Senior Accounting & Tax Lead

Senior Accounting & Tax Lead
Accounting & Tax
Dubai, UAE

Take ownership of accounting operations across six Gulf markets, drive tax compliance in an evolving regulatory landscape, and shape how a high-growth affiliate manages its financial controls and reporting.

Your new role

As Senior Accounting & Tax Lead, you'll be the operational anchor of accounting and tax for Novo Nordisk's Gulf cluster – spanning UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Yemen. You'll run the period-end close, own balance sheet integrity, execute UAE tax obligations, and lead the operational side of statutory audits. This is a hands-on role where technical depth meets stakeholder collaboration, set against a backdrop of active commercial growth in obesity and diabetes therapy areas.

Day-to-day, you will:

• Lead timely period-end close and reporting in partnership with Global Shared Services.
• Own balance sheet reconciliation and resolve aging or unreconciled items across all material accounts.
• Drive Corporate Tax, VAT and transfer pricing compliance, working with the Tax Centre of Excellence, Group Tax and external advisors.
• Lead the operational side of statutory audits – managing PBC schedules, evidence documentation and query closure.
• Oversee AP/AR accounting processes, ensuring data accuracy and alignment with group reporting timelines.
• Act as the affiliate's principal day-to-day contact for Global Shared Services teams (R2R, P2P, O2C, T&E, Fixed Assets & Leasing).
• Partner with cross-functional teams including Legal, Procurement, Supply Chain, FP&A and Marketing on accounting-relevant decisions.

Your new department

As part of International Operations, you will join our largest operational unit. Covering 194 countries and 95% of the world's population, more than 18,000 of us work passionately to serve 35 million patients each day. With a promise to outperform the competition, we continue to be the growth driver for Novo Nordisk, and to improve health at scale across the globe.

Within International Operations, you'll join the Accounting & Tax department supporting the Gulf affiliate's accounting operations. This is a joint operating model between the affiliate finance team in Dubai and the Group's offshore shared service center. The UAE regulatory environment has evolved significantly since 2023 – with UAE Corporate Tax, transfer pricing and e-invoicing Regulations all maturing rapidly. This combination creates meaningful technical and operational scope for the right person. You'll report to the Accounting & Tax Manager and work closely with stakeholders across the region and globally.

Your skills & qualifications

We're looking for someone with strong technical fundamentals and the ability to manage multiple stakeholders across different geographies and functions. To succeed in this role, you should have:

• Minimum 2 years of external audit experience (Big 4 preferred), plus 3-5 years of progressive finance experience in a multinational environment (pharmaceuticals, FMCG or regulated industries preferred).
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field; master’s degree or professional certification (ACCA, CMA, or CPA) is preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of IFRS and group reporting standards, with practical experience applying them in period-end close and audit situations.
• Solid experience with ERP systems (SAP preferred) and advanced Excel skills; proactive use of AI and productivity tools to lift output quality.
• Exposure to UAE tax framework (Corporate Tax, VAT, transfer pricing) and offshore shared service models (GBS) is advantageous.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills; fluent English (Arabic is an asset).
• Ownership instinct – you bring problems forward with proposed solutions, maintain operational discipline, and deliver work that rarely requires rework.

Working at Novo Nordisk

Every day we seek the solutions that defeat serious chronic diseases. To do this, we approach our work with determination, constant curiosity and a commitment to finding better ways forward. For over 100 years, this dedication has driven us to build a company focused on lasting change for long-term health. One where diverse thinking, shared purpose and mutual respect come together to create extraordinary results. When you join us, you're not just starting a job – you're becoming part of a story that spans generations.

What we offer There is, of course, more on offer here than the uniqueness of our culture and the extraordinary results we produce. Being part of a global healthcare company means opportunities to learn and develop are all around us, while our benefits are designed with your career and life stage in mind.

Deadline, June 4, 2026

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

At Novo Nordisk, we're not chasing quick fixes – we're creating lasting change for long-term health. For over 100 years, we've been driven by a single purpose: to defeat serious chronic diseases and help millions of people live healthier lives. This dedication fuels our constant curiosity and inspires us to push the boundaries of what's possible in healthcare. We embrace diverse perspectives, seek out bold ideas, and build partnerships rooted in shared purpose. Together, we're making healthcare more accessible, treating and preventing diseases, and pioneering solutions that create change spanning generations. When you join us, you become part of something bigger – a legacy of impact that reaches far beyond today.