Job Title
Controller Belgium & Luxembourg
Job Description Summary
- Deliver local and group financial compliance for local statutory and US GAAP accounting books for Belgium and Luxembourg (financial data and reporting is complete, accurate and complies with Global and Local legislation).
- Adoption of Outsourced Finance Operating Model.
- Being a business partner to local Finance and non finance colleagues,
- External and internal audits oversight (planning, timeline management).
- Oversight of preparation of statutory financial statements, VAT, CIT returns by third party providers.
- Management review of all accounting activities outsourced to third party provider and review of balance sheet reconciliations (investigation and resolution of reconciling & aged items).
- Responsible for accurate, timely monthly closing of the books including review of journals.
- Responsible for timely production and sign off of all reporting and disclosure requirements.
- Collaborate effectively with stakeholders producing financial data (input or output), support resolution of issues, queries and escalations.
- Managing or participating on different local & Global projects.
- Support plans and drive actions to minimize legal entities and associated compliance costs taking into account legal & commercial needs, cost, risks and cost to achieve
Job Description
Position Title: Controller Belgium & Luxembourg
Department: Finance
Reports To: EMEA Regional Controller
Location: Brussels
Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global commercial real estate services firm for property owners and occupiers with approximately 52,000 employees in nearly 400 offices and 60 countries. In 2023, the firm reported revenue of $9.5 billion across its core services of property, facilities and project management, leasing, capital markets, and valuation and other services. It also receives numerous industry and business accolades for its award-winning culture and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), sustainability and more. For additional information, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com.
Key Responsibilities:
Close & Reporting
- Responsible for accurate, timely, monthly closing of the books (in US GAAP) all in accordance with Global & EMEA deadlines, policies and compliance requirements,
- Review and approve AR invoice requests, unbilled revenue accruals, credit notes, AP invoices and journals in accordance with the delegation of authority (DOA) - checking completeness, accuracy and compliance
- Monitor and minimise late journals, unadjusted items reported and off system ETB adjustments
- Responsible for the timely production, management review, variance explanations, query resolution and sign-off of reporting and disclosure requirements (internal, external, statutory, treasury and group) in accordance with polices & timetables issued by US/EMEA Controllership and in accordance with all relevant regulations, procedures and controls
- Ensure adequate management review is in place over all aspects of accounting and reporting (eg FX, reconciliations, close, cash forecasts etc) to identify and remediate issues on a timely basis
- Responsible for driving timely investigation & resolution of unusual, outstanding & aged items (eg: reconciliation open items, bank open items, intercompany mismatch, aged accruals, unallocated cash)
- Support requests from senior management
Audits & Statutory Financial Statements
- Responsible for ensuring audited accounts are filed on time and that external audits are planned, efficient and co-ordinated with stakeholders minimising audit costs and over-runs
- Provide details of audit fees for budgeting and accrual purposes and ensure all audit fees are reviewed and have been approved according to internal approvals
- Responsible for ensuring local statutory accounts are prepared, reviewed and filed by the relevant filing deadline and meet relevant reporting requirements.
- Support Internal Audits and implement agreed recommendations
Balance Sheet Control
- Responsible for ensuring adequate governance is in place over the accuracy and integrity of all balance reconciliations and for reporting unadjusted items in accordance with Group/EMEA reporting requirements
- Work with Internal Control and Senior Management to establish reconciliation frequency and thresholds that are risk appropriate and efficient
Treasury:
- Responsible for reviewing weekly cash forecasts and ensuring these reflect the latest known input from Controllership
- Support Global Treasury and the business on treasury related requests (eg bank account changes, FBAR, FX, cash flow reporting, loan & interest settlement, bank guarantees) adopting Corporate providers and processes
- Responsible for identifying working capital improvement opportunities and supporting improvements
- Responsible for the remediation of entity liquidity issues
Compliance & Control
- Responsible for ensuring adequate financial control reviews are evidenced
- Responsible for ensuring adequate governance is in place to identify, prioritise and remediate risk in the countries and input to the quarterly EMEA Controllership risk review
- Support the communication, training and implementation of Global and EMEA Finance Policies and procedures and ensure financial records are compliant
- Support the timely and accurate completion and submission by others of the SOX 302 sub-certifications
- Support the accurate, efficient coding by others to minimize reporting and reconciliation issues and corrections (AP, AR, journals, payroll, manual payments)
Revenue Recognition & Debtors
- Responsible for ensuring revenue recognition and CECL policies are understood and correctly applied within Responsible for reviewing bad debt provisions ensuring they are adequate and in line with policy
- Perform ad hoc contract reviews and provide guidance on the most appropriate financial operational practices to adopt within the contract
- Support working capital optimisation across countries through meaningful metrics and finance operational support for aged debt reduction, achievement of DSO targets, prompt invoicing, cash collection & allocation and resolution of credit balances
Tax & Other returns
- Responsible for ensuring regulatory returns (including CIT, VAT, ECSL, other returns and business surveys) are adequately reviewed and submitted on time whether prepared internally or by service providers
- Responsible for ensuring tax related payments are correctly coded, approved and made on time
- Support transfer pricing studies and external audits by tax authorities
- Collaborate with Tax to ensure intercompany recharges and allocations are appropriate and timely
Intercompany
- Responsible for ensuring the Global intercompany policy and process is deployed efficiently across countries
- Responsible for ensuring intercompany transactions are processed by others on a timely basis ( eg referral fees and recharges)
- Drive timely investigation and reduction of intercompany mismatches supporting the FSC Intercompany team and R2R process owner
Process & Systems
- Support process and system change projects in accordance with prioritised plans
- Actively seek out smarter ways of working and optimise system functionality to minimize manual effort
Legal entities & Ad hoc
- Support all stages of M&A activity including due diligence and post-acquisition integration
- Collaborate with stakeholders to optimize legal entity structures and minimize compliance cost
- Lead the investigation and remediation of negative equity situations
Collaboration with Stakeholders
- Collaborate effectively with teams producing financial data (input or output)
- Responsible for improvements to processes and controls that ensure data is recorded accurately and on a timely basis, including change management and training
- Responsible for the resolution of issues, queries and escalations impacting accurate accounting when raised by stakeholders (eg the Business, US/EMEA Controllership, FSC teams)
Knowledge & Experience:
- Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field. Professional certifications (e.g., CPA, ACCA, CFA) are a strong asset
- Minimum of 3 years’ experience in external audit, preferably with a Big Four or recognized audit firm.
- Minimum 10 years experience in similar role
- Demonstrated experience in managing statutory filings, tax compliance, and regulatory reporting in both Belgium and Luxembourg.
- Strong knowledge of local GAAP, IFRS, VAT regulations, corporate tax, and other country-specific financial obligations
- Ability to effectively engage with internal teams, external auditors, tax advisors, and government authorities
- Experience overseeing finance operations across multiple legal entities or jurisdictions is a plus, especially within the BeLux region.
- Proficiency in ERP systems (e.g., WorkDays, HFM) and advanced Excel skills. Familiarity with financial consolidation and reporting tools is a plus
- Fluent in French and English; proficiency in Dutch is highly desirable
We foster a culture of inclusion that embraces the unique strengths, perspectives, and experiences of all our employees. We firmly believe that our diversity enhances our team's capabilities, leading to improved decision-making, innovation, and business outcomes. If you have any reservations about applying, please don't hesitate to reach out to your local recruiter for additional information
INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”
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