Country Accountant

* Located North East England
- Global Manufacturing Organisation
- Excellent Long Term Career Opportunity
Durham is an amazing county with a historic city at its heart, breath-taking dales to the west, a dramatic coastline to the east and a vale packed with amazing experiences. It's a diverse and cosmopolitan community that welcomes people into its heart. Thereare people from all corners of the globe thriving in County Durham and making outstanding lives for themselves and their families.
Our client is a global manufacturing organisation with a full HQ offering, based in County Durham. Their head office attracts employees from around the organisation drawn to the positives of being at the beating heart of their business. The have manufacturingoperations around the world and are world leaders in what they do.
In order to strengthen their management accounting credentials they are looking to appoint two Country Accountants to take responsibility for their French and German divisions.
Job Purpose
To deliver financial and compliance-based accounting services to our internal customers to a high level of service whilst always seeking to minimize the cost of the service provision and to add value to the business by sound tax and VAT management.
Key Accountabilities
- To deliver defined, high quality financial accounting services, to agreed performance and cost targets, on behalf of all the relevant businesses and sites in an environment that encourages continuous improvement to the underlying global processes and outcomes.
This covers two key areas:

- Financial accounting and compliance
- Sarbanes Oxley controls compliance
- Ensure internal and external reporting deadlines are achieved.
- Ensure local and US GAAP compliance requirements meet the regulatory standards.
- Coordination of all external audit activity, whether it is for the Shared Service Function or site, for the relevant legal entities for both US and local GAAP.
- Ensure compliance with Sarbanes Oxley controls, specifically manage, and monitor the annual assessment and testing processes regarding internal controls and documentation.
- Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders including the relevant site accountants, external fiscal authorities (tax / VAT), such that the overall business processes are as streamlined and effective as possible.
- Fully support the drive towards and implementation of global accounting processes within the Shared Service Function to improve service, compliance, and financial performance. The Country Accountant must ensure the interests of those legal entities withintheir scope are fully understood and met.
- Participate and contribute to key continuous improvement projects within the Shared Service Function.
- To provide day-to-day leadership to the Assistant Country Accountant(s) to ensure high levels of customer service and compliance are achieved.
- Deputize for the Country Accounting Manager where required.
- All duties are to be always carried out in compliance with all Venator Corporate EHS, SOX and business conduct policies and guidelines.
External contacts
External auditors, banks, external VAT & tax authorities and consultants.
Internal contacts
Regular contact with the Finance leadership team. All Group and regionally based business teams, Shared Service Function and Corporate functions: e.g., Internal Audit, Treasury.
Special Features:

- This role requires a strong financial accountant with a broad range of technical accounting experience.
- Time management, in particular planning ahead, managing workloads and delegating.
- Analytical thinking to split objectives into tasks, monitor progress until completion; provide support and advice.
- Critical thinking to identify areas of improvement.
Knowledge, experience and skills required:

- University degree (preferred).
- Professionally qualified accountant e.g., ACA, ACCA, CPA, CIMA; France - DSCG (DESCF) - DEC; Spain - Licenciados/as o Diplomados/as en Ciencias Económicas, Empresariales, ADE o similar; Italy - Revisore Contabile or Dottore Commercialista; Germany - GeprüfterBilanzbuchhalter
- At least 3 years post professional qualification experience in a process or manufacturing industry, with a strong technical accounting / compliance background, with exposure to multiple GAAP compliance e.g., IFRS, US GAAP, national GAAP (preferred)
- Strong IT skills and proven ERP experience (SAP preferred)
- Excel knowledge: intermediate level (essential)