Senior Accountant - Payroll & Expense (UAEN)

Role Overview

Payroll and Accounting Responsibilities

• Prepare and process monthly payroll transactions with HR.
• Validate attendance, bonuses, overtime, deductions, and other payroll inputs across entities.
• Record and reconcile payroll expenses in ERP or business systems.
• Prepare payroll accounting entries, accruals, and adjustments during month-end and year-end closings in line with IFRS.
• Allocate payroll costs across departments, projects, and entities.
• Monitor advances, deductions, and allowances with HR.

Expense and Reconciliation Responsibilities

• Process and record employee expense claims, travel advances, and settlements in line with financial policies and DoA.
• Validate supporting documentation and cost-center and project allocations.
• Monitor and reconcile employee advances and petty cash accounts.
• Perform monthly reconciliations of payroll control accounts, employee advances, and expense ledgers.
• Prepare payroll and expense schedules for financial reporting and consolidation.
• Coordinate with Tax and Compliance teams on VAT treatment for employee-related expenses.

Controls and Systems

• Monitor Delegation of Authority adherence in payroll and expense approvals.
• Support ERP enhancement and automation initiatives within payroll and expense accounting modules.
• Coordinate payroll and expense data with Financial Control and Planning, Budgeting and Forecasting teams.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Business Administration, Data Analytics, or a related discipline.
• Professional certification such as CFA, CMA, ACCA, or CPA, or an equivalent qualification, is preferred.
• Proven experience in end-to-end payroll processing, validation, and accounting.
• Hands-on experience in employee expenses, travel advances, and reimbursement accounting.
• Strong understanding of IFRS, WPS regulations, and financial governance frameworks.
• Experience in payroll reconciliations, expense ledger management, and coordination with HR, Treasury, and Finance.
• Proficiency in ERP or business systems such as SAP or Oracle for payroll and expense accounting.

Availability

• Preference is given to candidates available immediately or within a maximum of 30 days.