Head Account to Report & Tax Compliance

Head Account to Report & Tax Compliance, UKIE MCO

• Location: UK, Reading

About the job

At Sanofi we chaise miracles of science to improve people’s lives. We are dedicated to making positive impact on the lives of the patients and families we serve, and we accomplish our goals through world-class research and with the compassion and commitment of our employees.

As we continue to transform the practice of medicine, to facilitate this transformation, Global Finance Services within Business Operations organization, is organized to drive to the next chapter of Sanofi’s strategy in centralizing our fragmented activities, modernizing our operations and focusing on performance & value delivery.

A2R is an end-to-end process organization that consolidates the following activities: Fixed assets, Intercompany Accounting, Bank Accounting, General Ledger Accounting and closing, Cost Accounting, Tax accounting, Financial and Statutory Reporting, Master Data.

Head of A2R & Tax compliance will have the overall accountability of the end-to-end A2R operations to lead and deliver the best-in-class service and partner with the CFO as well as relevant Finance Business Partners to ensure sustainable processes in UK and Ireland as per Core Model guidelines.

This role is located in UK,Reading offices and part of the A2R organization within the Global Finance Services (GFS) organization wih four direct reports.

Main responsibilities

• Ensure a true and fair view for the financial statements for all Legal Entities under UK & Ireland perimeter. This includes oversight of the accounts managed by other Service Towers such as Source-to-Pay (S2P), Order-to-Cash (O2C) & Controlling (ConOps).
• Accountable for the efficient, high-quality, and compliant delivery of an end-to-end A2R service, ensuring the achievement of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and continuous performance improvement.
• Collaborate closely with Europe Process Managers to support the design and implementation of key A2R projects and standard processes within operations ensuring delivery for the expected benefits in terms of efficiency, cost, and quality.
• Ensures all accounts in given scope are stated in accordance with international- and local Financial Reporting Standards and Sanofi Group Standards (SAGA).
• Create, understand and apply best practices from within GFS or external best-in-class service organizations.
• Coordinates external audits in the region.
• Ensure promptly answer to Corporate and Auditors enquiries in coordination with UK and IE Team members.
• Responsible for submission of all legal entity reports (accounting & Tax compliance), for all given entities, to support release of all financial information to general public.
• Ensure timeliness and accuracy for Tax Returns.
• Partner with CFO on MCO head level to support business development activities (strategic transactions) by providing expert technical accounting evaluation of potential acquisitions, strategic planning or other alliance transactions.
• Partner with HUB to support IFRS / SAGA A2R activities (transactional accounting and company reporting) by providing documents and information to the service centre.
• Create a culture of cooperation, collaboration and teamwork across A2R teams within given scope and ensure a smooth interface to the relevant stakeholders inside- and outside of GFS.
• Ensure that Compliance and Internal Control/ SOX standards are met and ensure the local regulation adherence (i.e. GDPR).
• Ensure efficient, on time, high-quality HUB transition management (Budapest or Hyderabad for UK and IE perimeter).
• Co-ordinate the preparation of the statutory accounts for all UK and Ireland companies with third party provider and external statutory audit process including tax figures review for inclusion in the UK statutory accounts and UK corporation tax returns.
• Review required SOX controls for tax and transfer pricing issues, ensuring they are up to date with changes in the operating business and proper fluent communication with UKIE Head of Tax.
• Review true ups to current and deferred tax balances following submission of CIT returns to tax authorities.
• Validate tax payments on account for UK.
• Liaise with the Central Transfer Pricing team to ensure UK transfer prices are aligned with group policy and ensure appropriate records to meet Inland Revenue guidelines.
• Support UK and Ireland team on transfer pricing calculations and documentation preparation for the authorities, including data reconciliations to final statutory accounts for the local transfer pricing file.
• Review CBCR (country by country reporting) reconciliations to the Group Tax Department (when applicable).

Stakeholders’ Management

• Cultivates strategic partnerships:  MCO CFO, Head of Tax UKIE, Treasury, Finance Business Partners, Procurement, Finance-Planning and Analysis, Corporate Finance, Corporate Tax, Other Interco, IPFF or ad hoc demands from Country Lead UK, P&C, Legal, Sales Leadership, ITS, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Corporate Compliance, Industrial Affairs and R&D Finance to support integration and implementation of efficient process and policies.
• Sets up close relationships with regional and local stakeholders when needed to allow smooth communication, efficient change management and issue resolution (ie. Regional HUBs in Budapest or Global HUB in Hyderabad) or external partners (Tax Administration (HMRC), Customers/suppliers.
• Manage and co-ordinate statutory accounts audit with external auditors Mazars for the assigned companies in the UK.

About you

Education

• Professional accounting qualification (CIMA/ACCA/ICAEW).
• Degree level education or equivalent preferred.

Expected skills & Knowledge

• Very good understanding of relevant Finance process including IFRS (ie IAS 12).
• Very good program and project management skills (ability to identify problems and define solutions) incl. implementation plans in a structured manner).
• Ability to think strategically and take a helicopter view, but also be able to dive deep into operational problems when required.
• Strong delivery orientation including development of business cases, planning, execution and measuring ROI.
• Problem solving and ability to exercise good business judgment in a fast-paced working environment with prioritizing capacity (complex tax matters).
• Very good communicator with an ability to discuss on executive level within Sanofi and externally.
• Fluency in English mandatory.
• Leadership skills: ability to shape culture, shape GFS sense of belonging, motivate a large group of people to work towards a common set of goals.
• Good knowledge of the UK tax legislation including WHT, VAT.
• Excellent IT skills (Excel including VLookups, Pivot Tables etc) or SAP.
• Ability to set ambitious goals and priorities, motivating the team towards established objectives.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Agile and proactive.
• Positive thinking and an exceptional team player.
• Flexible in order to move forward.

Background

• Proven Finance experience.
• Experience in Tax topics.
• International background with exposure to multicultural environment.
• Experience of working within a HUB / BPO model.
• Track record of having effectively managed large efficiency improvement programs with a multitude of individual projects and managed transformation with change management.

Why choose us?

• Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team.
• Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally.
• Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact.
• Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave.
• Join us in shaping the future of respiratory care and making a difference in the lives of patients across the NHS.

Visas for those who do not already have the right to work in the UK will be considered on a case by case basis according to business needs and resources.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, committed to offering interviews to candidates who request consideration under the Scheme and meet the minimum requirements for this role.
If you have a disability and require adjustments for the interview process, please email us at [email protected]. We are dedicated to ensuring an inclusive and supportive experience for all applicants.

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