R2R Process Improvement Lead | Finance Shared Service Center | Corporate Services

Job Requisition ID: 160766 

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United A”rab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate. 

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

We are currently seeking an experienced finance professional to join our Finance Shared Service Center team in the capacity of R2R Process Improvement Lead.

Overview of the role
This is a key new high impact transformation and continuous improvement role within complex R2R operations in FSSC. The role is responsible for leading and driving end to end high impact process improvements, driving system implementation with IT partners. The role will also implement KPIs and building stakeholder dashboards of the Record to Report (R2R) operations at FSSC. Role is accountable for delivering standardization, optimization and governance for large Record to Report organization of approximately 60+ employees delivering high quality accounting, financial closing and reporting activities for AF Group catering 200+ entities and across 10 different geographies supporting diversified BUs in Automotive, Retail, Real Estate, Construction, Healthcare, Group Services etc.

What you will do

Process improvements

• Implement efficient Closing process to closely monitor critical R2R closing activities and process dependencies
• Support group wide review process of Impairment, reconciliations, Expected Credit Losses (ECL) and others which are having significant impact on BS and PL in coordination with FSSC R2R tower head and Finance controllers
• Month end postings – Standardization of   Accruals, pre-paid & provisions (across all divisions, implement best practices)
• Effective utilization of Project accounting (PS module) in relevant companies
• Critically evaluate process to control recording of material transactions and put governance framework to regulate those centrally e.g. Need of approval, supporting documents etc.
• Lead the maintenance of an effective internal control structure ensuring compliance with AFG accounting policies and IFRS
• Develop and improve the key performance indicators in R2R operations

Internal / External Governance

• Drive pre-closing meetings with R2R tower heads, cross functional tower heads & FCs and track action items (Action Taken Report-ATR)
• Automation of key B/S Ageing Reports – Debtors, GRIR, ICM, Collection
• Drive audit meetings with R2R tower head, TLs, customers and auditors during external audits
• Governance around open audit issues and follow up on the resolution
• Review of closing tracker and drive critical discussions with respective stakeholders
• Review and plan action basis Balance Sheet Substantiation
• Exception reporting post GL Scrutiny – across all R2R companies

Projects and automation

• Handling group wide R2R projects; to improve the closing and reporting processes e.g.;
• Fintech tool, Alteryx for GL reconciliation
• Charts of accounts Harmonization
• Automation of key GL schedules
• Auto recon. Of ICM balances
• Design process framework and automation of accounting like recurring accrual booking, fixed set of accounting entries etc.
• Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for fixed asset creations, various program executions like CWIP run, Depreciation run, Cycle postings, IC reconciliation report, Dividend roll ups within Intern company etc.
• Lead and support business partnership projects or Groupwide initiatives

Drive key documentations

• Support in creation and updation of SOPs for all R2R processes and the divisions managed
• Creation and sign-off of SoWs and SLAs with divisions for clear responsibility and accountability
• Implement Transition toolkit (TTK) for any new business integration and Change Requests (CRs)

Required skills to be successful

• Excellent stakeholder management skills
• Significant experience of process improvement in a large global organisation
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Six Sigma Green Belt desired, Knowledge about the Kaizen and LEAN methodologies
• Good accounting (IFRS) knowledge,
• Preferably worked with Big4 audit firms or MNCs
• Analytical mindset
• Process oriented

What equips you for the role

• CA/ACA / ACCA / CIMA Qualified Accountant or equivalent (8-10 years relevant experience)
• 8-10 years of relevant experience, with a strong knowledge of SAP modules (FICO, MM, SD, TRM, BPC)

We’re here to provide excellent service but a little help from you can ensure a five-star candidate experience from start to finish.

Before you click “apply”: Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalised CV to further boost your visibility. Our global Talent Acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviours, but also how candidates align with our Values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, and Excellence.

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.