Director of Accounting

Compliance, Accounting & Tax Director (Thailand & Laos)

Location:
Chonburi

Role Purpose

Own the company's financial compliance and control environment in Thailand & Laos. Lead statutory and US GAAP reporting, strengthen internal controls (incl. SOX alignment), partner with Internal Audit, and provide pragmatic technical guidance on Thai tax principles (CIT, WHT, VAT, TP) while leveraging corporate tax and external advisors for complex matters. Be the balance-sheet "first line of defence," proactively surfacing risks, enforcing policies/DOA, and ensuring clean audits with minimal findings.

Scope & Key Outcomes

• Internal Controls & SOX: Design, implement, and enforce finance and finance/ops controls; close gaps, harden key cycles, and sustain control performance with clear ownership
• Balance Sheet Quality: Full ownership of balance-sheet integrity (inventory risks, accruals, reserves, FA, AR/AP ageing & provisions, advances, GR/IR, intercompany). Zero surprises; reconciliations timely and with high quality document support (e.g., BlackLine)
• Statutory & GAAP Reporting: Accurate, timely Thai statutory submissions and US GAAP closes in partnership with regional/corporate accounting
• Tax Governance (Technical): Provide in-house guidance on Thai tax mechanics and business impacts; orchestrate TP and tax defence with Corporate Tax, Big-4 advisors, and tax counsel
• Audit Readiness: Smooth statutory and corporate audits with minimal findings through strong documentation, clear processes, and effective stakeholder management
• Business Partnering: Translate complex accounting/tax into clear guidance for operations, commercial, supply chain, and shared services; challenge contracts and new processes early

Responsibilities

1) Compliance & Internal Controls (incl. SOX)

• Own the Internal Control framework across Finance and key operational cycles; map risks, design controls, remediate gaps, and monitor performance
• Enforce company policies, procedures, and Delegation of Authority (DOA); drive control discipline in P2P, O2C, I2C, R2R, FA, inventory, and project accounting
• Coordinate with Internal Audit as primary counterpart; ensure findings are preventive, not detective, and that action plans close on time

2) Accounting & External Reporting

• Lead month/quarter/year-end close to a disciplined calendar; ensure accurate US GAAP reporting and Thai statutory accounts
• Review and approve complex accounting schemes (e.g., customer advances used for capex; dual capitalisation/liability and matched depreciation/settlement); ensure treatment is compliant under Thai tax and US GAAP
• Elevate reconciliation quality (e.g., BlackLine), ageing governance, and root-cause fixes for recurring reconciling items
• Optimize statutory corporate audit testwork via better readiness, documentation, and walkthroughs

3) Tax Oversight (Technical Stewardship; not a consultant role)

• Provide practical guidance on Thai tax principles: VAT (incl. duty-free zone specifics; VAT on sales in/outside zone), WHT, CIT, BOI incentives, and timing of deductibility
• Anticipate tax impacts of new processes and contracts; ask the right questions of Corporate Tax and external advisors to obtain actionable answers
• Co-lead tax defence and TP governance with Corporate Tax and Big-4/tax lawyers; maintain robust documentation and filing discipline

4) Statutory & Legal/Entity Compliance

• Ensure timely, accurate statutory filings; maintain company registers, bank signatories, licences, and BOI compliance in coordination with Corporate Legal and Company Secretary
• Establish mechanisms to monitor regulatory changes and proactively communicate actions/impacts to management

5) Process Leadership & Business Partnering

• Review and challenge commercial/supply-chain/customer contracts for accounting and provisioning implications (credit balances, offsets, rebates, warranties, penalties)
• Guide teams on implementing new business processes accounting-wise and tax-wise ("design-in compliance" approach)
• Document end-to-end processes and desktop procedures; build a searchable, up-to-date knowledge base

6) Treasury & Financial Risk (with Corporate Treasury)

• Oversee local treasury accounting (hedging, hedge-effectiveness, exposures) and support cash-flow accuracy; ensure alignment with corporate policy

7) People & Ways of Working

• Coach and mentor finance/accounting teams, raising judgement, control mindset, and documentation standards.
• Foster a culture of clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement across finance and cross-functional partners

Candidate Profile

• Bachelor's in Accounting/Finance; CPA/Thai CPA/Chartered Accountant preferred.
• 10+ years in accounting/controllership/compliance in MNCs; blend of Big-4 and industry experience strongly preferred.
• Proven ownership of balance-sheet quality and internal controls (SOX experience a strong plus).
• Solid technical grasp of Thai tax mechanics (CIT, WHT, VAT, TP, BOI); comfortable coordinating with Corporate Tax and external advisors for deep matters.
• Strong US GAAP and Thai statutory knowledge; able to resolve complex, multi-element accounting issues.
• Audit-ready documentation discipline; adept with reconciliation tools (e.g., BlackLine) and ERP (SAP a plus).
• Excellent English and able to translate complexity into business language and influence senior stakeholders.