Legal Entity Controller at Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Coca-Cola Nigeria is recruiting to fill the below job position;

Job Title: Legal Entity Controller - West Africa

Job ID: 28507
Location: Lagos

Financial/Job Scope:
No of Reporting Units Managed : 3
Countries with operations: 2
Legal entities: 3

Job Summary

• The Legal Entity Controller is responsible for managing tax compliance of the legal entities under his / her jurisdiction and working with the Business Unit teams to proactively identify and mitigate strategic and transactional tax risks.  The LEC is also responsible for overseeing compliance with US GAAP, IFRS and / or other local accounting regulations as well as company accounting policies; and safeguarding the resources of the company by enforcing internal controls & company policies, and continuously improving them to ensure smooth operations of the business.

Key Duties/Responsibilities

Strategic Tax Planning, Mitigation & Compliance - 40%

• Proactively work with the BU functions to mitigate all tax risks & support Commercial Finance and Franchise teams in resolving indirect tax issues (excise, customs, VAT, income and PAYE) affecting the system
• Review significant contracts, agreements and business processes for compliance and tax efficiency
• Maintain tax tracker and engage the BU and Atlanta corporate tax department on all tax issues arising and progress in resolving them
• Review of the monthly VAT, deferred tax and corporation tax computations and related journal vouchers for posting into the ledger and prepare/review monthly tax returns and follow up for timely filing with, payment to & reconciliation with SARS
• Approval of monthly/quarterly GL tax account reconciliations
• In liaison with RC, engage senior tax counsel, external tax advisers and tax authorities and coordinate responses to all tax audits and queries within timelines agreed with or demanded by tax authorities
• Collaborate with Legal and company secretarial service providers to ensure compliance with Companies Act and other local/secretarial requirements.
• Monthly/periodic review of Tax Authorities statement of accounts for all taxes to ensure payments are correctly allocated and receipt of refunds are confirmed by treasury.
• Proactively manage work assigned to external adviser to ensure that agreed timelines are met and quality standards are adhered to within the approved budget.

Operational Control and Compliance - 30%

• Administer the Request for Authority (RFA) database, coordinate with Group and Corporate Capital Management, review validity and appropriateness of justifications provided by BU associates and advise on documentary requirements of various business transactions requiring RFAs
• Coordinate the quarterly Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) certification process with BUFD, RC, BU Legal & BUP and follow-up with Group and Corporate
• Work with BU Finance to ensure proper documentation, communication and implementation of all relevant company policies and procedures and manage the implementation, compliance with and periodic review/amendment of the Local Chart of Authority and relevant policies
• Review weekly payment proposals and oversee timely clearance of payment block lists to ensure accuracy & compliance before approval/payment
• Monitor(along with Controls and Compliance Manager) compliance with company’s segregation of duties (SOD) rules and perform other system access reviews
• Support internal and external audit process (CAD)

Accounting and Reporting - 30%

• Manage non-financial reporting to Atlanta including impairment surveys, third party guarantee reports, legal reserves, payments to government officials, carry-forward spend reporting, etc.
• Review monthly computation of service fees
• Prepare monthly legal entity P&Ls and narratives and quarterly legal entity balance sheets and narratives
• Co-ordinate the completion, review and sign-off of the Annual Financial Statements with RC, BUFD, P&CM and external auditors
• Organize a legal entity board meeting with input from BUFD and BU legal director including the preparation of board packs and accompanying power point presentations
• Ensure items highlighted at monthly Balance Sheet Risk and Opportunities meetings are addressed and acted upon within agreed timelines
• Responsible for interacting as needed with other areas such as Accounting Research, Corporate Treasury, Corporate Tax, Controllers Group, etc.
• Review AICs, SPPs, etc. that impact KO business in order to ensure that the financial statements are being properly reported

Organization Impact/Influence:

• RFC Regional Controller - Supervision, allocation of work and problem solving
• Senior tax counsel /Accounting Research manager/Treasury services managers– Problem solving & exchange of information
• ASM/Disbursements Manager/Treasury Supervisor /AP Manager - Liaison, exchange of information
• BU Finance Management - strategic partnerships, problem solving, SLAs
• BU operations (Legal) - problem solving
• Suppliers/tax advisers /auditors/Tax officials - exchange of information
• Bottler Investor Group Equity Investment contacts & Equity Investees Finance managers - exchange of information
• Controls and Compliance Manager - Liaison, exchange of information

Supervisory Responsibilities

• 2 associates based in Lagos and Abidjan

Related Job Requirements/Qualification

Technical Skills:

• Tax Planning and Compliance
• Strategic Financial Consulting
• Risk Management, Internal Controls (eg. SOX, Segregation of Duties, etc.) and Auditing
• US GAAP, IFRS and local GAAP
• Advanced SAP and Excel
• Treasury Appreciation
• Analytical Skills
• Systems Thinking

Company Specific Behavior Competencies:

• Balancing Immediate and Long-term Priorities
• Delivering results
• Driving Innovative business improvements
• Importing and Exporting Good Ideas
• Setting a Winning Example

Generic Competencies:

• Tolerating stress
• Understanding the business
• Acting with Integrity
• Influencing senior managers
• Planning and organizing

Required Experience:

• 5-10 years' experience in Tax and Auditing or Accounting preferably with multinational or professional practice in South Africa

Educational Requirements:

• Compulsory that candidate has a University degree preferably in Finance, Accounting or related and is a registered qualified professional accountant (CA, CPA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent).

Cultural Diversity:

• Cross cultural exposure is required and an Ability to interact across functions and hierarchies. Ability to communicate with confidence and influence diverse publics is crucial.

Analysis:

• Identifying root causes of non-compliance with procedures and policies, developing actions plans to mitigate and tracking progress
• Understanding queries coming from tax authorities, developing a response that takes care of greater company interest and obtaining alignment of all stakeholders (Legal, Corporate Tax, etc.)
• Developing new internal control procedures to match new business models and ensuring compliance with tax, legal, accounting regulations while avoiding undue complexity
• Processes are well defined but there is complexity in dealing and solving problems in a way that satisfies all stakeholders - also, the problems generally vary on a case by case basis

Judgement and Decision Making:

• Full accountability for ensuring that the BU processes are compliant to company rules and all legal entities under area of responsibility are compliant to tax rules and GAAP.
• Ensure stakeholder/business unit requirements are met through effective management routines/processes /planning, partnering, prioritization and organizing
• Ensure escalation/communication of key issues/opportunities including tax risks, BS and CF risks and opportunities - including recommendations for resolution.

Working Conditions:

• This position operates primarily in an office environment in Lagos, Nigeria
• The spread of activities and operations is business divergent and presents a moderate level of complexity
• There is increasing pressure and scrutiny on business continually trying to extract more revenues via tax penalties
• Vulnerable and complex business models with potential exposure to unethical practices

Application Closing Date
7th May, 2014.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to Apply online