Senior Accountant

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT SAP ExperienceDepartment: Finance & AccountingCompany: Carter & WhiteIndustry: Luxury Fashion Retail, Production & Regional OperationsLocation: Dubai, UAEReports To: Finance Manager / Head of FinanceEmployment Type: Full-TimeCoverage: UAE & Carter & White Regional Entities1.JOB PURPOSEThe Senior Accountant is responsible for the accuracy, integrity and timely completion of Carter & White’s accounting and financial reporting across Head Office, retail stores, production, warehouse, inventory, e-commerce, B2B and regional entities.The role requires regional coverage and coordination of accounting activities across multiple legal entities and jurisdictions. The successful candidate must be a hands-on accountant with strong experience in Trial Balance preparation and review, General Ledger, multi-store retail accounting, inventory, production accounting, product costing, AP, AR, intercompany accounting, taxation and month-end closing.The Senior Accountant will work closely with Retail Operations, Production, Procurement, Warehouse, HR, regional teams and Management to ensure strong financial controls and accurate reporting.2. KEY RESPONSIBILITIESA. General Ledger, Trial Balance & ClosingManage and review day-to-day accounting transactions.Maintain the accuracy and integrity of the General Ledger.Prepare, generate and review monthly Trial Balances for assigned legal entities.Review Trial Balance accounts for unusual balances, incorrect classifications and unreconciled amounts.Ensure Trial Balance accounts are supported by reconciliations and schedules.Review P&L and Balance Sheet accounts prior to closing.Prepare/review journals, accruals, prepayments, provisions and adjustments.Perform monthly Balance Sheet reconciliations.Maintain the Fixed Asset Register and depreciation schedules.Ensure timely monthly, quarterly and year-end closing.Ensure transactions are correctly recorded by entity, country, store, department and cost centre.B. Regional Entity & Group AccountingManage/review accounting activities for assigned Carter & White regional entities.Maintain accurate accounting records for each legal entity.Prepare and review entity-level Trial Balances, P&Ls and Balance Sheets.Ensure regional month-end closing meets Group Finance deadlines.Coordinate with regional accountants, accounting firms, auditors and tax advisers.Review regional sales, expenses, payroll accounting, inventory and supplier transactions.Ensure consistent accounting policies across all entities.Support statutory accounts, regional audits and Group consolidation.Ensure regional financial information is accurately submitted to Head Office.Support new entities and store openings from a finance perspective.C. Intercompany AccountingRecord and review intercompany transactions.Prepare monthly intercompany reconciliations.Ensure intercompany receivable/payable balances agree between entities.Investigate and resolve differences before month-end closing.Review intercompany inventory transfers, Head Office charges and shared-cost allocations.Maintain supporting schedules and assist with Group consolidation and eliminations.D. Retail Store Accounting & ControlsReconcile daily store sales against POS and ERP records.Reconcile cash, credit cards, payment gateways and bank settlements.Review returns, exchanges, discounts and complimentary transactions.Monitor cash deposits, petty cash and store expenses.Investigate differences between POS, ERP, bank and accounting records.Monitor store operating expenses against budgets.Prepare/review store-level P&Ls.Identify unusual transactions, stock adjustments and control exceptions.Coordinate with Store Managers and Retail Operations to resolve discrepancies.E. Inventory & Stock AccountingMaintain accurate accounting for raw materials, WIP, finished goods and retail inventory.Reconcile inventory between ERP, warehouse, production and stores.Review inventory and stock transfers across countries and legal entities.Review receipts, returns, adjustments, damages and write-offs.Participate in physical stock counts and reconcile results against systems.Investigate stock variances and shrinkage.Monitor ageing and slow-moving inventory.Ensure accurate inventory valuation, provisions and COGS.Prepare monthly inventory reconciliation and variance reports.F. Production & Manufacturing AccountingMaintain accurate accounting for fabrics, raw materials, accessories, packaging, WIP and finished products.Monitor material issuance and reconcile consumption against production output.Monitor movement from Raw Materials → WIP → Finished Goods.Review Bill of Materials (BOM) and product costing.Calculate manufacturing costs including materials, labour, overhead, subcontracting, freight and