Manager - Financial Controlling and Automation

AlFuttaim; Dubai; On-site; AED 246,000 - 357,000; Full time

Job summary

Al-Futtaim Group in Dubai seeks a Manager - Financial Controlling and Automation to safeguard financial reporting quality while modernizing controls. You will drive policy, governance, and AI-enabled processes across period close, balance sheet substantiation, and audit readiness.

You will lead cross-functional teams, develop IFRS-compliant controls, and oversee implementation of automation projects in finance. Strong communication with stakeholders is essential.

Qualifications

• Professional accounting qualification such as CA/ACCA or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience within a large organization.
• Supervisory or managerial level experience.
• Strong knowledge of IFRS and IAS requirements.
• Experience with accounting policy development and implementation.
• Solid understanding of financial internal controls and control assessment.
• Experience with balance sheet substantiation and trial balance review.
• Exposure to standalone and consolidated financial statements.
• Experience coordinating external audits and resolving audit observations.

Responsibilities

• Support development and standardization of divisional financial internal control frameworks.
• Strengthen accounting policies, controls, and assessment procedures with Finance leadership.
• Draft divisional accounting policies and perform technical analysis.
• Interpret IAS/IFRS requirements and advise on practical application.
• Provide guidance on complex accounting judgments and document positions.
• Track developments in accounting standards and impact on reporting and controls.
• Conduct accounting training sessions covering IFRS, IAS, and policies.
• Coordinate with Shared Service Centres and BU Finance for period close.
• Drive balance sheet substantiation and reconciliations quality.
• Review trial balances and investigate unusual balances.
• Prepare reporting inputs for entity-level scorecards and audits.
• Support external audits and certification requirements including revenue and ICV.

Skills

Financial Controlling

IFRS

IAS

Accounting policy

Internal controls

Balance sheet substantiation

Trial balance review

Financial reporting

Consolidated FS

External audit coordination

Audit readiness

SAP

SAP BW

SAP BPC

SAP SAC

Data governance

AI governance

Finance automation

Artificial intelligence

Education

CA/ACCA or equivalent

Tools

SAP

SAP BW

SAP BPC

SAP SAC

ERP systems

Job description

Job Snapshot

Role: Manager - Financial Controlling and Automation

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Financial Services

Function: Financial Control

Experience: Minimum 5 years

Job Type: Full-time

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Dubai

Industry: Financial Services

Function: Financial Control

Salary: 22000-32000

Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer.

Gender: Any

Candidate Nationality: Any

Job Type: Full-time

Role Context

The Manager - Financial Controlling and Automation safeguards the quality and consistency of divisional financial reporting while helping modernize the controlling function. The position operates across accounting policy, internal controls, period close, balance sheet substantiation, audit readiness, and statutory reporting. A significant part of the mandate is transforming recurring finance activities through AI and automation while establishing appropriate governance over data and machine-generated outputs.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development and standardization of divisional financial internal control frameworks.
• Work with Group and Divisional Finance leadership to strengthen accounting policies, controls, and assessment procedures.
• Draft divisional accounting policies and perform technical analysis for new or revised accounting requirements.
• Interpret IAS and IFRS requirements and advise Finance and Operations teams on their practical application.
• Provide guidance on complex accounting judgments and document appropriate accounting positions.
• Track developments in accounting standards and evaluate their potential impact on financial reporting and controls.
• Conduct accounting training sessions covering IFRS, IAS, internal policies, and relevant reporting requirements.
• Review end-to-end accounting processes to identify financial reporting risks and control weaknesses.
• Coordinate with Shared Service Centres and Business Unit Finance teams to support accurate and timely period close.
• Drive balance sheet substantiation and periodically assess the quality of supporting reconciliations.
• Review trial balances and investigate unusual, unsupported, or unresolved balances.
• Maintain visibility over issues identified through balance sheet reviews and drive corrective actions with responsible teams.
• Prepare reporting inputs for entity-level scorecards and issue-resolution initiatives.
• Review Shared Services KPIs and SLAs and work with stakeholders on performance improvement measures.
• Track audit progress against agreed programs and coordinate responses to outstanding requirements.
• Work with auditors, Shared Services, and business finance teams to facilitate timely submission of audit evidence.
• Support the preparation of standalone and consolidated financial statements.
• Prepare financial statement drafts and resolve technical or disclosure matters with auditors.
• Coordinate certification requirements including revenue certificates, ICV certificates, and other applicable reporting requirements.
• Support timely completion of external audits and follow through on prior-year management letter observations.
• Identify recurring controlling activities suitable for AI, workflow automation, or data-driven process redesign.
• Build and implement automation solutions that reduce manual finance effort and improve reporting consistency.
• Collaborate with Group Finance, IT, Shared Services, and business stakeholders on finance-related AI initiatives.
• Establish data governance, validation, and review protocols for AI-generated financial outputs.
• Develop practical AI use cases with measurable improvements in productivity, control quality, or turnaround time.
• Train finance teams on approved automation and AI tools to encourage effective and controlled adoption.

Ideal Profile

• Professional accounting qualification such as CA, ACCA, or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience within a large organization.
• Previous experience operating at supervisory or managerial level.
• Strong knowledge of IFRS and IAS requirements.
• Practical experience with accounting policy development and implementation.
• Solid understanding of financial internal controls and control assessment.
• Experience with balance sheet substantiation and trial balance review.
• Exposure to standalone and consolidated financial statement preparation.
• Experience coordinating external audits and resolving audit observations.
• Strong analytical and process-oriented capability.
• Ability to evaluate complex accounting matters and recommend defensible positions.
• Experience working with ERP environments, preferably SAP.
• Exposure to SAP BW, BPC, or SAC is advantageous.
• Interest or experience in finance automation and AI-enabled process improvement.
• Ability to establish appropriate governance around automated financial processes.
• Strong communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Effective planning and prioritization across multiple financial reporting deadlines.
• Collaborative approach when working across Finance, IT, Shared Services, auditors, and business teams.

Skills Set

• Financial controlling
• IFRS
• IAS
• Accounting policy
• Financial internal controls
• Balance sheet substantiation
• Trial balance review
• Financial reporting
• Consolidated financial statements
• Standalone financial statements
• External audit coordination
• Audit readiness
• Management letter resolution
• Period close
• SAP
• SAP BW
• SAP BPC
• SAP SAC
• ERP systems
• Shared Services
• KPI and SLA monitoring
• Finance automation
• Artificial intelligence
• AI governance
• Data governance
• Process automation
• Financial process improvement
• Accounting advisory
• Financial risk identification
• Technical accounting
• Financial analysis

Why Join Us

Financial controlling is evolving rapidly as large organizations combine stronger governance with automation, analytics, and artificial intelligence. This position provides direct involvement in that transition, offering responsibility for IFRS compliance, accounting policy, audit quality, financial controls, and technology-enabled process improvement. The combination of technical finance and AI transformation experience can provide a strong platform for progression into senior controlling, finance transformation, or broader financial leadership roles.

About the Company

Al-Futtaim Group is a diversified privately held regional business headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Established in the 1930s, the group now employs more than 35000 people across over 20 countries and operates through automotive, financial services, real estate, retail, and healthcare divisions. Its scale, international partnerships, and multi-business structure provide a complex finance environment supported by Group Finance, business finance teams, shared services, enterprise systems, and continuing investment in digital transformation.