Job Description — Ready to Post
Job Title: Senior Accountant
Company: [Company Name]
Industry: Food distribution
Company Size: 60 employees
Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Work Mode: On-site
Employment Type: Full-time
Reports To: [Finance Manager / Accounting Supervisor]
Salary: [Insert salary range or “Competitive, based on experience”]
Benefits: [Insert benefits package]
About the Role
We are looking for a detail-oriented Senior Accountant to support the finance function of a growing food distribution company based in Jeddah. The role is responsible for month-end closing, bank reconciliations, VAT compliance, and receivables follow-up. The ideal candidate has strong accounting fundamentals, practical Excel skills, and hands-on experience with a cloud accounting system.
Key Responsibilities
Month-End Close
- Prepare and post monthly journal entries, including accruals, prepayments, depreciation, and cost-related entries.
- Review general ledger balances and reconcile subledgers such as payables, receivables, and fixed assets.
- Support inventory-related accounting entries and cost of goods sold analysis where applicable.
- Perform variance analysis and explain unusual movements in revenue, expenses, and margins.
- Maintain a month-end close checklist and meet internal reporting deadlines.
Bank Reconciliations
- Reconcile company bank accounts on a [daily / weekly / monthly] basis.
- Investigate and resolve unmatched transactions, outstanding checks, bank fees, and transfer differences.
- Ensure cash balances are accurately reflected in the accounting system.
- Support cash flow reporting and flag payment issues to relevant stakeholders.
VAT Returns and Compliance
- Prepare and submit VAT returns in line with Saudi VAT regulations and ZATCA requirements.
- Reconcile VAT control accounts and ensure sales and purchase VAT records are accurate.
- Maintain supporting documentation for VAT filings and audits.
- Identify and correct VAT-related errors in a timely manner.
- Stay updated on VAT rules, filing deadlines, and compliance changes relevant to the business.
Receivables Follow-Up
- Monitor accounts receivable aging and identify overdue customer balances.
- Follow up with customers professionally to encourage timely payment.
- Coordinate with sales, operations, and customers to resolve invoice disputes, missing documents, or credit issues.
- Apply cash receipts accurately and maintain customer account records.
- Report receivables status, collection risks, and overdue balances to management.
General Finance Support
- Maintain organized accounting records and audit trails.
- Support internal and external audits with requested documentation.
- Recommend process improvements to increase accuracy, speed, and control.
- Assist with ad hoc finance reporting and analysis as needed.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
- Minimum 4 years of relevant accounting experience.
- Experience in a distribution, retail, FMCG, or fast-paced transaction environment is a plus.
- Strong knowledge of basic accounting principles and financial controls.
- Practical experience with VAT compliance and filing.
- Strong Excel skills, including formulas, pivot tables, data cleaning, reconciliation, and reporting.
- Hands-on experience with a cloud accounting system such as [QuickBooks / Xero / Odoo / Zoho Books / other system used by the company].
- High attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines.
- Good communication skills and ability to work with internal teams and customers.
- Professional, ethical, and accountable approach to financial data.
Working Conditions
- This is an on-site role in Jeddah.
- The role may require consistent deadline management during month-end and VAT filing periods.
How to Apply
Send your CV to [insert email] with the subject line: Senior Accountant – Jeddah.
We evaluate candidates based on qualifications, experience, and job-related competencies.
Interview Questions and What a Good Answer Looks Like
1. “Walk me through how you would complete a month-end close for a food distribution business.”
Good answer:
- Describes a clear close process: review transactions, post journal entries, reconcile subledgers, review general ledger, analyze variances, and finalize reporting.
- Mentions distribution-specific items such as supplier invoices, customer receivables, inventory-related costs, freight, spoilage, returns, or discounts where relevant.
- Shows awareness of deadlines, checklists, and review controls.
- Explains how they investigate unusual balances before closing.
Example:
“I would start with a close checklist, reconcile bank and subledger accounts, post accruals and prepayments, review inventory and cost of goods sold movements, analyze variances against prior months or budget, then prepare the final reports for review.”
2. “How do you ensure bank reconciliations are accurate and completed on time?”