logistics.Compare standard/budgeted costs against actual production costs.Investigate material usage, wastage and production variances.Ensure finished goods are transferred to inventory at the correct cost.Prepare production cost and variance reports.G. Product Costing & Gross MarginMaintain product costing by SKU, style and category.Review landed costs, freight, customs and duties.Calculate and monitor COGS.Analyze gross margin by country, entity, store, category, collection and sales channel.Investigate significant margin variances and support pricing and cost analysis.H. Accounts Payable & ReceivableReview supplier invoices, approvals and PO-GRN-Invoice matching.Reconcile supplier statements and monitor advances/outstanding balances.Prepare AP ageing and payment schedules.Investigate duplicate invoices and supplier discrepancies.Maintain customer, B2B, wholesale and corporate receivables.Prepare AR ageing and follow up on overdue balances.Reconcile customer accounts, deposits and advances.I. Bank, Cash & Payment ReconciliationPrepare/review monthly bank reconciliations for assigned entities.Reconcile store cash deposits, card settlements and payment gateways.Investigate unidentified or outstanding transactions.Account for bank charges, payment fees and foreign-exchange differences.Support cash-flow monitoring and reporting.J. Financial Reporting & MISPrepare and/or review timely financial reports at store, entity, country and Group level, including:Trial BalanceP&L, Balance Sheet and Cash FlowStore and entity-level P&LsInventory and ageing reportsAP/AR ageingIntercompany reconciliationsGross margin analysisProduction costingBudget vs. ActualCAPEX and departmental expensesBalance Sheet schedulesRegional Management/MIS reportingThe Senior Accountant must review, challenge, investigate and explain material variances and unusual balances, not simply prepare reports.K. Budgeting & Cost ControlSupport annual Group budgeting and forecasting.Maintain store, departmental and entity budgets.Prepare Budget vs. Actual analysis.Investigate material variances.Monitor operating expenses and identify cost-control opportunities.L. Tax, Audit & ComplianceSupport UAE VAT and Corporate Tax accounting and reconciliations.Coordinate with regional tax/accounting advisers regarding local requirements.Maintain tax and statutory documentation.Support annual/interim audits across UAE and regional entities.Prepare audit schedules and respond to auditor queries.Ensure compliance with IFRS, Group accounting policies, SOPs and approval authorities.Identify control weaknesses and recommend corrective actions.Maintain complete financial documentation and audit trails.M. ERP & Process ControlsEnsure accurate accounting within ERP systems.Ensure proper integration between POS, inventory, production and accounting.Maintain correct entity, store, department and cost-centre coding.Identify system/process weaknesses and support automation and process improvements.Maintain appropriate financial controls within ERP workflows.3. KEY MONTHLY DELIVERABLESTrial Balance for each assigned entityGroup/consolidated Trial Balance supportMonthly financial closingP&L and Balance Sheet by entityBank and payment reconciliationsStore/POS reconciliationsInventory and WIP reconciliationsAP/AR ageing and supplier reconciliationsIntercompany reconciliationsStore and entity P&LsGross-margin and product-cost analysisBudget vs. Actual reportingProduction cost/variance analysisBalance Sheet schedulesTax reconciliationsRegional Management/MIS reporting4. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCEBachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce or equivalent.ACCA, CMA, CPA, CA or equivalent qualification strongly preferred.Minimum 10 years of accounting experience.Minimum 3 years as Senior Accountant or equivalent preferred.Strong experience in multi-entity/regional accounting.Retail or multi-store accounting experience strongly preferred.Fashion, apparel, luxury retail or FMCG experience advantageous.Production/manufacturing accounting and product costing experience strongly preferred.Strong inventory accounting and reconciliation experience.Trial Balance preparation/review and full month-end closing experience are essential.UAE accounting experience preferred.Experience coordinating with overseas accountants or external accounting firms advantageous.5. TECHNICAL COMPETENCIESStrong practical knowledge of:Trial Balance & General LedgerMulti-entity and intercompany accountingGroup reporting and consolidationAP & ARInventory accountingRetail/POS reconciliationProduction and cost accountingBOM, WIP and product costingCOGS and gross-margin analysisBank reconciliationFinancial reportingBudgeting and variance analysisVAT/Tax accountingIFRSERP systemsAdvanced Microsoft Excel