Financial Controller - MENA

Role summary

Financial control and planning

• Manage timely, accurate month-end and year-end close, ledger review, financial reporting, stakeholder queries, and balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Ensure complete and accurate local GAAP accounting and coordinate bank reconciliations and accounts payable with colleagues in Bratislava.
• Oversee the annual budget and full-year reforecasts, including preparation of the overheads budget and coordination with practice group and global FP&A teams.
• Review partner drawings, distributions, and statements; handle partner queries, finance induction, and partner tax matters.

Cash, tax, and finance operations

• Lead local bank relationships, approve bank payments, review 13-week and 12-month cash forecasts, and coordinate regional funding with Global Treasury.
• Review monthly payroll and related locally required balances; manage local audits and regional intercompany accounting.
• Oversee local billing with Global Matter Support colleagues, including required eBilling solutions.
• Coordinate corporate tax and Zakat matters, review VAT returns, contribute to transfer-pricing policy and recharges, and maintain tax compliance processes.

Risk and improvement

• Maintain compliance with global management accounts and expense policies and ensure finance process controls are designed and operating effectively.
• Ensure required licence renewals, AML returns, and statutory and statistical submissions are completed under local laws.
• Monitor finance technology developments and drive process improvement and automation.
• Serve as local subject matter expert on firmwide strategic projects.
• Work with budget owners to negotiate or renew supplier contracts and coordinate premises-related and workplace health and safety matters with relevant colleagues.

Essential qualifications and skills

• Qualified accountant with extensive experience of statutory and regulatory frameworks across UAE, KSA, and Bahrain.
• Demonstrable experience managing and developing teams.
• Ability to communicate and influence across all levels and build effective external stakeholder relationships.
• Business-fluent English language skills.

Desirable experience

• Professional services or legal industry experience is desirable.
• Experience working as a customer of Global Shared Services is desirable.
• Basic understanding of legal and finance systems is desirable, ideally the Intapp suite and Elite 3e.

Global Finance function