EPAM Systems Hiring for Country Controller – Middle East Full Time

The Middle-East Controller’s primary responsibility is to maintain an effective accounting framework, internal controls, and compliance with local laws, regulations, and US-GAAP. They will work closely with Finance leadership, leveraging EPAM Global Shared Services Center (SSC) teams and external agencies as needed. The role encompasses overseeing financial activities, ensuring timely and accurate Tax and Statutory filings, and driving continuous process improvements. The entities in scope include Legal Entities in the Middle-East, which are expanding rapidly across various geographies ((Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Saudi Arabia) and new geographies like Bahrein will open soon. External agency support will be determined separately for entities outside the Middle-East Controller’s jurisdiction and proficient local legislation knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Accounting Framework and Related Control Environment:
  • Collaborate with Corporate SSC Teams to maintain effective accounting framework (Local- and US-GAAP)
  • Monitor local legislative environment, initiate policy changes, and inform Global SSC teams
  • Coordinate and ensure consistent handling of issues among different Global SSC teams
  • Maintain effective local Internal Control environment, harmonize accounting practices, and develop local finance organization
• Statutory/Corporate Audits:
  • Support the timely completion of corporate audits as required
  • Coordinate the Statutory audits with local and SSC teams
  • Ensure that statutory filings are completed within the required deadline
  • Prepare periodic Stat to US-GAAP reconciliation/bridge for internal purposes
• Payroll:
  • Liaise with local payroll agencies in coordination with Global Payroll team (proper categorization of payroll details)
  • Monitor payroll-related legislation and ensure compliance with all applicable laws, escalate if required
  • Verify payroll calculations provided by external agency to ensure accuracy and completeness as agreed with Global Payroll team
  • Ensure all payroll processes under local control are fully compliant with internal SOX requirements
  • Ensure payroll tax filings are submitted to the authorities in time, and related payments are made timely (including proper handling of payroll taxes related to stock-based compensation)
• Finance Business Partnership:
  • Work closely with the central FP&A team related to local transactions so that proper responses can be given to management inquiries
  • Support the annual Budgeting process for the entity and monitor that expenses are properly recognized locally in our financials
  • Provide ad-hoc support to different Budget holders to understand their year-to-date Budget performance related to local financials
  • Liaise with the Accounting and FP&A teams if corrective actions are required as a result of the performed reviews

Requirements

• Degree in Business Administration, Accounting or equivalent
• Holder of a local equivalent of a valid CPA qualification
• Minimum 10 years working experience in the field of Accounting either at a multinational company or in Audit services (Big4)
• Minimum 5 years working experience as Chief accountant or Senior Controller at a multinational company in the Middle-East
• Relevant Experience in Saudi/Bahrein is required
• Excellent knowledge of statutory and IFRS/US-GAAP accounting standards including related analysis and reporting
• Solid knowledge of Tax and local regulations including Transfer Pricing frameworks
• High integrity standards and reliability
• Solid understanding of partnering within Finance and other local/global colleagues
• Strong analytical and IT skills (preferable SAP, ERP, MS-Office)
• Ambitious, polished, highly articulate and strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills in English & Arabic (both written and oral)

We offer

• Competitive compensation depending on experience and skills
• Opportunity to work on leading edge platforms, working in a fast-paced, agile, software engineering culture
• Knowledge-sharing with colleagues from EPAM’s global tech communities
• Unlimited access to LinkedIn learning solutions
• Regular performance feedback and salary reviews
• Opportunities for professional growth

About EPAM

• EPAM is a leading global provider of digital platform engineering and development services. We are committed to having a positive impact on our customers, our employees, and our communities. We embrace a dynamic and inclusive culture. Here you will collaborate with multi-national teams, contribute to a myriad of innovative projects that deliver the most creative and cutting-edge solutions, and have an opportunity to continuously learn and grow. No matter where you are located, you will join a dedicated, creative, and diverse community that will help you discover your fullest potential