Team Leader

Summary of This Role

The Team Leader – Settlement Accounting is a key leadership role responsible for overseeing a team of accountants, ensuring the integrity, accuracy, and timeliness of financial reporting in a high-volume, complex financial environment. This role will act as a subject matter expert, analyzing complex reconciliation items, regulatory compliance, supporting operational efficiency, automation, and process transformation.
This role requires strong leadership, analytical skills, and expertise in financial reporting and reconciliation. The Team Leader will also collaborate across departments to mitigate financial risk, drive process improvements, and support system enhancements.

Financial Reporting, Audit, Regulatory & Compliance:

• Oversee the management and maintenance of financial books for assigned settlement portfolios/markets.

• Review and approve reconciliations, journal entries, and accounting transactions, ensuring accuracy and compliance with GAAP, IFRS, SOX, and internal control frameworks.

• Ensure timely submission of reports, including adherence to daily reconciliation requirements (Settlement maintenance expectations), variance analysis, and quality control of financial data.

• Identify and escalate high-impact variances (watchlist), ensuring timely resolution to mitigate financial risk.

• Serve as the primary escalation point and provide guidance for resolution, which includes lead deep-dive investigations into anomalies, and ensure prompt resolution through data-driven decision-making.

• Ensure compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and internal controls through process monitoring and control activity adherence.

• Oversee the month-end close process for assigned portfolios, including journal entry preparation, accruals, FX analysis, and reconciliation of balance sheet items

• Submit financial statements, close packages, and portfolio risk ratings to Settlement Accounting executives

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including Treasury, Operations, and Business Accounting, Settlement System team, etc. to address financial reporting concerns and ensure alignment.

• Support internal and external audits, ensuring timely completion and compliance with audit requirements.

• Ensure compliance with evolving regulatory requirements, scheme and compliance updates, and impacting settlement accounting.

Leadership & Team Management

• Leads and mentors a team of Settlement Accountants, providing guidance on financial reporting, reconciliations, and compliance best practices.

• Allocates workloads strategically, ensuring deadlines, accuracy benchmarks, and SOX compliance standards are consistently met.

• Evaluates team performance, providing coaching, feedback, and structured development plans to enhance technical expertise and problem-solving capabilities.

• Develop and execute comprehensive training programs, equipping team members with advanced knowledge of Settlement processes, regulatory and compliance mandates, SOX policies, safeguarding frameworks, and reconciliation best practices.

Projects, Process Optimization & Technology Enhancements:

• Drive automation and process transformation initiatives, reducing manual intervention in financial reconciliation, variance analysis, and settlement processes.

• Evaluate settlement accounting processes, identifying inefficiencies and implementing advanced solutions to enhance reporting accuracy and operational scalability.

• Develop and document standard operating procedures (SOPs) and ensure team adherence

• Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for corporate projects, process migrations, and system implementations.

• Participate in end-to-end project management, from kickoff to post-mortem analysis, ensuring alignment with business objectives.

• Lead project UAT, SIT, and post-implementation reviews to ensure seamless integration of new product, financial systems and process enhancements.

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting or Accountancy

• Minimum of 4+ years of accounting experience, preferably in audit, financial reconciliation, or financial reporting.

• At least 1 year of management/supervisory experience, leading a team of accountants or financial analysts.

• Strong knowledge of GAAP, internal controls, and financial reporting principles.

• Demonstrated ability to develop detailed documentation and communicate financial results effectively.

• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills with the ability to handle complex reconciliation issues.

• Experience in project participation or process migration, ensuring smooth transitions and process improvements.

• Sound knowledge on Microsoft Excel

• Experience with reconciliation tools and ERP systems (Oracle or similar platforms).

• Ability to multitask, prioritize work effectively, and meet tight deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or equivalent certification.

• Experience in Credit Card Processing, Banking, or Settlement Operations.

• Exposure to Big 4 Accounting Firms or public accounting experience.

• Understanding of automation tools and financial system enhancements.

• Experience with financial risk mitigation and compliance (SOX, card scheme regulations, safeguarding policies, etc.).