14698 - Accounting Director, International - Virtual

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Job Purpose

The Director – International Accounting is a senior leadership role within Kelly Services' Controllership organization, reporting directly to the Chief Accounting Officer. This role owns end-to-end accounting for Kelly's non-US entities across three regional teams — APAC (Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, India, Australia), EMEA (UK & Ireland, Germany & Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Sweden, Portugal, Italy), and Mexico — including local GAAP compliance, statutory reporting, tax filings, local to US GAAP conversion, and integration with the corporate consolidation.

The ideal candidate brings deep multi-jurisdictional accounting experience, direct familiarity with statutory reporting requirements across EMEA, APAC, and Latin America, comfort operating across multiple ERPs (PeopleSoft, Workday, D365, Accpac/Sage) and time zones, and demonstrated ability to lead delivery-model changes at scale.

Our Director – International Accounting is accountable for:

1. Regional Close & Consolidation (APAC, EMEA, Mexico)

• Own the trial balance for every non-US legal entity across APAC, EMEA, and Mexico. Ensure each region's close ties to the corporate consolidation, TM1, and other reporting tools (Power BI) as needed.
• Execute the financial close process across all non-US entities — journal entries, account reconciliations, operational, revenue, and cost of service line items.
• Oversee FX revaluation, cash reporting, and ERP data-model maintenance across D365 (EMEA), Accpac/Sage (APAC), and the local Mexico accounting system.
• Direct intercompany accounting — IC invoices, US royalty entries, chargebacks — with balance confirmations and settlements against counterpart entities.
• Own the local reconciliation portfolio: bank, balance sheet, AP/AR aging, intercompany, and statutory-to-US-GAAP reconciliations.

2. Statutory & Local-GAAP Compliance

• Own local GAAP compliance and statutory reporting across all non-US jurisdictions.
• EMEA: VAT/Intervat submissions, statutory payroll and social security, local statutory balance-sheet reporting under local GAAP, tax provisions, and statutory adjustments in coordination with local tax advisors.
• Mexico: IVA (VAT), ISR (income tax), CFDI electronic invoicing, PTU (profit sharing), IMSS/INFONAVIT social security, withholding entries and filings.
• APAC: GST, TDS, payroll tax, and country-specific statutory filings.
• Coordinate statutory audits and quarterly reviews with regional external auditors — providing documentation and support.
• Ensure statutory accounts are filed on time in each jurisdiction and audit documentation is prepared for local auditors.

3. Local-to-US GAAP Reconciliation & Reporting Integration

• Oversee regional financial reporting — variance analysis, local GAAP to US GAAP reconciliation, statutory returns and reports, and alignment with corporate management reporting.
• Provide statutory footnote inputs to Technical Accounting & External Reporting for consolidated disclosures.
• Coordinate with Corporate Consolidations & Controls team on close-calendar integration, FX/CTA, and intercompany governance.
• Manage the review of top-level P&L by cost center and entity, verifying JE completeness and cut-off, and confirming TM1 results match local accounting systems.

4. Regional Team Leadership & Local Business Partnership

• Lead a small team of regional managers, each accountable for their region's close, statutory compliance, and local audit relationships.
• Serve as the primary international accounting business partner for local country leadership — providing support on structural questions, statutory changes, and regional business decisions with accounting implications.
• Maintain robust financial controls, calendars, and documentation to ensure an audit-ready environment across all jurisdictions.
• Coordinate cross-functional inputs from local Tax, Treasury, HR, and Operations.

5. Delivery-Model Optimization & AI/Automation

• Drive process standardization, delivery-model changes, and AI/automation adoption.
• Partner with the Continuous Improvement CoE (embedded within Corporate Consolidations & Controls) on standardization and technology-enablement initiatives across the three regions.
• Champion AI/automation adoption across international teams — statutory JE automation, reconciliation support, FX processing, and cross-region close standardization.
• Support the R2R transformation program on Horizon/Helios cutover for international entities (Workday Accounting Center (Consolidation module) and Expense module rollout across regions) and post-go-live stabilization.

Knowledge and Skills

Technical Skills

• Multi-Jurisdictional GAAP: Deep working knowledge of local GAAPs across EMEA (UK GAAP/FRS, IFRS, German HGB, French PCG, etc.), APAC jurisdictions (Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, India, Australia), and Mexico. Strong local-to-US GAAP reconciliation experience.
• Statutory Reporting: Direct experience with country-specific statutory compliance — VAT/Intervat, GST/TDS, PTU/IMSS/INFONAVIT/CFDI/IVA/ISR, statutory payroll, social security, and local statutory balance-sheet reporting.
• Multi-ERP Environment: Working proficiency across PeopleSoft Financials, Workday Financials, D365, Accpac/Sage, and local country systems. Comfort operating across ERPs during and after Horizon/Helios cutover.
• FX & Consolidation: Strong understanding of foreign currency matters and integration with corporate consolidation (TM1).
• Intercompany: Experience with IC invoicing, royalty entries, chargebacks, and balance confirmations across multiple currencies and legal entities.
• Data & Analytics: Comfort with cross-regional data sets and analytics platforms (Power BI, Tableau) for close-quality monitoring and variance analysis.
• AI & Automation: Experience deploying automation across international close operations — JE automation, reconciliation support, FX processing.

Leadership Skills

• Leading Distributed Teams: Demonstrated ability to lead teams across time zones and cultures, with managers in different regions.
• Local Business Partnership: Skilled at serving as accounting business partner for local country leadership across multiple jurisdictions.
• Change Management & Delivery-Model Transformation: Proven ability to lead delivery-model changes — process standardization, delivery-model optimization, and technology-enablement — in a multi-country environment.
• Executive Communication: Strong written and verbal communication across cultures and languages; comfortable presenting international results to CAO, CFO, and external auditors.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Coordinates effectively with Corporate Consolidations & Controls (close integration, FX/IC), Technical Accounting & External Reporting (statutory footnotes), local Tax and Treasury, and BU leadership.
• AI & Automation Leadership: Champions adoption of AI/automation across international teams, measuring realized efficiency gains and connecting to enterprise AI maturity roadmap.
• Governance Mindset: Balances local statutory compliance with corporate consolidation integrity.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration (Required)
• Master of Business Administration or Master's in Accounting (Preferred)
• Certified Public Accountant – CPA or equivalent local designation (Required)

Experience

• 10+ years of progressive international accounting experience across multiple jurisdictions (Required)
• Big 4 or national firm public accounting experience with international clients (Strongly Preferred)
• 5+ years in a leadership role managing international accounting teams across multiple regions (Required)
• Direct experience with statutory reporting in EMEA, APAC, and/or Latin America (Required)
• Direct experience with Mexico statutory compliance (CFDI, PTU, IMSS/INFONAVIT) (Preferred)
• Experience operating across multiple ERPs and local accounting systems in a multi-entity environment (Required)
• Experience leading delivery-model changes, offshore/nearshore transitions, or process consolidation across international finance operations (Strongly Preferred)
• Experience leading or participating in ERP implementation across international entities (Required)
• Experience leading or sponsoring AI/automation adoption in an international accounting function (Required)

Base pay range for this position is $120,075 - $160,100 per year. Final annual compensation will be based on experience and may vary by geographic location.

Total compensation package including benefits as applicable to the position — understanding that each person has unique professional and personal needs focused on your total well-being. Explore our range of benefits at: Kelly Services | People Regular Staff

Kelly is an equal opportunity employer committed to employing a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, including, but not limited to, race, gender, individuals with disabilities, protected veterans, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Equal Employment Opportunity is The Law.