Assistant Accounts Manager

Engagement: Independent contractor
Working hours: 8 hours per week

A long-established Caribbean conglomerate, operating across shipping, insurance, and retail, is expanding its accounting department through remote staffing. They're looking for accounting professionals with a strong accounting foundation, good analytical skills, and the ability to work accurately and accountably. Alongside the technical side, they value work ethic, professionalism, integrity, attention to detail, and meeting deadlines. The team works well with people who are proactive, dependable, and willing to take initiative.

About the role

We're looking for someone to provide direct supervision, leadership, and operational oversight of the remote accounting team, making sure accounting work is completed accurately, efficiently, and within established deadlines. You'll be the primary management contact for the offshore team members operating in your time zone, responsible for workflow management, technical guidance, quality control, and performance oversight.

Alongside the management side, you'll stay involved in the department's day-to-day work, assisting with accounting schedules, reconciliations, month-end activities, and financial review. The role is a key link between the remote accounting team and local management.

You'll report to the Accounts Manager and supervise the Remote Accounts Officers along with remote temporary and contract accounting staff.

What you'll be responsible for

The list below covers everything you could potentially handle in this role. It doesn't mean you'll be working on every item every week. The supervisory side is ongoing, while the accounting and close work will depend on where the department is in its cycle.

Team leadership and supervision

• Directly supervising offshore accounting team members and managing daily workflow, assignments, and workload balancing

• Coordinating daily priorities and monitoring completion of assigned tasks with the remote team

• Monitoring remote productivity and adherence to service standards and turnaround times

• Conducting regular quality reviews of team output

• Resolving remote team challenges and escalating significant issues when necessary

• Making sure departmental procedures and internal controls are followed

Journal entry review and approval

• Reviewing and approving routine journal entries prepared by offshore accounting staff, including recurring entries, accruals, prepayments, and reclassifications

• Making sure journals are properly supported and comply with accounting policies

• Verifying the accuracy of account coding and financial impact before approval

• Forwarding approved journals for secondary review and approval by the local Assistant Accounts Manager or designated approver, in line with segregation of duties requirements

Reconciliation and financial oversight

• Reviewing bank reconciliations, balance sheet reconciliations, and intercompany reconciliations prepared by team members

• Making sure reconciling items are investigated and cleared promptly

• Monitoring aged balances and unresolved accounting issues

• Reviewing supporting schedules used for financial reporting and audits

Assigned accounting responsibilities

Alongside the supervisory duties, you'll maintain ownership of:

• Assigned balance sheet reconciliations

• Intercompany reconciliation schedules

• Fixed asset schedules

• Accrual and prepaid expense schedules

• Month-end and year-end accounting schedules

• Other accounting assignments delegated by the Accounts Manager

Month-end and year-end close

• Coordinating month-end close activities across the remote team and making sure assigned deadlines are achieved

• Identifying issues that may impact reporting timelines and escalating accordingly

• Supporting year-end audit preparation and audit requests

Internal controls and compliance

• Making sure segregation of duties is maintained, and monitoring compliance with accounting policies and procedures

• Verifying that supporting documentation is complete and appropriately maintained

• Supporting internal and external audits

• Communicating risks, bottlenecks, and resource concerns to local accounting management

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field

• A recognized professional accounting qualification, or active progress toward one, such as ACCA, CPA, CMA, or equivalent, is an asset

Experience

• Minimum five (5) years of progressive accounting experience, including at least two years in a supervisory, team lead, or accounting review role

• Demonstrated experience reviewing journal entries, bank reconciliations, balance sheet reconciliations, intercompany accounts, accruals, prepayments, and month-end schedules

• Experience coordinating month-end and year-end closing activities

• Experience supervising remote or geographically dispersed accounting staff, a strong asset

• Experience supporting internal and external audits

• Experience working within a multi-company or group accounting environment, an asset

Skills and competencies

• Proficiency with ERP or accounting systems and Microsoft Excel

• Strong leadership, coaching, and team management skills

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to review accounting work critically and identify errors, risks, and control weaknesses

• Strong understanding of internal controls and segregation of duties

• Able to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Able to work effectively with local and remote stakeholders, working independently while escalating significant matters appropriately

• Professional working proficiency in English, clear spoken and written, to collaborate with an English-speaking team

• High level of integrity, confidentiality, accuracy, and professional judgment

Originally posted on Himalayas