Good answer:
- Explains the frequency of reconciliation and the process of matching bank transactions to accounting records.
- Mentions handling outstanding items, bank fees, deposits in transit, returned payments, and transfer timing differences.
- Shows discipline in investigating variances rather than leaving them unresolved.
- References documentation, follow-up, and escalation when issues affect cash reporting.
Example:
“I reconcile bank accounts regularly, match transactions line by line, and investigate unmatched items immediately. I document outstanding items, follow up with the relevant team, and ensure the final cash balance is accurate before reporting.”
3. “Describe your experience preparing VAT returns. What controls do you use to reduce errors?”
Good answer:
- Shows practical knowledge of VAT filing, including sales VAT, purchase VAT, output tax, input tax, and reconciliation of VAT control accounts.
- Mentions verifying invoices, checking categorization, reconciling revenue to VAT, and maintaining supporting documentation.
- Understands the importance of deadlines and compliance.
- Demonstrates how they correct errors and prevent recurrence.
Example:
“I prepare VAT returns by reconciling sales and purchase records, verifying VAT categorization, reviewing VAT control accounts, and checking for missing or incorrect invoices. I keep supporting documentation for each filing and flag any discrepancies before submission.”
4. “How would you manage overdue customer receivables in a distribution company?”
Good answer:
- Uses aging reports to identify high-risk balances.
- Follows a structured collection process: reminders, customer calls, dispute resolution, escalation, and reporting.
- Coordinates with sales or operations to resolve invoice issues, delivery disputes, credit notes, or missing documents.
- Balances firmness with professionalism to protect customer relationships.
- Mentions tracking collection performance or overdue trends.
Example:
“I would review the aging report, segment customers by overdue amount and risk, contact them with clear invoice details, resolve disputes with the relevant team, apply payments accurately, and escalate persistent cases to management with recommended actions.”
5. “Give an example of an Excel task you completed that helped improve accuracy or reporting.”
Good answer:
- Provides a specific example, not just “I know Excel.”
- Mentions relevant tools: formulas, pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data validation, conditional formatting, reconciliation checks, or dashboards.
- Shows the business impact: faster close, fewer errors, better visibility, or easier follow-up.
- Demonstrates practical problem-solving.
Example:
“I built a receivables aging dashboard using pivot tables and formulas to automatically categorize customers by overdue bucket. It helped the team focus on high-risk accounts and reduced manual follow-up time.”
6. “Which cloud accounting systems have you used, and how did you use them for daily accounting tasks?”
Good answer:
- Names specific systems used, such as QuickBooks, Xero, Odoo, Zoho Books, or another platform.
- Describes modules used: general ledger, payables, receivables, bank feeds, VAT, reporting, or approvals.
- Shows understanding of data integrity, access controls, approvals, and reconciliation.
- Mentions integration with banking, invoicing, inventory, or payroll if relevant.
Example:
“I used [system name] for journal entries, customer invoices, supplier bills, bank reconciliation, and VAT reporting. I also reviewed bank feeds and ensured transactions were correctly categorized before month-end close.”
7. “Tell me about a time you found a mistake after a report, close, or VAT submission had been completed. How did you handle it?”
Good answer:
- Shows ownership and transparency.
- Explains how the error was identified, quantified, and corrected.
- Mentions communicating with the relevant person or authority, such as the finance manager or VAT team.
- Demonstrates root-cause analysis and preventive controls.
Example:
“I identified a misclassified expense after the close. I quantified the impact, informed my manager, corrected the entry, reviewed similar transactions, and added a control step to prevent the same issue in future closes.”
8. “How do you manage competing deadlines during month-end, VAT filing, and receivables follow-up?”
Good answer:
- Shows prioritization based on risk, deadlines, and business impact.
- Uses planning tools such as checklists, calendars, or task lists.
- Communicates early if a deadline may be at risk.
- Balances accuracy with timely reporting.
- Mentions process improvements to reduce last-minute pressure.
Example:
“I prioritize by deadline and financial risk. I prepare a task list before month-end, complete reconciliations early, escalate blockers quickly, and use checklists to ensure VAT and receivables work are not left until the last day.”