Financial Controller

Company Overview

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organization to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview of the role

The Financial Controller is responsible for ensuring financial governance, compliance, and integrity across the Real Estate operations of Cairo Festival City. This includes accountability for fixed assets, internal controls, accounting policies, and the entirety of finance operations. The role requires establishing robust control frameworks and governance standards, ensuring compliance with accounting policies, and maintaining the integrity of financial systems. The position supports decision-making by providing high-quality financial insights and leading financial strategies, collaborating with various stakeholders to drive financial and operational success.

What you will do

Accounting policies and judgements

• Own, define, and approve accounting policies and procedures in line with IFRS, Al-Futtaim standards, and real estate business requirements.
• Act as the main reference on complex accounting judgements and interpretations across CFC.
• Lead impact assessments of new and amended accounting standards and ensure consistent implementation across all entities.
• Ensure accounting policies are embedded within systems, processes, and finance operations.

Internal control framework, systems & standards

• Own and enforce the Al-Futtaim financial control framework across CFC as Head of Internal Controlling.
• Ensure compliance with control standards across all CFC business units and legal entities.
• Drive continuous improvement of internal controls through process redesign, automation, and system enhancements.
• Govern finance systems and SAP-interfaced platforms to ensure data integrity and control robustness.
• Sponsor and govern legal entity and SAP entity rationalization initiatives.

Financial close, consolidation & reporting governance

• Be fully accountable for the integrity, discipline, and timeliness of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close.
• Establish and enforce balance sheet substantiation standards across all entities.
• Oversee intercompany accounting, reconciliation, settlement, and policy compliance.
• Lead CFC consolidation and ensure accuracy of divisional and system-driven consolidation processes.
• Approve and govern financial master data.

Financial control, governance & compliance

• Act as senior owner of financial governance, ensuring compliance with policies, DOA, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee FSSC performance against KPIs and SLAs, ensuring a strong control environment.
• Govern onboarding and offboarding of entities into shared services and finance systems.
• Review, challenge, and ensure closure of internal and external audit findings, including tax-related matters.
• Ensure accuracy, reliability, and completeness of financial records and statutory reporting.

Financial reporting & strategic analysis

• Own the integrity and quality of management and statutory financial reporting across CFC.
• Provide senior leadership with insightful analysis across key financial cycles (revenue, leasing, working capital, funding, investments).
• Translate financial performance into risks, opportunities, and actionable insights.

Fixed assets & capital governance

• Own and govern the end-to-end fixed asset lifecycle, including capitalization policies and asset registers.
• Lead the capitalization, asset classification, and impairment considerations.
• Oversee Capex governance to ensure compliance with budgets, policies, and DOA.
• Ensure effective handover of completed projects from Development to Asset Management.
• Ensure all development Capex is raised, tracked, and controlled through PMWeb.

Business partnership & stakeholder leadership

• Act as the primary finance governance interface for Development, Asset Management, Treasury, Shared Services, Regional and Group Finance, and Auditors.
• Provide advice on funding structures, cash flow controls, and financial risk management.
• Monitor economic, regulatory, and real estate market developments and advise leadership accordingly.

Required skills to be successful

• Deep expertise in IFRS and accounting standards.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Proficient in financial reporting and analysis.
• Effective at problem-solving and decision-making in complex environments.

What qualifies you for the role

• Post-graduate degree in commerce, accounting, or finance.
• Accounting or finance qualification such as CPA, CA, CMA, ACCA, CFA, or CIMA; MBA is preferable.
• Minimum of 10 years of finance and accounting experience, with at least 4 years in the real estate sector.
• Proficiency in ERP financial software with preferred expertise in SAP and Yardi.

About Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate

The real estate development and operations arm of Al-Futtaim, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate is responsible for a multi-billion-dollar portfolio across MENA. With high-quality residential, business, retail, tourism, educational and healthcare developments, the master developer caters to the diverse needs of cities and communities in the region. From origination, conception, development, sales, procurement and construction of mega-projects and the leasing, operation and management of these projects after completion, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate (AFGRE) has been developing and managing owned landbanks, unlocking the economic potential of the region and contributing to future development for more than 40 years.

Our focus is to enable and invest in meaningful relationships to make our properties the best places to live and work, build additional products and services and enable partnerships to create true value to our customers throughout their entire experience with us.

AFGRE is responsible for master planning of all projects in its portfolio, including two large scale mixed use destinations: Dubai Festival City and Cairo Festival City.