Regional Financial Controller

Regional Financial Controller – MECA & CIS Location: Dubai Industry: Freight Forwarding / Logistics Department: Regional Finance Reporting To: Regional Managing Director / Group Finance Leadership Role Overview Key Responsibilities 1. Multi-Country Accounting Ownership - Establish and enforce a regional financial close calendar across all country entities. - Ensure timely submission of complete and reconciled trial balances. - Apply group accounting policies and chart of accounts consistently across entities. - Review and correct accounting deviations and reporting inconsistencies. - Own the consolidation process for multiple legal entities and jurisdictions. 2. Intercompany & Multi-Currency Accounting - Manage accounting across multiple currencies including AED, USD, EUR, QAR, SAR and other transaction currencies. - Ensure correct foreign exchange rate application and revaluation of monetary balances. - Analyse realised and unrealised FX differences and exposures. - Monitor intercompany balances between regional entities and group companies. - Ensure intercompany transactions are properly reconciled, supported and settled within agreed timelines. 3. Cash, Treasury & Financial Health - Maintain daily visibility of cash and bank positions across all entities and currencies. - Prepare rolling weekly and monthly cash flow forecasts for individual entities and the region. - Ensure adequate liquidity to meet payroll, supplier, carrier, customs, tax and statutory obligations. - Plan payment runs and prioritise cash utilisation based on available liquidity. - Recommend intercompany funding, cash transfers or financing requirements where necessary. - Maintain timely bank and cash reconciliations with no long-outstanding unreconciled items. - Manage banking relationships, facilities, guarantees, letters of credit, customs bonds and working capital lines in coordination with Group Treasury. - Monitor idle cash balances and ensure efficient utilisation or repatriation in line with treasury policies. - Monitor liquidity, working capital, gearing, net asset position, solvency and covenant compliance. - Assess financial exposure relating to major customers, agents and suppliers. - Escalate early warning indicators relating to cash generation, margins, receivables quality and cost pressures. 4. Commercial Finance & Freight Forwarding Controls - Ensure every job file is accurately and completely costed. - Ensure revenue and associated costs are recognised in the same accounting period. - Monitor profitability by country, branch, product, customer and trade lane. - Review unbilled revenue, accrued costs, provisions and revenue leakage. - Ensure receivables are collected within agreed credit terms. - Partner with operations and commercial teams to improve financial discipline and margin protection. 5. Financial Reporting & Management Information - Deliver monthly, quarterly and annual financial reporting packs within group deadlines. - Prepare consolidated regional P&L, balance sheet and cash flow reporting. - Provide variance analysis against budget, forecast and prior periods. - Present commentary explaining operational and commercial drivers behind financial performance. - Support regional budgeting and forecasting cycles. - Consolidate country-level financial inputs and challenge assumptions. - Prepare financial analysis by country, branch, product segment, customer and trade lane as required by management. 6. Tax, Statutory & Audit Compliance - Ensure timely and accurate statutory and tax reporting across all jurisdictions. - Reconcile tax accounts with the general ledger. - Maintain transfer pricing documentation and ensure intercompany charges are properly supported. - Coordinate external, internal and group audits across the region. - Prepare audit schedules and respond to auditor queries. - Track and close audit findings within agreed timelines. - Monitor changes in local accounting, tax and regulatory requirements and implement necessary changes. 7. Internal Controls & Process Improvement - Maintain and enforce the regional finance internal control framework. - Ensure proper segregation of duties, approval matrices and payment authorisation controls. - Control finance master data and accounting access rights. - Develop and standardise finance SOPs across country entities. - Identify control weaknesses and drive corrective actions. - Drive ERP and forwarding-system improvements to reduce manual reconciliations and accelerate financial close. - Promote automation, process standardisation and reporting efficiency. 8. Team Leadership & Stakeholder Management - Lead, supervise and develop accounting teams across multiple countries. - Set objectives, review performance and build technical accounting capabilities. - Provide functional direction to country accountants reporting administratively to local management. - Ensure continuity through cross-training, documented handovers and succession planning. - Act as finance business partner to Country Managers, Operations Heads and Regional Management. - Represent Regional Finance in management meetings and business reviews. Qualifications & Experience Essential Requirements - Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce or a related discipline. - Professional qualification such as CA, ACCA, CPA or CMA, or significant progress toward qualification. - Minimum 8–10 years of accounting and finance experience. - At least 3 years in a Head of Accounts, Chief Accountant, Financial Controller or Regional Accounting leadership role. - Proven experience managing the books and financial reporting of multiple legal entities or countries. - Strong knowledge of IFRS and working familiarity with GCC tax and regulatory environments. - Hands-on experience in multi-currency accounting, FX revaluation and intercompany reconciliation. - Demonstrated experience in cash flow forecasting, treasury coordination, banking and working capital management. - Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables, lookups and large-volume reconciliations. - Strong hands-on ERP experience. Preferred Experience - Experience working within a multinational or international group. - Experience managing finance teams across different countries. - Background in freight forwarding, logistics, shipping or other asset-light, transaction-intensive businesses. - Exposure to regional consolidation and multi-jurisdictional financial controls. - Experience driving finance automation and ERP process improvements.