HIRING - Senior Accountant (Downstream Oil and Gas)

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

Work Schedule: Full-time

About Company: Our client is a growing Nigerian business group with significant operations in the downstream oil and gas sector, spanning petroleum products, retail service stations, transportation, haulage, logistics, and fuel distribution.

As the company continues to expand its operations, it is seeking an experienced Senior Accountant to provide strong financial management, accounting oversight, reporting, and commercial support across its business operations.

Job Objective: The client is looking to hire a highly competent and detail-oriented Senior Accountant with strong experience in financial accounting, reporting, reconciliations, management accounts, budgeting, taxation, and financial controls.

The role will support the company's financial reporting and accounting operations while ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of financial information across the business.

The successful candidate must be commercially aware, analytical, hands-on, and comfortable working in a fast-paced downstream oil and gas environment with multiple business activities, locations, and operational transactions.

The ideal candidate will play a key role in strengthening financial reporting, improving accounting processes, supporting management decision-making, and ensuring compliance with applicable accounting, tax, and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

§ Prepare accurate and timely monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and management accounts.

§ Maintain accurate and complete accounting records across the company's business operations.

§ Manage general ledger activities, journal entries, account reconciliations, and month-end and year-end closing processes.

§ Prepare and review bank reconciliations, supplier reconciliations, customer accounts, intercompany balances, and other key balance sheet reconciliations.

§ Monitor accounts payable and receivable to ensure accurate recording, timely payments, collections, and proper account reconciliation.

§ Support the preparation and monitoring of annual budgets, forecasts, and financial plans.

§ Analyse actual financial performance against budgets and forecasts and provide explanations for significant variances.

§ Prepare financial reports and management information to support operational and strategic decision-making.

§ Monitor revenue, costs, expenses, margins, and other key financial performance indicators across the company's operations.

§ Support accounting activities relating to petroleum product purchases, sales, transportation, haulage, logistics, service stations, and other business operations.

§ Ensure accurate accounting for inventory, petroleum products, fixed assets, fuel-related transactions, and other operational assets.

§ Work closely with Operations, Retail, Procurement, Sales, Finance, and other departments to ensure accurate and timely financial information.

§ Review supporting documentation for financial transactions and ensure compliance with established approval and control procedures.

§ Support cash flow management, working capital monitoring, and liquidity planning.

§ Assist with tax computations, statutory filings, and other regulatory financial obligations in coordination with relevant stakeholders and advisers.

§ Support external audits by preparing schedules, reconciliations, supporting documents, and responding to audit queries.

§ Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards, tax regulations, company policies, and financial reporting requirements.

§ Identify accounting discrepancies, unusual transactions, control weaknesses, and financial reporting issues and recommend corrective actions.

§ Develop and improve accounting processes, reporting templates, reconciliations, and financial controls to enhance efficiency and accuracy.

§ Maintain proper documentation and filing of financial records in line with company policies and regulatory requirements.

§ Provide financial analysis and insights to management on costs, profitability, operational performance, and business trends.

§ Support financial due diligence, business analysis, investment decisions, and other special projects as required.

§ Assist in the implementation and improvement of accounting systems, ERP platforms, and financial reporting tools.

§ Lead and support junior accounting team members, ensuring appropriate training, supervision, accountability, and quality of work.

§ Perform other accounting and financial responsibilities as may be assigned by management.

Requirements

§ Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or a related discipline is required.

§ Must be a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA) or possess an equivalent professional accounting qualification.

§5–8+ years of progressive experience in accounting and finance, with significant experience in a senior accounting position.

§ Strong experience in financial reporting, management accounting, general ledger, reconciliations, budgeting, and financial analysis.

§ Experience within the downstream oil and gas, energy, manufacturing, FMCG, logistics, retail, or another transaction-intensive industry will be highly advantageous.

§ Strong understanding of accounting for petroleum products, inventory, sales, transportation, logistics, and other operational transactions will be an advantage.

§ Proven experience preparing monthly management accounts and statutory financial statements.

§ Strong knowledge of Nigerian tax regulations, statutory compliance, and financial reporting requirements.

§ Strong understanding of IFRS and applicable accounting standards.

§ Demonstrable experience in budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and cost management.

§ Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and financial/accounting systems or ERP platforms.

§ Experience with accounting software/ERP systems such as Sage, or similar platforms will be an advantage.

§ Strong analytical and numerical skills, with excellent attention to detail.

§ Ability to identify financial discrepancies, investigate variances, and resolve accounting issues effectively.

§ Strong understanding of internal controls, financial processes, and accounting procedures.

§ Excellent communication, organisation, coordination, and stakeholder management skills.

§ Ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.

§ High level of integrity, confidentiality, accountability, and professional discipline.

§ Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and commercially driven business environment.

Benefits

Compensation: Highly Competitive + attractive benefits, commensurate with experience and industry expertise