Senior Accounting Manager

Job Description

Overview

This role is responsible for the financial controllership of the Discovery Polish business operations and legal entities supporting FP&A regional/local teams in this area. In addition, the role will be responsible for the financial controllership of business operations and legal entities of other entities within the EMEA region. The position will report into the Director, EMEA and will be part of new Warsaw based EMEA Accounting/GBS hub. This includes managing the financial close process, managing the service levels to FP&A and within the accounting function, managing external service providers (external auditors, outsourced accounting service firms and tax consultants) and leading new business projects, acquisition integrations and process improvements with the support of various business functions such as corporate tax and treasury.

This position is to ensure strong controllership and accountability of financial accounting reporting, statutory and regulatory compliance, an environment with robust controls and efficient processes, coordination of accounting, tax, treasury and other finance requirements for the Discovery Polish entities and other entities in the EMEA region.

Responsibilities
• Understand the Polish (and other EMEA) operations and activities, to effectively identify and communicate complex accounting analysis and decisions to FP&A and business teams;
• Develop strong working relationships with the EMEA Director, the Warsaw based GBS team, and local FP&A teams.
• Be the connection point between business and Accounting/GBS and facilitate information requirements and process efficiency;
• Manage the monthly close process for the Discovery Polish entities (and other EMEA entities) –
• responsibility for accuracy and timeliness of accounting results and reporting, including oversight of functional accounting team delivery into reporting results;
• Ensure timely consideration and assessment of local accounting implications of business transactions, and work with Technical Accounting team to determine US GAAP accounting positions of same;
• Work closely with the Warsaw GBS organization and the EMEA Director on transforming the EMEA accounting organization in a state-of-the art accounting function;
• Understand the impact of accounting decisions on the overall reporting process for other support functions (e.g. IT, HR, Procurement, etc.) and ensure appropriate communication of same.
• Manage the day to day relationship, budget and service levels with outsourced accounting firms and external auditors across range of service requirements;
• Manage the preparation and delivery of quality, accurate (consolidated) statutory accounts;
• Manage SOX compliance requirements, including liaising with internal and external auditors.
• Continuously strengthen the control environment and manage the team to 100% SOX compliance;
• Lead and drive the effective implementation of corporate policies and procedures and be the owner of business process and policy and procedure for the organisation;
• Lead the integration or implementation of any projects, acquisitions and divestments from an accounting perspective, ensuring appropriate communication, project management and issue identification/resolution to ensure project success;
• Partner with internal and external audit teams, fulfill audit requests in a timely manner and work with auditors to understand testing approach and provide timely and comprehensive information;
• Interface with shared service center (GBS) and proactively manage service level agreements;
• Interface with the US Corporate accounting team to ensure reporting requirements are met and appropriate support provided;
• Work closely with the tax department on Polish direct/indirect tax compliance;
• Interface with tax, treasury and legal department to address business requirements and statutory reporting compliance matters.

Qualifications

Desirable
• Media industry experience
• Big4 experience

Education
• Graduate in Finance, Accounting
• ACCA qualification or Polish CA preferred (or equivalent)
Others
• At least 5 years' experience in accounting
• Strong working knowledge of US GAAP/IFRS and Polish accounting standards
• Good knowledge of Polish tax and statutory requirements
• SAP FI experience with familiarity with the concept of management reporting
• Strong technical and analytical skills in financial analysis and Excel
• Familiar with a matrix-oriented organization
• Self-starter and works well without immediate supervision
• Ability to work under pressure and meet demanding deadlines
• Ability to focus on results and details to maintain highest standards in both internal and
• external customer satisfaction
• Strong interpersonal and organization skills, with the ability to build relationships at all levels
• Experience managing and developing people
• Continuous improvement mentality
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
• Highly motivated
• Good team player

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-d8107k-3-14-246-254-42 in your application.