Senior Accountant

Senior Accountant

Client sector: Pharma

Location: Chester (50% home working)

Pay: £25/hour

Duration: 12 months contract

My client based in Chester requires an Accountant to join them on initial 12 months contracts. You will be responsible for the complex activities related to Record to Report, including journal entry processing, closing activities, reconciliations, and other complex financial processes and also for continuous improvement in record to report.

Key Responsibilities
• Prepare and review scheduled balance sheet control reconciliations, action, monitor and execute escalations. Perform scheduled risk assessment in collaboration with the market.
• Independently prepare and present balance sheet reviews to senior stakeholders.
• Monitor and manage specific month end (and year-end) related activities per Month End Close timetable in collaboration with local markets and third-party service provider.
• Understand overall closing schedule and assignment of tasks during the close and their respective deadlines and dependencies.
• Participate in daily monitoring calls during month end close. Escalate potential risks in delays from month end tasks to Satellite support/Global Process Owners via daily monitoring calls.
• Coordinate above market processes related to audit
• Independently execute complex activities required by individual market external authorities (e.g. tax administration, industry representation etc.)
• Continuous improvement in R2R, co-ordinate the optimisation of processes across the markets or companies within the market, consistently implementing best practices
• Assist country controllers in execution or execute independently defined areas of legal entity budgets and projections and transfer pricing documentation
• Conduct complete ad hoc projects and unusual or complex assignments initiated by Global Process Owners or operations, supporting multiple projects in a time sensitive environment, with only general review from manager/project lead.
Soft Skills
• Take responsibility and accountability for successful completion of assigned tasks
• Daily/weekly/monthly work prioritisation and planning guided by understanding of dependencies, complexity and compliance requirements. Flexibility to adjust to broader team priorities.
• Co-operate with other teams internally as well as with external parties (local authorities).
• Independently drive cross-functional deliverables and issue resolution process within assigned scope
• Ability to influence people at all levels both locally, regionally and globally
• Apply understanding of overall end-to-end process in task execution, decision making and planning.
• Identify and drive areas for CI within assigned scope by influencing and engaging business partners and supporting peers and managers in delivering on a broader scope.
Required Skills & Desired Experience
• Degree in accounting or equivalent business experience.
• AAT qualified/ ACCA or CIMA part or fully qualified
• Maintains a high level of technical accounting knowledge of US GAAP or IFRS.
• Extensive experience in accounting or finance, with demonstrable experience in record to report.
• Fluent in English. Another European language such as German, French, or Spanish would be desirable
• Excellent computer skills with competencies in MS applications (Excel, Outlook) and major ERP platforms (preference SAP).
• Excellent working knowledge of record to report processes in a multinational company.
• Public accounting with a big four firm or internal audit with a large corporation is a plus.
• Experience of audit and year-end close process.