Accounting & Consolidation Lead (Japanese Speaker)

Opella.; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Opella. is seeking a senior accounting professional to own A2R processes for the Japan liaison. The role requires strong month-end close, IFRS/Japanese GAAP knowledge, and hands-on SAP FICO experience.

You will work with a global shared-services setup to streamline processes and support high-volume reporting. Fluency in English is mandatory, with Japanese language skills strongly preferred for local stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years’ accounting/A2R experience.
• Strong month-end closing and financial reporting experience.
• Solid knowledge of IFRS + Japanese/local GAAP.
• Hands-on SAP FICO knowledge.
• Experience in asset & inventory accounting, tax/intercompany, treasury and GL/closing.
• Fluent English; Japanese language skills strongly preferred.
• Finance/Accounting degree; CPA/ACCA or equivalent a plus.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Become the main accounting SPOC for Japan stakeholders.
• Independently handle around 80% of accounting-related queries.
• Collaborate with global shared-services team to fix issues and automate processes.
• Navigate a complex ERP environment with legacy systems and manual reporting.
• Build credible, proactive relationships with local Japanese stakeholders.

Skills

A2R accounting

Financial reporting

IFRS & local GAAP

SAP FICO

Stakeholder management

Japanese communication

English fluency

Independent ownership

Education

Finance/Accounting degree

CPA/ACCA or equivalent

Tools

SAP FICO

Job description

They make sure the Japan business’s accounting is correct, compliant, and completed on time . They oversee areas like month-end closing, financial reporting, tax/intercompany, inventory/assets and treasury , while working with the global shared-services team to fix issues and improve/automate processes.Our requirements8–10 years’ accounting/A2R experience , ideally in a large international company or GBS/shared-services environment.Strong experience with month-end closing and financial reporting .Solid knowledge of IFRS + Japanese/local GAAP . ( Japanese Generally Accepted Accounting Principles .)Hands-on knowledge of SAP FICO .Experience across asset & inventory accounting, tax/intercompany, treasury and GL/closing .Strong compliance, audit and SOX/internal controls experience.Fluent English — mandatory.Japanese language skills — strongly preferred, particularly for local stakeholders and statutory requirements.Finance/Accounting degree; CPA/ACCA or equivalent is a plus .Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.Able to work independently, take ownership and lead/coordinate teams .Experience driving process improvement, simplification and automation .Comfortable working with global/remote teams and shared-service organizations .Key Hiring PrioritiesStrong accounting/A2R experience is the top priority, particularly a well-rounded accounting background beyond AP/AR or a single accounting stream.Senior stakeholder management is critical, especially the ability to work effectively with demanding Japanese stakeholders.Strong communication skills and the ability to adapt to the Japanese communication style are important.Japanese proficiency is required at a fluent/business level, including speaking and reading, with the ability to communicate independently.Japan ExperiencePrior Japan market experience is not mandatory.Open to candidates with strong accounting/A2R backgrounds even without Japan experience.Pharma or FMCG/consumer experience is not required.Technical / Process RequirementsSAP FICO is a must-have.The environment is complex, with legacy ERP systems, manual reporting and processes that require significant navigation.APOC experience is not required, but candidates need to be comfortable working in complex systems and processes.Key ChallengesSimplifying and navigating complex accounting processes and systems.Managing a high volume of manual reporting.Building strong relationships with demanding local Japanese stakeholders.Working effectively across the Japan and Malaysia hub teams.What Success Looks LikeBecome the main accounting SPOC for Japan stakeholders.Be able to independently handle around 80% of accounting-related queries.Build strong credibility and trust with the Japan team.Receive positive feedback from local stakeholders, particularly around communication, responsiveness and quality of support.Demonstrate strong ownership and autonomy rather than requiring constant direction.Ideal Candidate ProfileStrong A2R/accounting foundation with broad accounting knowledge.Big Four profiles could be a good fit, particularly candidates who are comfortable challenging the status quo.Agile, responsive and autonomous.Strong ownership and a challenger mindset.Able to navigate organisational complexity and work across both local and hub teams.Strong interpersonal and communication skills, particularly with Japanese stakeholders.Not necessarily someone focused on highly technical areas such as M&A; the priority is strong accounting partnering, ownership and stakeholder management.