Financial Closing Control Officer

Job description

Company Description

Natixis in Portugal is a Centre of Expertise whose mission is to transform traditional banking by developing innovative solutions for the business, operations and work culture of Groupe BPCE worldwide.

As part of Groupe BPCE’s international division, Natixis in Portugal designs and delivers solutions for its two core areas – Corporate & Investment Banking and Asset & Wealth Management – as well as transversal services that support all entities across the Group.

With more than 3,000 employees representing 46 nationalities, the teams work across Information Technology, Banking Support Activities, and Compliance, in an integrated, inclusive, and cross-functional way, supporting all business lines and platforms of the Group.

A disruptive mindset and a culture of proximity and agility identify Natixis in Portugal Team and reflect the company’s mission to transform traditional banking at a global scale: a perfect match in the Portuguese dynamics and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Job Description

As part of the Finance Department, you will join the Financial Data Integrity sub-division as a Financial Closing Control Officer, working with the APAC market.

Generic Responsibilities

1. Ensures the reliability of accounting P&L by carrying out an analytical review of the result for the financing scope, reconciling accounting P&L with economic P&L for the operations market scope, and making necessary manual adjustments of accounting data or requesting economic P&L adjustments.
2. Reconciles accounting balances with inventories data (BO applications) and FO data (FO applications) and make manual adjustments of accounting data and/or inventories.
3. Controls that the balance of all accounts under the FDI responsibility is justified on a quarterly basis.
4. Contributes to quarterly closing controls to enhance data quality.
5. Provides additional information related to manual entries, including additional comments and explanations - Manual Entries Classification (Outstanding & P&L).
6. Ensures the neutrality of internal operations (operations booked between two desks of Natixis) by performing manual adjustments of accounting data.
7. Justifies alert controls, including abnormal balances and consistency of monthly balances.
8. Produces audit trails for specific notices to LoD1.2. and LoD 2 Produce supporting documents for the controls mentioned above.
9. Compiles and sends financial syntheses to the external auditors and LoD2 for the Financing scope.
10. Justifies the accounting standard discrepancies between French and IFRS GAAPs, including making manual adjustments of accounting data.
11. Ensures that the year-to-date balance of latent accounts matches only with the latest valuation of the operations (unrealized P&L).
12. Ensures that the opening of a year matches with the closing of the previous year for the global market scope.
13. Ensures that the opening of FX positions is justified by matching economic FX positions with accounting FX positions and ensuring hedged P&L impact fits economic expectations for the operations market scope.
14. Ongoing work to improve all control processes and defect tracking.
15. Collaborates with other departments (FO, Market Risk, BO, Finance…) to ensure seamless financial operations. Ex Book Transfer: Verify that the transferred operations have been carried out correctly from an accounting point of view.
16. Controls/Tests the data following the implementation of a new software system and new accounting systems, ensuring that all updates and modifications are accurately reflected and communicated within the organization.

Specific Responsibilities

1. Proposes and updates procedures and operating methods, identifying improvement opportunities to enhance reporting accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
2. Identifies areas for process improvements and leads initiatives to implement changes that enhance operational efficiency.
3. Creates training materials and conduct training sessions for junior controllers to enhance their skills and understanding of accounting processes.
4. Shares knowledge, provide technical guidance, and offers constructive feedback to Juniors.
5. Acts as a liaison between the accounting control team and other departments to ensure clear communication and understanding of financial matters.
6. Leads the reconciliation of back-office inventories (Loan IQ, FBTI, SUMMIT TCI & BONDS, SYSCO, ECRIN) and explain discrepancies.
7. Controls and justifies P&L per financing business line, analyzing margins, commission levels, provisions (individual and IFRS 9), funding, etc.
8. Provides accounting and financial information to different areas of the business, external auditors, regulatory entities, and tax inspections.
9. Performs case-by-case analysis and responds to queries from internal and external stakeholders, including Finance, Risk Departments, Audit, and FPC.
10. Participates in projects related to accounting and/or regulatory topics to adapt control processes.
11. Stays informed about changes in accounting regulations and standards and ensure the team is updated and compliant.
12. Certifies the Balance Sheet/Write-Off Balance Sheet per trade id for Global Market.
13. Certifies the P&L per trade id for Global Market.
14. Performs the quarterly controls tasks.

Qualifications

•  Bachelor Degree / Master Degree in Finance and/or Accounting;
• Knowledge of the banking system and financial products / financial instruments such as medium to long-term loans, trade finance, structured finance, and global Markets Operations (Fixed Income, ALM, Treasury & Equity Market and commodities;
• Advance Knowledge with Office tools; Experience with VBA; EasyMorph/SQL;
• Good Communication and attention to detail;
• Autonomy and Organization skills;
• Adaptability skills;
• Fluent level of English is mandatory;
• French knowledge (preferred).

Additional Information

Our workplace reflects the vibrant spirit of our locations, with initiatives such as a Green Transportation Budget, electric bikes and a flexible Hybrid Work Policy. We promote wellbeing through the Honolulu Wellness Club, a Prayer Room, a Lactation Room, and themed Villages that inspire creativity and collaboration. Through our ESG and DEI strategies, we are committed to being inclusive, caring, and fair, ensuring every voice is heard and valued.