Chief Accounting Officer – Egypt & Saudi Arabia

Job description

About Artelia Artelia is an international, multidisciplinary consulting, engineering, and project management group, providing services across key sectors including mobility, water, energy, buildings, and industry. The Group supports clients throughout the full life cycle of their projects, from consulting and design to project management and implementation, with a strong focus on sustainable, practical, and high-quality solutions. Role Purpose The Chief Accounting Officer will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating the full accounting, tax, administrative, banking, treasury, and reporting activities for the company’s entities in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The role requires a hands-on, highly reliable, and deadline-driven finance professional capable of operating in an international environment and ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant financial operations in line with local regulations, group policies, and internal control requirements. Key Responsibilities Accounting and Bookkeeping  Manage day-to-day accounting operations for Egypt and Saudi Arabia entities, ensuring complete, accurate, and timely bookkeeping.  Record and review accounting entries, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, accruals, provisions, reconciliations, and intercompany transactions.  Ensure proper documentation, filing, and audit trail for all financial transactions.  Maintain accounting records in accordance with local statutory requirements, applicable accounting standards, and group policies. Payment Processing, Invoicing, and Collections  Prepare, review, and process supplier payments, employee reimbursements, and other disbursements in accordance with approval workflows and payment deadlines.  Coordinate customer invoicing, ensuring invoices are accurate, complete, and issued on time in line with project milestones and contractual requirements.  Monitor accounts receivable, follow up on overdue balances, and support cash collection efforts in coordination with project and operational teams.  Perform regular bank, customer, supplier, and intercompany reconciliations. Tax Compliance and Statutory Requirements  Ensure timely preparation, review, and submission of all tax declarations and statutory filings in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, including VAT, withholding tax, corporate tax, social insurance, and other applicable obligations.  Manage and coordinate the relationship with external auditors, tax advisors, and local authorities, ensuring timely provision of information, smooth audit execution, and effective resolution of audit queries.  Monitor changes in tax and regulatory requirements and assess their impact on the company’s operations.  Support statutory audits, tax inspections, and compliance reviews by preparing required schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documentation. Reporting and Financial Control  Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting packages for the Regional Finance Director and group finance teams.  Ensure reporting is accurate, complete, and submitted within frequent and stringent deadlines.  Analyze accounting data, identify variances or unusual movements, and provide clear explanations to support management review.  Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, cash flow planning, and financial performance monitoring when required.  Support the implementation and maintenance of strong internal controls, accounting procedures, and finance processes. Banking, Cash, and Treasury Management  Manage day-to-day banking relationships and coordinate banking operations for Egypt and Saudi Arabia entities.  Monitor cash positions, prepare short-term cash flow forecasts, and support treasury planning.  Ensure timely execution of payments, transfers, bank documentation, guarantees, and other treasury-related matters.  Maintain effective controls over bank accounts, signatories, access rights, and cash management processes. Administrative Operations  Coordinate administrative processes linked to the legal entities, including medical insurance, social insurance, office management, telecom services, logistics, supplier administration, and local registrations where applicable.  Ensure administrative procedures are properly documented, compliant, and aligned with company standards.  Liaise with local service providers, consultants, banks, authorities, and internal departments to ensure smooth operational support.  Support contract administration, document collection, archiving, and compliance documentation as required. Cross-Functional Coordination  Work closely with project managers, operations teams, HR, legal, procurement, and group finance to ensure financial and administrative matters are handled efficiently.  Act as a key local finance contact for Egypt and Saudi Arabia entities while maintaining regular communication with the Regional Finance Director.  Contribute to process improvements, standardization, and automation initiatives to enhance reliability, control, and efficiency. Required Profile  Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field; a professional qualification such as CPA, ACCA, CMA, or equivalent would be an advantage.  10 to 15 years of progressive accounting and finance experience, ideally including exposure to multinational or international companies.  Strong knowledge of accounting principles, statutory reporting requirements, tax compliance, and local administrative practices in Egypt and/or Saudi Arabia.  Experience in engineering consultancy, project-based businesses, construction, infrastructure, or professional services would be highly valued.  Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and meet frequent, strict, and non-negotiable deadlines.  Strong command of English and Arabic, both written and spoken; French would be an additional advantage depending on group requirements.  Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience with ERP/accounting systems.  High level of integrity, confidentiality, accuracy, ownership, and attention to detail. Key Competencies  Hands-on accounting expertise and strong operational discipline.  Excellent organizational and time-management skills.  Ability to work independently without direct reports while coordinating effectively with multiple stakeholders.  Strong analytical mindset and problem-solving capability.  Clear communication skills with the ability to explain financial matters to non finance stakeholders.  Resilience and reliability in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.  Strong service orientation and ability to support both finance and administrative needs of local entities. Role Success Factors  Reliable and timely monthly closing and reporting for Egypt and Saudi Arabia entities.  Full compliance with tax, statutory, banking, and administrative obligations.  Accurate bookkeeping and strong documentation standards.  Effective cash, payment, invoicing, and collection follow-up.  Smooth coordination with local stakeholders, external advisors, auditors, and group finance teams.  Continuous improvement of finance and administrative processes.