The Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer leads the Company's controllership, tax, treasury, and payments functions, with accountability for the integrity of financial reporting and compliance across all legal entities. As the Company's senior accounting officer, this role ensures the accounting organization operates with the accuracy, control discipline, and scalability required to support a complex, multi-entity airport concessions business across the U.S. and Canada.
A defining feature of the role is management of the Company's joint-venture and minority-shareholder financial relationships, including the monthly JV financial statements that govern partner distributions. The role partners closely with Operations, Legal, Supply Chain, and Finance, and is a key steward of the Company's relationships with external auditors, tax advisors, banking and merchant-services partners, and the parent organization, Lagardère Travel Retail.
RESPONSIBILITIESControllership- Direct all accounting operations-general ledger, accounts receivable and payable, payroll accounting, and financial reporting.
- Own the monthly (D+2) and annual close under IFRS, including the monthly sub-consolidation review of 180+ U.S. legal entities, ensuring timely, accurate financial statements.
- Lead technical accounting research and document positions on complex transactions (e.g., revenue recognition, business combinations, impairment).
- Direct lease accounting (IFRS 16; comparable to ASC 842) across the concession and real-estate portfolio, including new, modified, and terminated agreements.
- Maintain accounting policies and systems, including monthly balance-sheet reconciliation reviews in BlackLine.
- Maintain a strong internal control environment-documentation, testing, and remediation-and serve as primary liaison to external auditors for interim and annual audits.
- Analyze results across profit, trends, cost, and budget; deliver regular and ad hoc reporting to senior management.
Joint Venture & Minority-Shareholder Reporting- Manage JV and minority-shareholder financial relationships and reporting, ensuring compliance with each agreement's contractual obligations.
- Prepare and review the monthly JV financial statements that govern partner distributions.
- Coordinate monthly and annual reporting for the Company and its JV partnerships.
Tax- Manage tax planning and compliance-federal, state, local, payroll, property, and other applicable taxes-across the Company's legal entities.
- Oversee preparation and review of tax schedules and returns, coordinating with external advisors as needed.
- Monitor multi-jurisdiction exposure arising from the airport footprint and advise on the tax implications of structural and operational changes.
Treasury & Cash Management- Manage weekly cash flow and liquidity through a Treasury Management System, including intercompany positions within JV accounts and pooling arrangements with company-level payroll accounts.
- Develop banking relationships and administer account structures and treasury controls.
- Ensure appropriate funding and settlement mechanics for JV partner financing, including third-party / custodial account arrangements.
Payments & Merchant Services- Own the Company's merchant-services and payments strategy, including processor relationships and acceptance across card networks and digital wallets.
- Lead negotiations and ongoing management with payment partners and networks (e.g., acquiring/processing providers, American Express, Apple Pay) to optimize cost, acceptance, and reliability.
- Evaluate and implement payments technology and process improvements for a high-volume, multi-location retail and dining operation.
Insurance, Risk & Legal Support- Manage insurance provider relationships (group and general) and ensure compliance with coverage requirements, including surety bonds and letters of credit (U.S. and Canada).
- Conduct periodic litigation reviews with the legal team to ensure adequate reserves.
Leadership & Stakeholder Management- Build, develop, and lead a high-performing accounting organization, setting goals and development plans consistent with the Company's competency framework.
- Interact with senior management at the parent-company level (Lagardère Travel Retail) and serve as a trusted advisor to the CFO.
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & CERTIFICATIONS- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business; CPA required. MBA preferred.
- 12-15+ years of progressive accounting and financial management experience, including significant time in a controllership or senior technical accounting role.
- Experience in a fast-paced retail, dining, and/or airport concessions environment strongly preferred.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS- Technical depth in IFRS (primary) and U.S. GAAP, lease accounting, and multi-entity consolidations; Canadian or international exposure a plus.
- Experience overseeing tax compliance, treasury / cash management, and merchant-services / payments in a multi-entity environment.
- SAP experience a plus.
- Proven track record motivating and leading a diverse team.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines amid fluctuating priorities.
- Ability to work independently and manage time efficiently.
- Ability to travel periodically.
This position description is intended to describe the primary elements of the position. Paradies Lagardère reserves the right to change the position description and to assign additional duties and responsibilities as necessary. This position description does not constitute an employment contract of any kind.
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