Senior Director - Financial Reporting & Taxation

Core42; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 1,000,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Yearly bonus

Discount cards: Esaad & Fazaa

Premium family insurance

Learning & development

Job summary

Core42 is seeking a Senior Director for Financial Reporting & Taxation to own IFRS reporting, group consolidation and UAE tax compliance. The role leads a multi-layered team, manages external audits and drives automation across close and tax processes.

You will set policy, liaise with the audit committee, and translate complex tax and accounting issues for executive decision-making, working with Treasury, Legal and the wider business.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in financial reporting, audit or taxation, including leadership at director level or above.
• Professional accounting qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CPA or CA.
• Deep, practical expertise in IFRS, group consolidation and statutory reporting.
• Proven experience of UAE corporate tax, VAT and transfer pricing compliance.
• Track record of leading external audits and managing relationships with audit firms and tax authorities.
• Strong ERP and financial systems capability, with the ability to drive process automation.
• Excellent communication skills with non-finance stakeholders.
• Experience leading specialist finance teams at executive level with audit committee exposure.
• Experience of operating finance operations alongside a technical reporting and tax mandate.

Responsibilities

• Own the monthly, quarterly and annual close, delivering consolidated financial statements.
• Ensure IFRS reporting and group accounting policies are followed.
• Prepare technical accounting papers on complex transactions (revenue, leases, impairment, business combinations).
• Lead statutory financial statements preparation for all entities in scope.
• Own UAE corporate tax and VAT compliance cycle (registrations, filings, payments).
• Manage transfer pricing docs and intercompany arrangements per local/OECD rules.
• Monitor tax law changes and advise on business impact.
• Lead responses to tax authority queries, assessments and audits.
• Lead external audit process as primary contact and drive timely outcomes.
• Strengthen internal control framework over financial reporting and remediate gaps.
• Maintain up-to-date accounting policies and delegations of authority.
• Provide technical accounting and tax positions on new deals with Treasury/Legal.
• Advise on reporting/tax implications of new entities/acquisitions/cross-border expansion.
• Present technical matters to executive leadership and audit committee.
• Represent financial reporting and tax to external auditors and regulators.
• Own Finance Operations within remit and drive automation across close, consolidation and tax compliance.
• Champion ERP/tool usage to improve accuracy and speed.
• Establish reporting calendars and quality reviews at scale with growth.
• Lead and develop a multi-layered team; set strategy and resourcing.
• Embed a culture of accuracy, accountability and continuous improvement.

Skills

IFRS knowledge

Group consolidation

UAE tax

VAT compliance

External audits

Audit committee reporting

ERP proficiency

Leadership

Stakeholder comms

Finance automation

Education

ACA/ACCA/CPA/CA certification

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Core42, a leader in AI-powered cloud and digital infrastructure, is driving transformative technology solutions globally. Leveraging advanced resources and partnerships, Core42 empowers clients to harness sovereign AI infrastructure, especially in sectors with stringent regulatory needs. With a mission to redefine digital transformation, we combine sovereign capabilities with scalable, high-performance compute infrastructure, positioning itself at the forefront of AI innovation in the Middle East and beyond.

The opportunity

The Senior Director - Financial Reporting & Taxation is a senior finance leadership role accountable for the integrity of Core42's statutory and management reporting and for the full spectrum of the organisation's tax obligations. The role owns the group consolidation and IFRS reporting cycle, leads the external audit relationship and sets the strategy for compliance with UAE corporate tax, VAT, economic substance and transfer pricing requirements, with Finance Operations sitting within its remit. Commercial and business-facing analysis is led by a separate Finance Business Partnering team, so this role is the definitive technical accounting and tax authority rather than a commercial finance lead. Working with Treasury, Legal and the wider business, it translates complex accounting and tax matters into clear technical guidance for executive decision-making and represents the function to the audit committee, external auditors and regulators. The role leads a multi-layered reporting, tax and finance operations organisation and builds the senior talent within it.

