Chief Accountant

The person in this position will be responsible for overseeing the General Accounting and Financial Reporting functions from a US GAAP and local accounting perspective. He or she is responsible for implementing and maintaining a system of internal controls that will ensure that company assets are adequately safeguarded and that all financial reporting is prepared in compliance with US GAAP and company policies. 

As a direct report to the CFO, he/she will participate in the transformation of the finance & accounting function: organization, process and technology. He/she will be expected to champion cost & productivity initiatives across the French business. He/she will also actively participate in business acquisitions, including financial due diligence, goodwill and integrated finance processes.

Essential Responsibilities

US GAAP Closing & Reporting:
•    Oversees the general accounting function, which includes inter-company accounting, cash management, account reconciliations, financial reporting, balance sheet management.
•    Responsible for monthly and quarterly closing & reporting activities for the French entities.
•    Provides technical accounting GAAP guidance and support to the French business (revenue recognition, capitalization, accruals, etc.).
•    Drive continuous improvements in the financial closing processes and systems through ‘value add’ standardization.

Tax Filings & Compliance:
•    Supervise and ensure successful completion of French tax reporting requirements (including CIT, CVAE, payroll and other local taxes), and other reports required by government regulation. 
•    Perform the annual return to provision (RTP) and provide the quarter tax cash forecast to the regional tax team
•    Provide support to tax advisors in the documentation of the transfer pricing policy & operations
•    Act as key point of contact for the French entities during local tax audits and ensure relevant documents are provided to local tax authorities timely.

Audits & SOx Compliance:
•    Oversee the organization and coordination of the year-end close process with external auditors. 
•    Responsible for the implementation of agreed upon recommendations, related to areas of responsibility, resulting from the audit findings.
•    Coordinates and oversees the Sarbanes Oxley activities relative to internal controls documentation and testing and segregation of duties.
•    Recommend and develop policies, procedures, and processes to promote internal controls, the safeguarding of assets, the prevention of fraud, compliance with generally accepted accounting principles, sound business practices, and relevant regulations. 

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A):
•    Undertake the pre-purchase financial due diligence assessment of potential acquisition targets, with the identification and quantifiable assessment of risk. Identifying the potential approaches to mitigation and the investment required.
•    Post purchase, undertake a more robust due diligence on the acquired business, validating pre purchase due diligence observations and reviewing other risk areas where previous ability to assess was limited. 
•    Engage and support the Senior Management Team in the development of a business & IT integration plan, which is informed by due diligence findings combined with other opportunities.

Team management & development:
•    Ensures that the accounting department is staffed with qualified financial personnel capable of meeting the objectives and responsibilities, noted above. Responsible for continued development of these associates.

IT Systems roll-out:
•    Actively support IQVIA-wide ERP rollouts. Assess impact of process changes on business day-to-day activities. Identify and communicate local business needs & requirements to Corporate teams.

At IQVIA, we believe in pushing the boundaries of human science and data science to make the biggest impact possible – to help our customers create a healthier world. The advanced analytics, technology solutions and contract research services we provide to the life sciences industry are made possible by our 67,000+ employees around the world who apply their insight, curiosity and intellectual courage every step of the way. Learn more at jobs.iqvia.com.