Systems Finance Controller

Our Client :

Our client is a prominent international coffee trading organization, renowned for its pivotal role within the coffee industry’s supply chain. They operate through an extensive network of offices and subsidiaries spanning multiple continents, including North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Their core values encompass: Entrepreneurship, Expertise, Integrity, Passion, Adaptability, and Humility.

The successful candidate will have their core competencies in accounting, month-end closings, reporting and controlling. Be able to read accounting journals and reports, understand what they are saying to convey in layman’s terms to non-accounting people.
In addition you will have a strong desire to work on process and systems’ efficiencies in terms of new system and tools design, testing and implementations.

We require someone to assist in this journey who has a strong appetite for accounting and its close partnership with IT tools working for finance.

You must be able to build trusted bonds within the Finance department but also equally importantly with various stakeholders such as senior management, department heads, IT, external partners and end users of the tools and reports you will help design and implement, globally.

Tasks/Responsibilities:

– SAP Target Operating Model (TOM) deployment in all the clients locations.
– Prework of assessing entity’s Trial Balance and Open items; Cleaning up and bringing into the company global policy all aspects of the Balance Sheet.
– Prework of gathering all Master Data utilised by the client entity and preparing within the SAP global TOM framework; including Profit Centres, Cost Centres, Business Partner, Bank Details, etc.
– Mapping existing Chart of Accounts (COA) used to the new SAP TOM COA.
– Mapping SAP TOM COA Local company setup to the Local country’s alternative accounts.
– Work with IT team to set up the company in SAP S4 and test all modules to be utilised by local entity. Feedback and Testing until all correct and working to the Global framework of policies and procedures.
– Work with IT and local Finance team to connect SAP S4 to the entity’s local banks and accounts for bank reconciliation and payments processes.
– Migration of existing accounting system’s Trial Balance to SAP S4 for operation.
– Detailed control of journals, account balances and assets migration to SAP S4
– Working in deep collaboration with the local Finance teams throughout to understand the current processes and activities; to be ready and find solutions in SAP S4 and related software programs.
– Continuous support post go live to the local Finance team and IT.

Working with IT for the setup, interfacing and testing to SAP S4 of add on software tools for travel expenses, banking, invoice workflow and consolidation.
As part of a team, envision, design, test and implement a wide range of new systems and tools to continuously allow the Finance team to progress.
Identify, design, test and implement process improvements to enhance financial efficiency, effectiveness and internal controls.

Report Design for the new systems and tools.
– With the new systems we will require new reports and controls in place to ensure the robustness of the implementations.
– Local reports will be required to be built at each new system implementation to replace the current used reports or fill the gaps and make the entity more efficient and accurate.
– Deep collaboration is required between the candidate and IT, Risk, Internal Audit, Treasury, Financial Planning & Analysis (FPA), trading and projects teams.

Finance Systems Support
– Provide continuous support for worldwide finance teams on legacy systems being used and any issues or enhancements required.
– This includes all departments within the Finance department; Treasury, FPA, Accounting, and even cross departments of trading and logistics.
– Performing month end closes reporting controls and reconciliations to ensure the tools the teams are using are working correctly and as expected. This requires knowledge of derivatives accounting, trade accounting, forex accounting and reconciliation
– Accounting reports testing and controls in all areas; from asset management to VAT to month end PNL reconciliation between trading and accounting, and everything in between.
– Active Forex Exposure and management experience

Requirements :

Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field.
Minimum 3-5 years of experience in finance related roles of accounting, trade accounting, controlling, finance analysis, or similar positions.
Foundation in accounting, preferably trade accounting, with knowledge and experience of futures, Forex Trades, Commodity contracts.
Solid understanding of financial concepts, accounting principles, financial analysis techniques
SAP S4 accounting experience
Knowledge and experience of IFRS an advantage.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Proficient in interpreting accounting data and concepts to non-accounting people.
Capable of comparing and reconciling large amounts of data in a broad sense but also able to focus on detailed areas.
Ability and successful experience of working in deep collaboration in cross functional teams.
Aptitude for working in a fast paced, very dynamic work environment
Demonstrate alignment with our company core values, including integrity, accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.
Willingness to travel and spend periods (2-3 weeks) at various company locations as required (4-5 times per year)