Chief Accountant – Islamic Leasing

Company Description

A leading Kuwait-based automobile leasing and fleet management company is seeking qualified candidates for a senior finance and accounting role. The company operates in an asset-heavy environment involving vehicle leasing, fleet management, treasury coordination, financial reporting, and internal controls. Experience in leasing, automotive, financial services, or Islamic finance is preferred.

Job Summary

The Chief Accountant will oversee the accounting, financial reporting, treasury coordination, and financial control activities of a Sharia-compliant automobile leasing company. The role includes managing the closing of accounts, preparing financial and management reports, supporting credit line and bank relationship management, and ensuring compliance with IFRS, internal controls, and Sharia-related financial requirements.

This role requires strong accounting leadership, experience in leasing or asset-heavy businesses, and the ability to support management with accurate financial information, cash flow visibility, and financial control.

Key Responsibilities1. Accounting & Financial Reporting

• Oversee the closing of monthly, quarterly, and annual books of accounts.
• Prepare financial statements, management reports, and financial analysis for management review.
• Ensure accuracy, completeness, and transparency of accounting records.
• Oversee adherence to IFRS standards, including lease accounting under IFRS 16.
• Coordinate with internal and external auditors, including Sharia audit requirements where applicable.
• Manage Zakat-related accounting and reporting requirements.

2. Treasury & Bank Coordination

• Support the management of liquidity, funding, cash flow, and working capital.
• Coordinate with banks and Islamic financial institutions regarding credit lines, facilities, and financing documentation.
• Monitor financing obligations, repayments, covenants, and related reporting requirements.
• Support optimization of funding through Sharia-compliant financing structures.

3. Leasing & Fleet Financial Control

• Support financial control over vehicle acquisitions, lease contracts, depreciation, maintenance costs, and resale values.
• Monitor fleet-related financial performance, including asset utilization, residual values, and lifecycle costs.
• Support pricing and financial analysis for Ijara-based leasing products and fleet expansion initiatives.
• Ensure proper accounting treatment for leasing and asset financing transactions.

4. Internal Controls & Risk Management

• Implement and maintain strong internal controls across finance, accounting, treasury, and reporting processes.
• Identify and mitigate financial, operational, liquidity, and asset-related risks.
• Support controls over receivables, collections, defaults, delinquencies, and asset recovery.
• Ensure proper documentation and compliance with internal policies and approval procedures.

5. Management Support & Governance

• Advise management on financial performance, cash flow, budgeting, and capital requirements.
• Support the Executive Committee and senior management with financial planning and reporting.
• Prepare financial models, forecasts, budgets, and variance analysis.
• Liaise with the Sharia Board where required to support compliance with Sharia-related financial structures.
• Support expansion initiatives, including fleet growth and new leasing products.
  

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Professional certification such as CPA, CA, or ACCA is required or strongly preferred.
• MBA is an advantage.
• 8–10 years of experience in accounting, finance, audit, treasury, leasing, asset financing, banking, or financial services.
• Experience in a leadership or supervisory finance/accounting role is required.
• Strong knowledge of IFRS, financial reporting, account closing, internal controls, and audit coordination.
• Experience with leasing, fleet operations, automotive finance, asset financing, or asset-heavy businesses is strongly preferred.
• Understanding of Islamic finance contracts, particularly Ijara , is preferred.
• Knowledge of the Kuwait regulatory and business environment is preferred.
• Experience working with Sharia boards or Sharia audit requirements is an advantage.
• Strong Arabic and English communication skills.
• Native Arabic speaker preferred.
  

Key Competencies

• Strong accounting and financial reporting capability
• IFRS and internal control expertise
• Treasury and cash flow management
• Financial planning and analysis
• Understanding of Islamic finance principles
• Asset-heavy business and leasing knowledge
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills
• Leadership and team supervision
• Stakeholder and bank relationship management
• Accuracy, integrity, and confidentiality