Accounting Manager

St. James's Place – Asia & Middle East; Dubai; On-site; AED 441,000 - 661,000; Full time

Job summary

St. James’s Place Asia & Middle East is seeking a qualified Finance & Accounting professional to ensure the accuracy of local books and regulatory returns, and to contribute to consolidated AME regional accounts with strong governance around reporting.

The role covers bookkeeping for SJPME, monthly reconciliations, statutory financial statements, external audit coordination, VAT and UAE Corporate Tax filings, and collaboration with group entities to optimize reporting.

Qualifications

• Qualified Chartered Accountant or Management Accountant.
• Experience managing full GL and external reporting.
• Willing to be hands-on with processes and reconciliations.
• Knowledge of DIFC/DFSA regulations is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Bookkeeping & accounting for the SJPME entity and interactions with the group.
• Prepare, coordinate and review monthly control files and reconciliations.
• Prepare statutory financial statements and manage the external audit process.
• Develop governance around financial reporting, data management and controls.
• Ensure VAT and UAE Corporate Tax filings compliance.
• Support alignment with other Group entities and consolidated reporting.

Skills

Technical accounting

Analytical skills

Integrity

Education

Chartered Accountant or Management Accountant

Tools

Excel (VBA macros)

Unit4 Agresso / Business World

Job description

The role is within the Finance and Accounting team of St. James’s Place Asia & Middle East division, with responsibility for accuracy of local accounting books, as well as relevant regulatory or annual (audit, tax or statutory) returns. The role also contributes to consolidated financial accounts and reports for the AME region.

St. James’s Place Middle East, which opened in June 2023, comprises 74 employees including 22 adviser practices. It is a Category 4 DIFC regulated company, with 2025 revenues of $2.6m that managed $162m of client assets as at that date.

Key Responsibilities of the Job:

• Bookkeeping & accounting for the SJPME entity & accountability for its interactions with the rest of the SJP Group
• Support continuous alignment with other Group entities and optimization of consolidated reporting as relevant
• Preparation, coordination & review of monthly control files and account reconciliations
• Preparation of statutory financial statements and management of the external audit process
• Development of strong governance around financial reporting, data management and controls
• Ensuring compliance with all applicable rules and regulations for DIFC/DFSA financial reporting requirements (including client money handling)
• Ensuring compliance with all applicable rules and regulations for VAT and UAE Corporate Tax filings

Requirements of the Job:

Delegated responsibilities from Senior Manager (SMF)

• Preparation of reports to Financial Regulators (DIFC/DFSA)
• Preparation of annual financial statements for external audit

Leadership & People Management Responsibilities:

• Foster a collaborative approach to local bookkeeping and audit activities by sharing knowledge, building confidence in technical discussions, and creating opportunities for colleagues to take on increased responsibility
• Identify overlaps with other teams to effectively resource needs, or make business case for growth of the team as required

Job Functional Knowledge:

• Equivalent of Chartered Accountant or Management Accountant qualification
• Management of full GL and outputs for a legal entity along with reporting to management
• Must be willing to be "hands on" with processes and detail, including reconciliations, ad hoc analyses and more
• Familiarity reviewing & improving systems or processes for efficiency, time-savings and accuracy across a functional area

Business Expertise:

• Limited pre-existing industry expertise required: familiarity with investment and/or insurance sector an advantage, but not required
• Possess strong technical accounting acumen and analytical skills combined with high integrity

Problem Solving:

• Will be highly problem-solving, self-motivated, well-organized and show strong team spirit and a strong level of leadership
• Will possess strong analytical skills and exercise judgement to consider risks and opportunities within basic financial reporting data in a way that informs and allows decision-making

Nature and Scope of Impact:

• Role has functional impact in driving change across the team and its processes, and a direct impact on effectiveness and compliance of regulatory reporting and therefore the business’ license to operate

Interpersonal Skills:

• Requires interaction with external parties (particularly auditors and tax advisers) and internal staff at all levels
• Involvement in ongoing tracking to the annual budget, including reforecasting, correcting and reporting on performance during the year
• Able to credibly propose solutions & changes and influence stakeholders towards implementation

Boards and Committees

• Asia Finance Committee (monthly) as member – analysis & explanation of financial results of Middle East business and sharing understanding of underlying transactions

Special Requirements:

• Preferably well acquainted with accounting standards, taxation regulations, local regulations & process within the DIFC
• Excel including VBA macros, Unit 4 Agresso / Business World, and automation projects an advantage but not required