Chief Accountant

Job description / Role

About the company

A well-established UAE-based construction & engineering contracting company, operating turnkey civil, MEP, infrastructure and transport projects across the MENA region. Known for delivering multi-discipline build, design & build and infrastructure solutions. The company values integrity, excellence, unity and responsibility, emphasises safety, transparency and sustainability, and works with large scale clients (government and private) in the GCC.

Role purpose

The Chief Accountant will lead the accounting function of the company, ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting, compliance with UAE accounting and tax regulations, managing monthly, quarterly and year-end close, coordinating audits, and supporting management with relevant financial analysis and controls. This role will partner closely with project finance, operations, and external auditors, and will assist in strengthening systems and processes as the business scales.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and manage the accounting team (day-to-day oversight of ledger, month-end and year-end close).
• Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements in accordance with IFRS (or UAE GAAP as applicable) and management reporting requirements.
• Ensure compliance with UAE regulatory requirements (VAT, corporate tax, labour law, DIFC/ADGM if applicable) and internal policies.
• Manage project accounting: cost control, revenue recognition, contract accounting (construction/turnkey projects) and liaise with project managers.
• Coordinate and support internal and external audits, including preparation of audit schedules, working papers, liaising with auditors.
• Monitor cash flow, working capital, accruals/prepayments, and support forecasting and budgeting activities.
• Implement, review and strengthen accounting policies, internal controls, chart of accounts, and ERP/financial systems enhancements.
• Review and reconcile inter-company transactions, fixed assets, project capitalisation, and overhead allocations.
• Provide financial analysis, variance commentary, KPI tracking, and management dashboards for senior leadership.
• Liaise with tax advisors, cost accountants, legal and compliance teams for timely submission of statutory filings, tax returns and regulatory reports.
• Ensure timely and accurate payroll accounting, month-end accruals for benefits, and supervise accounting for employee costs.
• Mentor, develop and train accounting staff; ensure high performance and continuous improvement within the accounting team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance. Preferably professional qualification such as CA, ACCA, CPA.
• Minimum 8-10 years’ progressive accounting experience (ideally in UAE or GCC) with at least 3-5 years in a senior role (e.g., Senior Accountant or Assistant Controller) in a contracting, construction, engineering or heavy-asset business.
• Strong knowledge of IFRS, UAE VAT and corporate tax regulations.
• Proven experience in project accounting or contract accounting (construction or design & build) is highly preferred.
• Excellent ERP/financial system skills (e.g., Oracle, SAP, Dynamics, or a large-scale system) and advanced MS Excel.
• Strong leadership, team-management and communication skills.
• High level of integrity, attention to detail, and ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Ability to liaise effectively with auditors, tax authorities and senior management.
• Good analytical and business partnering skills; able to interpret financial data and present insights to non-finance stakeholders.

Preferred skills

• Experience working in a multi-national or multi-jurisdiction company (MENA region).
• Experience with construction or infrastructure contracting business.
• Knowledge of cost accounting, budgeting, forecasting and financial modelling.
• Familiarity with ERP implementation or upgrade projects.

Benefits

What we offer:

• Competitive salary
• Benefits per UAE labour law and in line with senior finance role (health insurance, annual leave, end-of-service benefit)
• Opportunity to work in a dynamic, growth-oriented construction/engineering business across the MENA region.
• Good career growth and exposure to senior leadership and strategic financial functions.