible conclusion and document it - Experience supporting or managing an audit, including direct interaction with external auditors - Experience working with US clients or international stakeholders - ERP/accounting systems experience (QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Xero, or similar) - Advanced Excel or Google Sheets, including comfort building schedules others can follow - Strong written and verbal English communication skills, with the confidence to explain an accounting conclusion to a non-accountant - High attention to detail with a problem-solving mindset - Ability to work effectively in remote, fast-paced environments Preferred - CPA, CMA, ACCA, or an equivalent professional qualification - Big 4, mid-tier audit, or outsourced accounting practice experience followed by industry experience - Experience with multi-entity accounting, consolidation, and intercompany elimination - Practical experience applying ASC 606, including deferred revenue and recurring-revenue mechanics - Experience at a venture-backed, PE-backed, or high-growth US company - Experience through an ERP migration or close automation project Why Join MAVI? - Own the books outright for US-based clients, with real authority over the general ledger - Be the definitive accounting voice in the relationship, not one contributor among several - Long-term partnerships with US-based clients - Stable remote work environment with international exposure - Direct collaboration with US finance leaders and businesses - Opportunity to work in high-growth SME environments - Career growth into Accounting Manager, Controller, and Head of Accounting roles