Senior Accounting & Tax Lead

Dubai, UAE

• Take ownership of accounting operations across six Gulf markets, drive tax compliance in an evolving regulatory landscape, and shape how a high-growth affiliate manages its financial controls and reporting.
• Your new role
• As Senior Accounting & Tax Lead, you'll be the operational anchor of accounting and tax for Novo Nordisk's Gulf cluster – spanning UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Yemen.
• You'll run the period-end close, own balance sheet integrity, execute UAE tax obligations, and lead the operational side of statutory audits.
• This is a hands-on role where technical depth meets stakeholder collaboration, set against a backdrop of active commercial growth in obesity and diabetes therapy areas.
• Day-to-day, you will:
• Lead timely period-end close and reporting in partnership with Global Shared Services.
• Own balance sheet reconciliation and resolve aging or unreconciled items across all material accounts.
• Drive Corporate Tax, VAT and transfer pricing compliance, working with the Tax Centre of Excellence, Group Tax and external advisors.
• Lead the operational side of statutory audits – managing PBC schedules, evidence documentation and query closure.
• Oversee AP/AR accounting processes, ensuring data accuracy and alignment with group reporting timelines.
• Act as the affiliate's principal day-to-day contact for Global Shared Services teams (R2R, P2P, O2C, T&E, Fixed Assets & Leasing).
• Partner with cross-functional teams including Legal, Procurement, Supply Chain, FP&A and Marketing on accounting-relevant decisions.
• Your new department
• As part of International Operations, you will join our largest operational unit.
• Covering 194 countries and 95% of the world's population, more than 18,000 of us work passionately to serve 35 million patients each day.
• With a promise to outperform the competition, we continue to be the growth driver for Novo Nordisk, and to improve health at scale across the globe.
• Within International Operations, you'll join the Accounting & Tax department supporting the Gulf affiliate's accounting operations.
• This is a joint operating model between the affiliate finance team in Dubai and the Group's offshore shared service center.
• The UAE regulatory environment has evolved significantly since 2023 – with UAE Corporate Tax, transfer pricing and e-invoicing Regulations all maturing rapidly.
• This combination creates meaningful technical and operational scope for the right person.
• You'll report to the Accounting & Tax Manager and work closely with stakeholders across the region and globally.
• Your skills & qualifications
• We're looking for someone with strong technical fundamentals and the ability to manage multiple stakeholders across different geographies and functions.
• To succeed in this role, you should have:
• Minimum 2 years of external audit experience (Big 4 preferred), plus 3-5 years of progressive finance experience in a multinational environment (pharmaceuticals, FMCG or regulated industries preferred).
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field; master’s degree or professional certification (ACCA, CMA, or CPA) is preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of IFRS and group reporting standards, with practical experience applying them in period-end close and audit situations.
• Solid experience with ERP systems (SAP preferred) and advanced Excel skills; proactive use of AI and productivity tools to lift output quality.
• Exposure to UAE tax framework (Corporate Tax, VAT, transfer pricing) and offshore shared service models (GBS) is advantageous.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills; fluent English (Arabic is an asset).
• Ownership instinct – you bring problems forward with proposed solutions, maintain operational discipline, and deliver work that rarely requires rework.

Working at Novo Nordisk

Deadline, June 4, 2026