NAM Accounting Controller - Nashville, TN

AkzoNobel•Nashville, TN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Accounting Controller is a finance leader who serves as a crucial link within the operational model, liaising with various stakeholders including Commercial and ISC navigators, FP&A, RAC, ACD, and others to achieve local operational and financial goals. This role is pivotal in ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality and timely group, business, and statutory reporting for assigned legal entities. The Accounting Controller's responsibilities are divided into six key areas: Record To Report (RTR) process ownership, managing assigned legal and reporting entities, accounting leadership, business partnering for all relevant accounting activities, specific business unit/region accountabilities, and ensuring control and compliance according to the defined framework. This position is based in Nashville, TN.

Requirements

Accounting professional with 10+ years of experience in accounting and financial reporting, capable of analyzing complex processes and issues (3rd or 4th accounting job).
A Master's degree in Finance or Accounting (where required, a registered Accountant with valid CPA or similar certification).
In-depth knowledge in financial accounting (R2R/I2P/I2C/Tax processes, IFRS, local GAAP).
Experience with local specific accounting and statutory requirements strongly preferred.
Strong leadership skills: initiating, driving, and implementing change in line with the outlined strategy for retained accounting (and the broader finance community) by focusing on delivering goals and simultaneously facilitating the process to encourage others to understand and embrace change in their way of working.
Hands-on, proactive, able to work in a fast-paced matrix organization, multitasking, strong requirement to connect with people of various cultures and backgrounds.
Proven track record in being resourceful: capable of analyzing complex processes and issues under severe time pressure (from theory to practice and vice versa – strategy to operations) and bring solutions and suggestions to business teams for finance, accounting, and the underlying processes and principles.
Ability to work and delegate work under severe time pressure during month-end closures and continuously retain ‘an eye’ for the details.
Clear communicator – proactively and effectively communicate with finance and business leadership.
People manager with the ability to build strong (indirect) teams and (indirectly) lead and inspire others.
Good analytical skills.
Drive continuous improvement agenda in the financial and transactional processes, and monthly closing and reporting processes.
Experience with ERP / SAP / HFM and merlin (or willing to learn).
Fluent in English, both verbal and in writing.

Responsibilities

Pro-actively and constantly monitor the quality of the balance sheet and statement of income for the respective reporting entities in collaboration with Business Navigators (Commercial and ISC), FP&A, Functional Controllers (global/regional/local), RAC, GBS/Infosys, etc.
Accountable for periodic month-end reporting (by local units) to the region/BU for assigned legal entities to ensure reporting quality.
Co-develop specific guidelines across the company with a set of minimum requirements for the balance sheet review to ensure it meets the requirements of the accounting controller and ACD FR.
Ensure compliance with IFRS, webFEM, local statutory, and fiscal requirements for the respective legal entities.
Serve as the first point of local contact for the retained (finance) organization.
Drive standardization in local retained accounting processes and standards within the retained finance organization and across AN.
Participate in and share knowledge of programs led by GPDLs and ATD to reduce complexity through standardization (in RACs) and reduction of legal entities.
Proactively inform relevant local stakeholders on the outcome of the balance sheet review and indicate potential risks and opportunities regarding treatments, processes, or interactions to ensure a balance sheet and P&L with the proper quality.
Responsible for raising IFRS business partnering challenges, liaising with relevant parties to ensure the most suitable business solution while adhering to IFRS and Webfem.
Prioritize and facilitate the embedding of change in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders as part of the wider finance improvement plan.
Initiate and implement cross-departmental improvements within the local finance department (including interactions with other FinOps processes) and bring these to the attention of the Head of Finance Operations and Regional Accounting Controllers for worldwide implementation.
Accountable/Responsible for the review, signing, and filing of statutory reporting (statutory reporting, direct tax, indirect tax) of the relevant legal entities.
Accountable for contact with experts (pension, tax, internal and external auditors) to ensure the RAC obtains accurate and complete information to produce correct information in a timely manner for reporting and/or external parties.
Accountable for the sign-off/review of internal control-related processes (ROCK, authorization matrix (entity and JVs), system requests) to ensure adherence to specific local legislation.
Accountable for driving, monitoring, and signing off on treasury/insurance/pension policies (FX policies, dividend process funding proposal, top-ups, deficits, related entries).