Your key responsibilities

• Own the monthly, quarterly and annual close, delivering consolidated financial statements to agreed deadlines.
• Ensure all reporting is prepared in accordance with IFRS and group accounting policies.
• Prepare technical accounting position papers on complex transactions, including revenue recognition, leases, impairment and business combinations.
• Lead the preparation of statutory financial statements for all entities in scope.

Taxation & compliance

• Own the end-to-end UAE corporate tax and VAT compliance cycle, including registrations, filings and payments.
• Manage transfer pricing documentation and intercompany arrangements in line with local and OECD requirements.
• Monitor changes in tax legislation and advise the business on the practical impact of new obligations.
• Lead responses to tax authority queries, assessments and audits.

Audit & governance

• Lead the external audit process as the primary point of contact, driving timely and clean audit outcomes.
• Strengthen the internal control framework over financial reporting and remediate identified gaps.
• Ensure accounting policies, procedures and delegations of authority remain current and are applied consistently.

Technical advisory & governance forums

• Provide the definitive technical accounting and tax position on new deals, entities and structures, working with Treasury and Legal.
• Advise on the reporting and tax implications of new entities, acquisitions and cross-border expansion.
• Present technical accounting and tax matters clearly to executive leadership and the audit committee.
• Represent financial reporting and tax matters to external auditors and regulatory bodies.

Finance operations, process & systems

• Own Finance Operations within the function's remit, ensuring accurate, controlled and timely transactional processing.
• Drive automation and standardisation across the close, consolidation and tax compliance processes.
• Champion the effective use of the ERP and reporting tools to improve accuracy, traceability and speed.
• Establish reporting calendars, checklists and quality reviews that scale with rapid business growth.

Leadership & organisational capability

• Lead and develop a multi-layered reporting, tax and finance operations organisation, including managers and specialist leads.
• Set the functional strategy, operating model and resourcing plan as the group scales.
• Build succession and technical depth through targeted hiring, coaching and development.
• Embed a culture of accuracy, accountability and continuous improvement across the function.

What we’re looking for

(a) Required skills / qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in financial reporting, audit or taxation, including substantial time leading a function at director level or above.
• Professional accounting qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CPA or CA.
• Deep, practical expertise in IFRS, group consolidation and statutory reporting.
• Proven experience of UAE corporate tax, VAT and transfer pricing compliance.
• Track record of leading external audits and managing relationships with audit firms and tax authorities.
• Strong ERP and financial systems capability, with the ability to drive process automation.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical accounting and tax matters to non-finance stakeholders.
• Experience of leading and developing specialist finance teams.
• Experience of operating at executive level, including exposure to audit committee and board reporting.
• Experience of leading finance operations alongside a technical reporting and tax mandate.

(b) Preferred skills / qualifications

• Big Four training combined with in-house experience in a multinational group.
• Experience in technology, cloud or infrastructure-intensive businesses.
• Exposure to multi-jurisdictional structures and cross-border tax matters.
• Experience of finance transformation or ERP implementation programmes.
• Familiarity with economic substance regulations and Pillar Two reporting requirements.

Core Competencies

• Technical accounting & tax authority
• Governance & control discipline
• Executive influence & communication
• Organisational design & team leadership

What working at Core42 offers

With a diverse team of 1,100+ employees from 68 nationalities, we foster an inclusive, innovative and collaborative environment. At Core42, we foster a culture grounded in trust, accountability and high performance. We are united by our values: Grit, where we overcome challenges with resilience and determination, Passion, which drives us to pursue excellence in everything we do, and Impact, as we aim to inspire progress and create meaningful change. Our team members thrive in an environment where each person’s contributions propel us forward, and together, we commit to achieving extraordinary results.

• Competitive Salary: We offer an attractive salary package based on your skills and experience
• Yearly Bonus: In recognition of your contributions, you will receive a performance-based annual bonus
• Exclusive Discount Cards: Access special benefits with Esaad and Fazaa cards, offering discounts across a wide range of services
• Premium Family Insurance: We provide comprehensive health coverage, including dental, vision and life insurance, ensuring the well-being of you and your family
• Learning & Development: We offer access to top-tier learning platforms to help you grow in your career. Learn at your own pace with unlimited access to premium courses.