Financial Accountant

Inspired to grow with your experience, learn and share with new colleagues?
 

Huhtamaki is a key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions for consumers around the world, enabling wellbeing and convenience. Our innovative products protect on-the-go and on-the-shelf food and beverages, ensuring hygiene and safety, and help prevent food waste.

We are committed to protecting food, people and the planet and are on the lookout for passionate and consummate professionals to join our growing team to help us deliver on our ambitious 2030 Strategy. We look for colleagues who Care, Dare and Deliver.

Organizational context

At Huhtamaki, we’re global specialists in packaging for food and drink, dedicated to making every consumer experience enjoyable, consistent, and safe. We are committed to making packaging more circular and we embed sustainability in everything we do. With 100 years of history and a strong Nordic heritage we operate in 35 countries and 81 sites around the world. Our 18,600 employees are working to deliver smart next generation packaging.

Our values

It's important to us to do the right thing by each other and our customers. Wherever we work, we are grounded in our values:

• Care

We care for each other, our customers, partners and communities. We care for the future of our planet embedding sustainability in everything we do.

• Dare

We dare to innovate, grow and have an impact. We are a diverse and entrepreneurial team seeking new opportunities with our customers.

• Deliver

We commit and deliver solutions to our customers, with integrity and as a team. We are ambitious and strive for high performance.

Position Summary

This is a key role in the Finance team and is responsible for supporting the business and ensuring the integrity, accuracy and timeliness of the company’s financial accounting records, including the general ledgers, accounts receivables ledgers and accounts payable ledgers for all legal entities in New Zealand. The position focuses on supporting the Finance Manager with regards to governance. Delivers a high standard of service and support to all internal and external customers and delivers timely and accurate reports. The role will include identifying, analysing, scoping and delivering special projects and continuous improvement opportunities.

Main responsibilities

Reporting

• Maintain General Ledger of all the country legal entities
• Manage and complete balance sheet reconciliations for all legal entities
• Ensures transactional aspects of business units’ results are accurate, through identifying key issues arising from data accuracy and pro-actively proposes changes
• Ensure timely payment and recording of indirect taxes – GST, FBT, NRWT
• Ensure that local reporting is completed according to IFRS standards and to Local GAAP regulations and Group reporting according to Group reporting standards.
• Preparation of month end and year end accounting services by ensuring the transactional processes and activities (which include accounts payable, accounts receivable and financial reporting) are completed accurately within monthly, quarterly and annual deadlines
• Prepare, review and upload reconciled monthly results to required systems as per agreed timelines
• Ensure timely and accurate controls in ERP’s and validating income statement and balance sheet correctness at month-ends
• Maintain and manage all intercompany transactions, including monthly revaluations and reconciliations. Troubleshoot and resolve any variances
• Oversee Netting process for intercompany payments and FX Hedges
• Preparation and filing of statutory reports in a timely manner
• Maintain and update Customer Pricing master data in collaboration with Sales
• Maintain and reconcile Customer Rebate Provisions, including liaising with Account Managers on contracts
• Assist with compliance for annual Statutory audit
• Assist with information for Company Tax filing

Budgets and Forecasts

• Assist with yearly budget process and preparation, including loading of data to required systems
• Assist with monthly forecast preparation, including loading of data to required systems

Treasury

• Oversee and assist with preparation of the cash flow and working capital reporting
• Ensures that short term liquidity positions are identified and managed appropriately

Continuous improvement and Controls

• Establishes and reviews financial systems ensuring accurate results are produced, which can be relied upon to make business decisions
• Support business with special projects and workflow process improvements (eg., master data cleansing).
• Any ad-hoc analysis as reporting as required

Other duties

• Updating reports for daily management meetings
• Assist with AP/AR, as and when needed
• Key-user for Accounting applications in ERP (Ledgers, GL, Cash Management)
• Be a backup for finance staff where needed
• Any other duties as required by the manager

Health & Safety

• Providing and maintaining an accident-free worksite through actively engaging in and promoting Health & Safety and Environmental principles and ensuring compliance with legislative requirements and Huhtamaki local and Group standards

This job specification is not to be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. It is intended as an outline indication of the areas of activity and will be amended considering the changing needs of the organisation.

Desired profile

Qualifications

• At least a tertiary qualification in accounting, desired.
• CPA or CA qualification good to have, but not necessary

Knowledge, Skills and Experience required / desired

• A tertiary qualification in accounting
• At least 3 to 5 years of commercial/in practice experience
• High level of knowledge and experience in excel
• Must have worked with monthly international reporting deadlines
• Strong knowledge of finance processes/internal controls
• Experience in ERP systems
• Ability to assess processes and identify efficiencies to be gained
• Experience in implementing new initiatives and rolling out new ways of working

Attributes

• Strong focus on development and continuous improvement
• Detail-oriented, with Strong analytical skills
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple requirements from different stakeholders
• Critical thinking as it applies to logic and reasoning to investigate strengths and weaknesses of possible solutions, conclusion or approaches to problems
• Highly driven and results orientated
• Initiative and pro-active
• Naturally collaborative and works well with business leaders and the wider business as a key provider of information

Join us to shape the future together!