Head of International Accounting

Company Description

Believe is a global artist development company. We empower local artists, labels and  publishers to grow their audiences at each stage of their careers with expertise, respect,  fairness and transparency.

Operating in 50+ countries, with more than 2,000 employees, Believe offers a full range  of services including audience development, publishing, marketing and distribution,  with a tailor-made approach to fit any artist, label or publisher.

Believe champions independence and innovation through a unique model that  combines local expertise with a global tech platform, delivering exclusive solutions for  artists to promote and monetize their music thanks to strategic partnerships with  leading global digital service providers.

With a leading portfolio of brands that includes Nuclear Blast, naïve, TuneCore, Groove Attack, Sentric, AllPoints and Byond, Believe artists generated more than 800 billion  streams worldwide in 2024 across all genres, and were recognized with more than 70 leading industry awards.

Believe is a simplified joint-stock company under French law. 

Ready to set the tone with Believe ?

Job Description

Primary purpose: For all the international subsidiaries in the scope, responsible for ensuring accuracy and integrity of financial data and compliance with group's accounting rules and local accounting standards while respecting the deadlines for closing. It involves managing and working with the team to supervise the monthly and annual closings as well as the accounting treatment of all non routine transactions (mergers, acquisitions, transfers of assets and contracts, etc).

Key responsibilities

Team Leadership and Development

• Recruit, manage, supervise, mentor, and develop a team of international controllers working on an international scope, Directs reports : 2 International Controllers based in Paris, France and in Mumbai, India. Locations can change.
• Provide training on systems, processes, and compliance requirements.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Supervision and assistance during the monthly closing and statutory annual closing periods

• Establish the closing timetable in line with the Group's closing timetable.
• Monitor the progress of the subsidiaries' closing work, adherence to deadlines, and alert the Central team of issues encountered.
• Assist subsidiaries in finding solutions in case of questions or difficulties.
• Manage closing of accounting periods and modules in Sage.
• Conduct cross-functional controls on key items, such as intercompany balances.
• Conduct accounts reviews and ensure proper justification and audit trail of balance sheet accounts.
• Supervise the completion of the annual closing of the statutory accounts and assist local accounting teams during audits.
• In coordination with Group Tax, monitor the filing of tax declarations, and assist with requests by local administrative authorities.

Expertise, processes and tools

• Support the deployment of Group accounting policies and procedures to international subsidiaries.
• Support the deployment of finance tools and processes, for integration or improvement projects.

• Support local teams in the application of Group accounting processes and standards.
• Assist local teams with accounting-related questions.
• Be the liaison between local teams and the various departments of Group Finance.
• Participate in the application of internal controls processes. At a minimum, conduct essential controls.
• Support accounting activities required by business M&A projects.
• Maintain finance tools, e.g. intercompany flow reconciliation table.
• Support the management of local charts of accounts.

Animation and development of subsidiaries accounting teams

• Support the development of subsidiaries accounting teams with training or propositions on accounting issues, processes and tools’ use.
• Lead actions and animation to create an accounting community who is collaborating and sharing needs, difficulties, ideas and solutions.
• Support the subsidiaries’ finance departments on setting up efficient accounting department structure and deploying optimised processes.

Key interdependencies:

Subsidiaries Accounting teams, Group central finance team, Accounting Method & Referential team, Treasury, IT teams, Tax team

Qualifications

Education/qualification:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting and finance or business administration.
• Knowledge of financial regulations and general tax compliance principles.
• Knowledge of IFRS.

Professional skills/experience:

• Proven experience of a minimum of 10 years, in audit/accounting firm and in a large international, commercial group.

• Experience of working for an international organisation and on a multi country scope.
• Proficient in the use of ERP systems, and business information systems.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel/Google sheet skill.
• Fluent in English; French language is a plus.

Personal skills and experience:

• Strong customer service orientation and listening skills
• Managerial capacity, and leadership
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to adapt communication style to different audiences
• Ability to support operational teams in improving their practices through effective training and communication.
• Analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Rigor, high standards, pragmatism, hands on
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Good organisational and time management skills.
• Adaptable to a dynamic environment and changing work mix
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment
• Ability to prioritise tasks and manage workload efficiently
• Ability to work with strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment

Additional Information

SET THE TONE WITH US​

Working at Believe means having individual and collective impact in a fast-growing company!  ​

At all stages of their careers, Believers are an important part of what we are doing: shaping the future of the music industry. ​

We need teams that truly reflect the diversity of our clients: our international presence is an inspiring and enriching work environment for each one of us, with daily opportunities to connect with our colleagues all over the world. ​

We have two hearts at Believe - our People and our Artists. ​

We believe in THE POWER OF OUR PEOPLE, who grow every day to develop their potential… We aim to provide our Believers with the best environment to thrive. ​

ROCK THE JOB ​

• Tailor-made training and coaching program ​

• Remote working policy​

• A well-being program​

• Access to Eutelmed, a digital mental health and well-being platform that allows you to speak with an experienced psychologist​

• Contractor role

SING IN HARMONY​

• Ambassador program: an employee volunteering initiative dedicated to all Believers interested in having a positive impact on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), wellbeing and the planet.​

• Shaping Together: A Group-wide event focused on volunteerism and community impact ​

We are committed to having a workforce that is representative of the community it serves at all levels of the organisation. We, therefore, welcome applications from all backgrounds and all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation.