Administration & Finance Manager

Job description / Role

Our client is a leader in the retail industry and has a significant presence in the UAE and Lebanon. The company offers leading American and European brands and is well known for its high end quality, luxurious products.

The company has showrooms in Beirut and Dubai which are destinations for private consumers and project specifiers, in addition to working with prestigious international brands on their commercial projects.

Due to continued growth, a new role has been created of Administration & Finance Manager to manage financial, purchasing, logistics and other administrative functions that allow the company to operate and serve customers in an optimal manner. The position will be based in Dubai but will oversee both the Dubai and Beirut operations. Regular travel to Beirut and spending up to 1 week per month there would be required.

Objectives of the role are to ensure the smooth operation of all finance and service functions in the company including accounting, purchasing, logistics and IT; develop and implement common operating procedures for Dubai and Beirut operations with the owners and general management; develop regular reporting and analyses that will allow management to follow the companys activity and development and ensure the company has the proper IT tools to operate efficiently and achieve its objectives.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Recruit and manage the staff in charge of the following functions: accounting, purchasing, logistics and warehousing, and IT.
- Define the principal operating procedures and the systems for controlling that they are followed.
- Manage the accounting staff.
- Prepare the annual budgets and intermediate revisions if necessary.
- Prepare regular monthly reporting of sales and expenses results, for management, and analyze variances from budget and propose corrective actions. Develop analytical reports of key indicators to allow optimal following of operations and results.
- Define with management the payment policies for customers and ensure they are followed.
- Supervise and control payment and treasury operations. Liaise with the Group concerning this function.
- Prepare annual reporting of results and legal filings and tax declarations as required. Liaise with the Group concerning these tasks.
- Supervise purchasing staff and develop and implement procedures for placing and following purchase orders and ensuring their accuracy. Develop reporting system to keep commercial staff informed of status of orders for their customers and of merchandise in stock available for sale.
- Manage the staff in charge of logistics, warehousing and delivery. Develop and implement procedures optimising the operations of transporting and importing the goods, warehousing them and delivering them to customers.
- Define the needs for an IT system allowing proper and optimal management of sales, purchasing, accounting and reporting functions. Implement such systems as required. Oversee the purchasing and maintenance of IT equipment. Liaise with the Group concerning this function.
- Manage relations and negotiations with suppliers of general services: telephone, rents, supplies, logistic services, IT equipment and services, etc.

Requirements

For the role our client is looking for a University degree in Business Administration or Finance with knowledge of finance, accounting, budget and cost control, purchasing and logistic and at least 7 years of experience in finance and accounting with at least 2-3 years experience in a similar broad multi-function position involving management of staff.

Additionally, a high capability for dialogue and negotiation with own staff, commercial staff and outside suppliers and an aptitude for organization and for dealing with a wide variety of problems in the different areas under the positions management. Plus the ability to deal with resolving daily problems without losing sight of medium to longer term needs and objectives.Spirit of flexibility and pragmatism to work in a fast moving environment.

High level of spoken and written English and Arabic and familiarity with Lebanon is an absolute must.

About the Company

Irwin & Dow was established in 2013 to provide clients with a unique and highly personalised recruitment service, providing the very top calibre of candidates across the business support and secretarial function.

We provide a refreshing approach, working in close partnership with clients and candidates across diverse industry sectors; large MNC’s, government & semi -government entities, SME’s, local businesses and in the start-up and UHNWI support framework.

Great people equal great success: all our candidates are interviewed personally by a member of the team, and we develop longstanding and in-depth relationships with our clients, understanding their corporate culture and goals to ensure a successful outcome for both parties.

Our values of discretion and diplomacy are paramount, and we are pleased to be a partner of choice for clients and candidates.