shipping accountant

We are Recruiting a Shipping Accountant who will be involved in several accounting and controlling activities related to Trafigura’s fleet of vessels, mainly providing logistics support to our trading business.

As a Shipping Accountant, you will cooperate closely with the Shipping Financial Controller and with our shared service centres, and will report directly to the Regional Controller for Europe.

The role shall require interaction with various departments in terms of transactions accounting treatment, revenue recognition, expenses classification, PnL finalization, management commentary reports as well as financial statements preparation in accordance with IFRS requirements.

The position provides the opportunity to work in close proximity with several departments such as deals desk and operations. In this capacity, the Shipping Accountant should ensure that business controls and processes are conducted in compliance with Trafigura’s standards and local rules and regulations.Knowledge Skills and Abilities, Key Responsibilities:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• University degree in Accounting & Reporting, Business Administration, Finance or Economics;
• Master’s degree or Chartered Accountant Qualification (ACA, ACCA) would be considered as an advantage
• Knowledge of the international financial and reporting standards, in particular: IAS 16, IFRS 9, IFRS 15 and IFRS 16;
• Good knowledge of: international financial standards and practices, freight routes, INCOTERMS, shipping legal contracts, and derivatives/FFA’s;
• 2+ years relevant work experience in accounting and/or reporting position including proven expertise in Shipping industry;
• Fluent English, including knowledge of shipping, accounting and economic terms;
• Advanced Excel skills and ability to use IT technologies to increase efficiency of work;
• Attention to detail and accuracy with data processing and documents;
• Strong communication skills;
• Self-motivated, team player, proactive, adaptable and able to work autonomously;
• Strong numerical skills and a pragmatic approach to problem solving.

Key Responsibilities     

-    General

• Work closely with the business to understand the transactions they are undertaking and ensure these are recorded appropriately and evidenced by primary documents in both the trading systems and accounting ledgers;
• Be involved in development, establishment and maintenance of suitable accounting policies and procedures;
• Support ad-hoc analysis asked by the business.

-    Monthly management accounting & reporting

• Assist in the preparation of monthly accounting packs, within the defined timelines, and report to the Divisional and Group Accounting teams with appropriate commentaries;
• Cooperate with Shipping Financial Controller to ensure that the monthly accounts are finalised by appropriate application of accounting standards and Trafigura policies;
• Post necessary journals to accurately reflect all transactions in PnL & BS as per accounting principles

-    Controlling

• Perform accounting controls by executing policies and manage assigned balance sheet, perform account reconciliations and make necessary corrections;
• Coordinate with various departments and perform analysis on aged debtors, creditors, accruals and intercompany balances;

-    Annual Accounts and Audit 

• Support the Trafigura Group annual accounts finalisation and audit, which is at 30th September, for the shipping business; and
• Support the obligatory statutory audit process of various shipping entities and ensure satisfactory closure of the audits with the external auditors.

Key Relationships and Department Overview:

Key Relationships          

• Deals Desk (i.e. mid-office);
• Claims and Freight Analysts
• Local management;
• Head office functions: Tax, Treasury, FX team, Accounting & Control, Internal Control;
• Audit and companies.

Reporting Structure  

Reporting to Regional Controller for Europe in Athens.

The job could involve travelling to: Geneva and Mumbai.