Finance Operations Lead at Syngenta

Role purpose

• Roles support multiple geographic area being South Africa & EASA (Scope includes all businesses in location)
• Ensure robust finance Support is delivered by country team and service centres.
• Play a key-role in ensuring the functioning of the operating model, transformation of Finance function and its continuous improvement.
• Work across boundaries leveraging the One Finance concept to provide seamless business support.
• Act as the key partner to key business stakeholders and together with respective Business Area Leadership drive strategy and delivery financial targets
• To secure a solid bedrock for finance activities and tax compliance in the country
• Deliver high quality set of accounting data to facilitate business decision, statutory and tax reporting.
• Represent Syngenta towards external auditors, and service providers.
• Ensure integrity of the countries compliance program with corporate and local policies and procedures
• Continuously monitor emerging internal control risks and update existing controls and processes to respond to these risks.
• Detect and report to appropriate Syngenta management any violation or deviation from standards and practices including the code of conduct, laws, and other misconduct.
• Provide management with sound risk-based analysis on potential impacts, implications and propose potential ways to mitigate risks on key economic and commercial exposures.
• Drive productivity and simplification in finance and related business processes in the relevant functional/business scope
• Support / lead as appropriate strategic initiatives and projects relating to finance back-office operations in the respective BA or beyond assigned country depending on the business needs.
• Manage develop and resource allocation of finance organisation within Business Area.

Accountabilities

• Represent Finance function to the Business Area, Business Unit and the Region
• Support development and implementation of respective strategies for effective and efficient finance operations and Proforma & Legal Entity P&L Management
• Ensure effective resource prioritization based on sound risk-based cost / benefit analysis
• Provide management with sound risk-based analysis on potential impacts, implications and propose potential ways to mitigate risks on key changes regarding business, regulations or tax procedure law impacting finance back-office operations.
• Provide functional expertise in key projects within country or specific regional project.
• Recommend/propose and co-drive actions with business stakeholders to support stronger cash-flow generation for the company, including optimization of working capital.
• Lead role overseeing finance operations including ITP as a single function, managing people and regional/global stakeholders
• Consulting and manage relationship with E&Y and Tax Authority; Manage Tax and External Audit audits with full accountability.
• Ensure a good internal controls framework and ultimately accountable for following through on all relevant compliance issues (from internal audit, Sox, Letter of Assurance) i
• Monitor and implement new regulations.
• Accountable for overall finance operation including activities performed by the shared services center (e.g., Monitor/Support PEC related activities of EFO (Accruals/JV prep, BS recon, Bank Accounting and bank recon, Fixed Assets, Lease, IC, Inv recon)) 
• Accountable to accurate, complete, and timely Indirect and direct tax computation & filling (Including BEPS top-up tax)
• Review of MDR (Mandatory Disclosure requirement) – substantiation of IC transactions
• Advice Business on Tax compliant business practices
• In collaboration with business and commercial finance teams:  act as Company assets custodian, ensure proper accounting policies, effective process governance and Control Framework maintained in the area of responsibility.
• Member and active contribution in Finance Leadership Team
• Attract, develop, and retain the right finance capabilities in the Finance function.

Qualifications

Knowledge, experience & capabilities

Critical technical, professional, and personal capabilities

• Chartered Accountant or CIMA registered / Similar qualification.
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, or related field.
• Wide knowledge of finance (financial analysis, investment analysis, valuation analysis, cashflow, tax calculation).
• Influencing, teamwork skills
• Successfully communicate ideas that proactively challenge business.
• High focus and energy with a pragmatic mind set and solution-oriented approach.
• Strong collaboration mindset and ability to work in matrix organisation.
• Technology savvy, drive for digitalisation

Critical experience

• A finance professional with 8+ years of experience in different accounting, controlling and tax ideally with previous P&L accountability.
• Experience in working with cross functional teams and ability to work with all levels of the organisation.
• Experience in influencing key stakeholders towards adopting and aligning to relevant procedures and tools.
• Exposure to finance operations including cashflow management and tax.
• Experience in working with multi-cultural and virtual teams; coordination of work of others without direct reporting line

Critical knowledge

• Sound knowledge of accounting compliance, tax compliance, cashflow and business drivers
• Effective finance management of a business with full Legal Entity P&L and cashflow responsibility
• Best practices for the development of financial operations according to business needs
• Financial modelling
• Accounting and statutory
• Ability to understand, communicate and manage complex cross-functional issues