Middle Office Accounting Expert

Role Purpose

As a member of the Accounting Department within the Finance Factory, the Accounting Governance Lead will drive accounting excellence, standardization, compliance, and continuous improvement across the Western Europe accounting landscape.

The role acts as a key liaison between Finance Factory operations, local market stakeholders, and Centers of Excellence, ensuring accounting processes remain compliant, efficient, scalable, and digitally enabled. The successful candidate will leverage data analytics, automation, and AI-driven insights to strengthen accounting governance, improve controls, and enhance operational decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

Accounting Leadership & Governance

• Act as the designated Accounting Governance Lead for Western Europe entities.
• Drive harmonization and standardization of accounting policies, procedures, and controls.
• Ensure compliance with IFRS, local GAAP requirements, and Allianz Group accounting standards.
• Monitor governance frameworks and implement corrective actions where required.
• Lead accounting policy interpretation and provide guidance to operational teams.

Stakeholder & Business Partnership

• Serve as the primary contact for Accounting Centers of Excellence and local finance teams.
• Partner with business leaders to improve accounting quality, efficiency, and control effectiveness.
• Support strategic initiatives impacting financial reporting and accounting operations.
• Facilitate collaboration between Finance Factory teams and local entities.

Transformation, Automation & AI Enablement

• Identify opportunities to automate accounting activities through workflow automation, RPA, AI, and process mining tools.
• Leverage AI-driven analytics to detect anomalies, improve reconciliations, and strengthen financial controls.
• Utilize predictive insights for accounting risk assessment and issue prevention.
• Promote data-driven decision making across accounting operations.
• Support implementation of digital finance transformation initiatives.
  
  

Operational Excellence

• Review accounting processes to eliminate inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
• Establish KPIs and governance dashboards to monitor performance.
• Lead root-cause analysis of recurring accounting issues and implement sustainable solutions.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across accounting operations.
  
  

Compliance, Controls & Risk Management

• Ensure adherence to internal control frameworks and audit requirements.
• Drive risk identification, mitigation, and remediation activities.
• Coordinate internal and external audit support.
• Monitor regulatory developments and assess potential business impact.

Financial Reporting Support

• Support period-end close and financial reporting activities.
• Review and challenge accounting entries, reconciliations, and financial disclosures.
• Ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of financial information.

AI Readiness Expectations

The successful candidate should demonstrate the ability to:

AI & Digital Finance Adoption

• Utilize Generative AI tools to improve productivity and finance processes.
• Apply AI-powered insights for accounting governance and decision support.
• Evaluate finance processes for automation and intelligent workflow opportunities.
• Collaborate with technology teams to deploy AI-enabled finance solutions.

Data & Analytics

• Interpret large accounting datasets using modern analytics tools.
• Build meaningful financial dashboards and performance metrics.
• Use data storytelling techniques to influence stakeholders and leadership teams.
• Identify trends, anomalies, and risk indicators through advanced analytics.

Digital Mindset

• Champion innovation and continuous improvement.
• Promote adoption of digital finance technologies.
• Drive a culture of efficiency, agility, and data-driven decision making.
• Stay updated on emerging AI, finance, and accounting technology trends.
  
  

Desired Experience

• 8-12+ years of progressive accounting and finance experience.
• Strong expertise in IFRS and multinational accounting environments.
• Shared Services, Global Business Services (GBS), or Finance Factory experience preferred.
• Experience leading accounting teams across multiple countries.
• Proven track record in governance, controls, compliance, and stakeholder management.
• Experience managing transformation, automation, or digital finance initiatives.
• Exposure to ERP platforms such as SAP S/4HANA, Oracle, Workday, or similar environments.

Core Competencies

Functional

• Financial Accounting
• IFRS & Local GAAP
• Internal Controls
• Financial Reporting
• Audit & Compliance
• Accounting Governance
• Shared Services Operations
  
  

Digital & AI

• AI for Finance
• Financial Analytics
• Process Automation
• Data Visualization (Power BI/Tableau)
• Process Mining
• Intelligent Controls Monitoring
• Digital Transformation
  
  

Leadership

• Strategic Thinking
• Influencing & Stakeholder Management
• Change Management
• Problem Solving
• Continuous Improvement
• Communication & Collaboration

Profile Requirements

• University degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or related discipline.
• Professional qualification (CA, ACCA, CPA, CIMA, or equivalent) preferred.
• Strong accounting knowledge with experience in IFRS and regulatory reporting.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work within complex multinational environments.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Strong presentation and influencing skills.
• Fluent English; additional European languages are advantageous.
• Demonstrated interest in AI, automation, and future-of-finance technologies.

Allianz Group is one of the most trusted insurance and asset management companies in the world. Caring for our employees, their ambitions, dreams and challenges, is what makes us a unique employer. Together we can build an environment where everyone feels empowered and has the confidence to explore, to grow and to shape a better future for our customers and the world around us. 

At Allianz, we stand for unity: we believe that a united world is a more prosperous world, and we are dedicated to consistently advocating for equal opportunities for all. And the foundation for this is our inclusive workplace, where people and performance both matter, and nurtures a culture grounded in integrity, fairness, inclusion and trust. 

We therefore welcome applications regardless of ethnicity or cultural background, age, gender, nationality, religion, social class, disability or sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected under applicable local laws and regulations. 

Join us. Let's care for tomorrow.