Accounting Director

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity?

At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients. Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world-changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

Accounting Director, EMEA

Cambridge UK office based 2 days per week

As Accounting Director, EMEA you will join a fast-paced and dynamic leading-edge life sciences organisation where you lead and direct the efforts of ~30 personnel responsible for general ledger accounting, statutory financial regulatory and reporting compliance, direct and indirect tax compliance as well as accounts receivable collection, accounts payable and payroll processing for all Europe, Middle East and Africa countries and lines of business. You will report to Illumina’s VP and Chief Accounting Officer based in San Diego, California, and direct accounting and finance related efforts that support Illumina’s $1B regional business such as setting up systems, ensuring compliance with policies and procedures, opening new entities, providing technical assistance and consultation on new and emerging initiatives and other duties as called upon by senior regional leadership.

Why You

To be successful in this role you will have proven experience in managing teams, be an open leader who is engaging and will empower, mentor, and trust the team with decision making.

You will have a strong process improvement mindset and must be able to understand scalability of process to help the continued growth of the business. You shall be an experienced accounting leader with a mixture of 3-5 years of public accounting experience and at least 5 years of managerial experience in a multi-national company, where you have been a strong communicator and collaborator. You will have strong organization, planning and prioritization skills and experience maintaining a strong control environment and reinforcing a “Compliance First” mindset.

Illumina\’s employee benefits are industry-leading and include flexible time off, private medical insurance, compassion and care time off, leisure travel insurance, pension, employee stock purchasing program, volunteer time off, and much more!

Responsibilities include:

• Develops and authorizes the implementation of corporate policies and operational procedures and processes that meet audit standards across EMEA countries and consistently strives to improve efficiency across areas of responsibility.
• Monitors regional regulatory bodies for changes in laws, regulations and requirements to ensure region remains compliant; identifies such changes, assesses impact, educates other departments, and designs and implements procedures to ensure compliance.
• Oversees, anticipates, and manages departmental staffing requirements and employee development efforts to maintain high levels of employee engagement and readiness to meet the evolving requirements of the business (e.g., hiring, training, supervision, continuous development, performance improvement, etc.).
• Seeks to expand influence by curating and consistently improving relationships with key regional business and support function leaders to support the business in meeting its goals, develops solutions, promotes the value of controllership, and actively identifies risk and implements mitigations to ensure safeguarding of assets and compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley.
• Proactively liaise with peers on the Global Controllers leadership team primarily based in California, Bangalore, and Singapore to collaborate and ensure standardized execution of Controllers functions and initiatives.
• Exercises vigilance to ensure clearly defined and effectively communicated financial and cash controls are employed.
• Oversees and advises the business on regional legal entity structure covering formation, closure and M&A as required.
• Drives process improvement initiatives by applying strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills; promotes staff engagement through effective delegation and employee empowerment. Actively develops and qualifies successors for all key positions.
• Stays abreast of, and openly promotes efforts designed to take advantage of emerging AI and process automation technologies; encourages and rewards team initiatives that eliminate waste and promote higher-value, more deeply meaningful work.
• Directs the efforts of the GL/accounting team in the execution of their responsibilities:
  • Manage the timely execution of monthly close process, including preparation and review of journal entries, completion of account reconciliations.
  • Interpret and communicate monthly, quarterly and annual financial data as part of consolidated roll up.
  • Ownership of statutory and management accounts of all EMEA region companies.
  • Oversee accounting operations for accuracy and compliance and timely completion, without deficiencies, of audits, both internal and external, for all EMEA region entities.
• Directs the efforts of the EMEA Tax team in the execution of their responsibilities:
  • Timely completion of tax and related regulatory filings and remittances.
  • Liaise with regional tax authorities on questions or issues raised from time to time; engage outside technical resources to assist in such efforts, when required.
  • Consult and advise management on cross-border issues as well as strategic initiatives and deals in ways that appropriately balance risk, costs and benefits.
  • Coordinate regularly with, and actively assist, the Global tax team in the execution of corporate tax strategies (i.e. Pillar 2).
• Directs the efforts of the EMEA shared service team in the execution of their responsibilities:
  • Ensure timely collection of customer accounts receivable, including setting of customer credit limits, releases of orders on block, and prompt resolution of customer credit issues as necessary.
  • Ensure proper and appropriately timed payment of vendors.
  • Oversee the processing and regulatory compliance of payroll for ~(1,100) employees across ~(15) countries in region; qualify and select 3rd party providers, troubleshoot issues, ensure compliance with local tax requirements, and oversee payroll issue resolution as necessary.

What Can You Expect

Our team members are bright, energetic, and dedicated – they are the driving force behind our innovation and impact. To attract the best and brightest, we offer a competitive employee benefits program. We view it as a smart investment in our people, one that recognizes the tremendous value they bring to our business every day. At Illumina, we push boundaries. We think beyond the conventional. We dream big. With the energy of so many bright and accomplished people, the opportunities are endless.

Illumina believes that everyone has the ability to make an impact, and we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer committed to providing employment opportunity regardless of sex, race, creed, color, gender, religion, marital status, domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, pregnancy, military or veteran status, citizenship status, and genetic information. #J-18808-Ljbffr