Job Title

France Controller

Job Description Summary

Primary purpose of the job:
• Deliver local and group financial compliance for local statutory and US GAAP accounting books for France (financial data and reporting is complete, accurate and complies with Global and Local legislation).
• Adoption of Outsourced Finance Operating Model.
• Being a business partner to local Finance and non finance colleagues,
• External and internal audits oversight (planning, timeline management).
• Oversight of preparation of statutory financial statements, VAT, CIT returns by third party providers.
• Management review of all accounting activities outsourced to third party provider and review of balance sheet reconciliations (investigation and resolution of reconciling & aged items).
• Responsible for accurate, timely monthly closing of the books including review of journals.
• Responsible for timely production and sign off of all reporting and disclosure requirements.
• Collaborate effectively with stakeholders producing financial data (input or output), support resolution of issues, queries and escalations.
• Managing or participating on different local & Global projects.
• Support plans and drive actions to minimize legal entities and associated compliance costs taking into account legal & commercial needs, cost, risks and cost to achieve

Job Description

Position Title: France Controller               

Department:   Finance              

Location: Neuilly-sur-Seine

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global commercial real estate services firm for property owners and occupiers with approximately 52,000 employees in nearly 400 offices and 60 countries. In 2023, the firm reported revenue of $9.5 billion across its core services of property, facilities and project management, leasing, capital markets, and valuation and other services. It also receives numerous industry and business accolades for its award-winning culture and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), sustainability and more. For additional information, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com. 

Primary purpose of the job:

Deliver local and group financial compliance for local statutory and US GAAP accounting books for France (financial data and reporting is complete, accurate and complies with Global and Local legislation).Adoption of Outsourced Finance Operating Model.Being a business partner to local Finance and non finance colleagues,External and internal audits oversight (planning, timeline management).Oversight of preparation of statutory financial statements, VAT, CIT returns by third party providers.Management review of all accounting activities outsourced to third party provider and review of balance sheet reconciliations (investigation and resolution of reconciling & aged items).Responsible for accurate, timely monthly closing of the books including review of journals.Responsible for timely production and sign off of all reporting and disclosure requirements.Collaborate effectively with stakeholders producing financial data (input or output), support resolution of issues, queries and escalations.Managing or participating on different local & Global projects.Support plans and drive actions to minimize legal entities and associated compliance costs taking into account legal & commercial needs, cost, risks and cost to achieve

Other professional qualifications required for filling the position:

ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA or local equivalent

Foreign language skills required for filling the position:

Fluent in France and English, both oral and written

Required skills for filling the position:

Experience in managing month end close process within a BPO / Shared service model/Experience leading local statutory audits and statutory accounts process – audit background and SOX control experience preferredFinancial management experience with a proven ability to translate financial data into commercial languageknowledge of major ERP systems and HFM, Workday strongly preferredEffective communication skills across a range of seniority levels and countries to Finance & non-Finance staff professional services businessPost accounting qualification experience >10y.>5 years post qualification Controllership leadership experience across multiple countries and within a US listed SOX control environmentExperience of project & contract accountingExperience leading financial compliance and change in US GAAP & local GAAP environments and IFRS strongly preferredDemonstrable flexibility to meet competing and evolving business needs and drive for resultsDemonstrate Personal and Team leadership of remotely located TeamsDemonstrate building and maintaining trusting relationshipsCritical thinker & problem solverResilient change driver and adopterAbility to develop strong stakeholder relationships in a complex environmentFluent in both written and spoken English and preferably one other relevant language

Responsibilities:

Close & Reporting

Responsible for accurate, timely, monthly closing of the books (in US GAAP) all in accordance with Global & EMEA deadlines, policies and compliance requirements,Review and approve AR invoice requests, unbilled revenue accruals, credit notes, AP invoices and journals in accordance with the delegation of authority (DOA) - checking completeness, accuracy and complianceMonitor and minimise late journals, unadjusted items reported and off system ETB adjustmentsResponsible for the timely production, management review, variance explanations, query resolution and sign-off of reporting and disclosure requirements (internal, external, statutory, treasury and group) in accordance with polices & timetables issued by US/EMEA Controllership and in accordance with all relevant regulations, procedures and controlsEnsure adequate management review is in place over all aspects of accounting and reporting (eg  FX, reconciliations, close, cash forecasts etc) to identify and remediate issues on a timely basisResponsible for driving timely investigation & resolution of unusual, outstanding & aged items (eg: reconciliation open items, bank open items, intercompany mismatch, aged accruals, unallocated cash)Support requests from senior management

