Senior Financial Accountant

At BBH, Partnership is more than a form of ownership—it’s our approach to business and relationships. We know that supporting your professional and personal goals is the best way to help our clients and advance our business. We take that responsibility seriously. With a 200-year legacy and a shared passion for what’s next, this is the right place to build a fulfilling career.

POSITION SUMMARY

An experienced member of Tokyo Controllers supporting the Tokyo Controller Head in delivering accurate accounting, reporting and controls for the Japan entities. The role independently manages assigned processes, reviews work performed in Tokyo and Krakow, resolves operational issues and contributes to process improvement and transformation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

1. Local accountability and financial control

• Maintain accurate and timely accounting, financial reporting, regulatory reporting and tax-related outcomes, regardless of where the underlying work is performed.
• Manage assigned elements of the monthly, quarterly and annual close; prepare and review journals, reconciliations, accruals, unusual items, payment support, funding needs and liquidity forecasts, escalating material matters as appropriate.
• Apply professional judgement within established policies and governance frameworks, and escalate highly complex, material or policy-level matters to the Tokyo Controller Head.

2. Krakow and shared-service governance

• Perform first-line oversight of accounting and reporting services delivered by Krakow, using agreed process ownership, approval authorities, handoffs and escalation paths.
• Monitor service quality, close timeliness, aged items, reconciliation status and control exceptions; follow up remediation and escalate recurring or material concerns.
• Provide backup maker support for selected activities normally performed by Krakow when required, including preparation of journals, reconciliations, reporting schedules and other accounting deliverables, to support business continuity and peak-period coverage.
• Support scope transfers through readiness checks, knowledge transfer, documentation, access coordination, business continuity planning and post-transition control validation.

3. Reporting, controls, audit and tax

• Prepare and review financial, management and regulatory reporting, including FSA off-site monitoring and BOJ submissions, and prepare or review daily Capital Adequacy Ratio monitoring and related analysis for accuracy and timely escalation.
• Execute and monitor the control framework across Tokyo and Krakow, identify gaps, and recommend improvements to preventive and detective controls, segregation of duties and continuity arrangements.
• Prepare and coordinate day-to-day Finance support for internal and external audit, regulatory examinations and tax matters, including schedules, supporting documentation, reconciliations and responses to information requests; escalate significant issues.
• Support the preparation, analysis and coordination of BLC activities as required.
• Prepare and coordinate the Japanese Local File under BEPS requirements, including data collection, supporting schedules and alignment with relevant internal and external stakeholders.

4. Stakeholder leadership and transformation

• Maintain effective working relationships with local stakeholders, Krakow, regional and global Controllers, and functions including Compliance, HR, Enterprise Services, Systems, Legal, Risk and Internal Audit; escalate strategic or material matters as appropriate.
• Manage assigned project workstreams for finance systems and process improvements, including Concur, Basware and PeopleSoft, and support other automation, data and Controllers initiatives, ensuring Japan-specific accounting, regulatory, tax and control requirements are addressed.

5. Team leadership

• Provide day-to-day technical guidance and review work performed by junior and temporary staff and external providers.
• Coordinate priorities within assigned areas during month-close, audit and regulatory cycles, and support cross-training, documentation and capability development.

Qualifications

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business Administration or a related discipline.
• Typically 7+ years of relevant accounting or financial-control experience in a regulated financial institution or similarly complex international organization.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with close, general ledger, statutory or regulatory reporting, audit, tax coordination and financial controls, with the ability to operate independently within a defined remit.
• Experience overseeing a shared service center, center of excellence or outsourced provider; finance operating-model transition experience is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of the Japanese financial-services and regulatory environment is strongly preferred; securities-industry experience is welcome.

Technical knowledge

• Strong knowledge of Japanese GAAP and US GAAP.
• Hands-on experience with Japanese regulatory reporting, including FSA off-site monitoring, BOJ reporting and the Capital Adequacy Ratio framework.
• Strong understanding of accounting, financial reporting, risk management, internal controls and service-delivery governance.
• Professional accounting qualification such as Japanese CPA, US CPA, ACCA or equivalent is preferred.
• Experience with PeopleSoft, Concur and Hyperion is preferred; advanced Excel skills are required.

Core competencies

• Strong analytical skills, sound professional judgement and confidence to make or escalate decisions within established governance and risk frameworks.
• Strong ownership and accountability within assigned responsibilities, with the ability to work effectively with shared-service and regional teams.
• Clear written and verbal communication in Japanese and English, including communication with senior management and non-Finance stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritize competing demands, remain effective during close and other peak periods, and lead through changes in operating model, technology and responsibilities.
• High integrity and attention to detail.

We value diverse experiences. We value diverse experiences and transferrable skillsets. If your career hasn’t followed a traditional path, includes alternative experiences, or doesn’t meet every qualification or skill listed in the job description, please do go ahead and apply.

About BBH:

Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) is a premier global financial services firm, known for premium service, specialist expertise, technology solutions and partnership approach to client management. Across Investor Services and Capital Partners, we work with an enviable roster of sophisticated clients who make BBH their first call when they are tackling their hardest challenges. Delivering for our clients and each other energizes us. We believe that how we do our work is just as important as what we do. We are relentless problem solvers who know our best ideas come from collective debate and development—so we are never possessive about our ideas. Every day we come together as a diverse community of smart and caring people to deliver exceptional service and expert advice—creating success that lasts. No matter where you sit in the organization, everyone is empowered to contribute their ideas. BBHers can pick up the phone and call any colleague, and they are happy to help. Expanding your impact beyond your daily role is part of how we operate as trusted partners to one another. We believe stability is a competitive advantage, but being stable means having the knowledge, skill, and discipline to evolve, often—pushing the boundaries of innovation. As a private partnership, every investment we make is in the relationships, technologies, products and development we believe are in the long-term interests of our clients and our people. Our long-tenured leaders are experts in their areas and are actively involved in the day-to day business, taking the time to provide guidance and mentoring to build the next generation of BBHers. Because we know, our success begins with yours.

Go to BBH.com to learn more about our rewards and benefits, philanthropy, approach to sustainability or how we support you to thrive personally, physically and financially.