Audits & Statutory Financial Statements

Responsible for ensuring audited accounts are filed on time and that external audits are planned, efficient and co-ordinated with stakeholders minimising audit costs and over-runsProvide details of audit fees for budgeting and accrual purposes and ensure all audit fees are reviewed and have been approved according to internal approvalsResponsible for ensuring local statutory accounts are prepared, reviewed and filed by the relevant filing deadline and meet relevant reporting requirements.Support Internal Audits and implement agreed recommendations

Balance Sheet Control

Responsible for ensuring adequate governance is in place over the accuracy and integrity of all balance reconciliations and for reporting unadjusted items in accordance with Group/EMEA reporting requirementsWork with Internal Control and Senior Management to establish reconciliation frequency and thresholds that are risk appropriate and efficient

Treasury:

Responsible for reviewing weekly cash forecasts and ensuring these reflect the latest known input from ControllershipSupport Global Treasury and the business on treasury related requests (eg bank account changes, FBAR, FX, cash flow reporting, loan & interest settlement, bank guarantees) adopting Corporate providers and processesResponsible for identifying working capital improvement opportunities and supporting improvementsResponsible for the remediation of entity liquidity issues

Compliance & Control

Responsible for ensuring adequate financial control reviews are evidencedResponsible for ensuring adequate governance is in place to identify, prioritise and remediate risk in the countries and input to the quarterly EMEA Controllership risk reviewSupport the communication, training and implementation of Global and EMEA Finance Policies and procedures and ensure financial records are compliantSupport the timely and accurate completion and submission by others of the SOX 302 sub-certificationsSupport the accurate, efficient coding by others to minimize reporting and reconciliation issues and corrections (AP, AR, journals, payroll, manual payments)

Revenue Recognition & Debtors

Responsible for ensuring revenue recognition and CECL policies are understood and correctly applied within Responsible for reviewing bad debt provisions ensuring they are adequate and in line with policyPerform ad hoc contract reviews and provide guidance on the most appropriate financial operational practices to adopt within the contractSupport working capital optimisation across countries through meaningful metrics and finance operational support for aged debt reduction, achievement of DSO targets, prompt invoicing, cash collection & allocation and resolution of credit balances

Tax & Other returns

Responsible for ensuring regulatory returns (including CIT, VAT, ECSL, other returns and business surveys) are adequately reviewed and submitted on time whether prepared internally or by service providersResponsible for ensuring tax related payments are correctly coded, approved and made on timeSupport transfer pricing studies and external audits by tax authoritiesCollaborate with Tax to ensure intercompany recharges and allocations are appropriate and timely

Intercompany

Responsible for ensuring the Global intercompany policy and process is deployed efficiently across countriesResponsible for ensuring intercompany transactions are processed by others on a timely basis ( eg referral fees and recharges)Drive timely investigation and reduction of intercompany mismatches supporting the FSC Intercompany team and R2R process owner

Process & Systems

Support process and system change projects in accordance with prioritised plansActively seek out smarter ways of working and optimise system functionality to minimize manual effort

Legal entities & Ad hoc

Support all stages of M&A activity including due diligence and post-acquisition integrationCollaborate with stakeholders to optimize legal entity structures and minimize compliance costLead the investigation and remediation of negative equity situations

Collaboration with Stakeholders

Collaborate effectively with teams producing financial data (input or output).Responsible for improvements to processes and controls that ensure data is recorded accurately and on a timely basis, including change management and trainingResponsible for the resolution of issues, queries and escalations impacting accurate accounting when raised by stakeholders (eg the Business, US/EMEA Controllership, FSC teams)

We foster a culture of inclusion that embraces the unique strengths, perspectives, and experiences of all our employees. We firmly believe that our diversity enhances our team's capabilities, leading to improved decision-making, innovation, and business outcomes. If you have any reservations about applying, please don't hesitate to reach out to your local recruiter for additional information

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”