Chief Financial Officer - Japan

Position Purpose

The CFO is primarily responsible for the coordination of the accounting closing, together with local stakeholders and the Finance Regional Platform, and for the preparation of statutory accounts and local regulatory reporting. In this role, he/she acts as main contact point of the CIB Japan Management (Ginko/Shoken) regarding all Finance-related topics and contributes to the strategic development of the local activities in full compliance with accounting standards, local regulations and internal control requirements.

The  CFO is required to have a good understanding of the business dynamics of the entity that he supervises in order to analyze profitability trends, manage upcoming accounting requirements and give pro-active advice and opinions as a member of the Management Team of the entity.

The CFO is also the hierarchical manager of the Japan Tax Manager.

The CFO plays a key role in the local governance, as a member of Management Committees, and also in the regional Finance organization.

Responsibilities

Direct Responsibilities

Accounting Production, Reporting and Control

• Ensure accuracy of financial reporting and compliance with accounting norms (IFRS/local GAAP) and industry best practices
• Ensure compliance with both local and Group legislations and regulations, notably for Accounting, Tax and Legal areas: local laws, tax requirements and regulations and Group regulations defined in policies, procedures, rules and standards (including those issued by Business Lines and Functions), with a particular focus on those relating to Accounting and Permanent Control
• Contribute to the proper organization of the closing process together with the Regional Platform teams by pro-active management of any significant accounting events 
• Create an environment which guarantees security, integrity and timeliness of the accounting process and regulatory, statutory and internal reporting. 
• Establish and maintain a consistent and auditable environment
• Ensure that accurate procedures (controls, expenses…) exist when appropriate and are maintained
• Ensure the right coordination with the Regional Finance Platform on all significant accounting issues
• Work closely with the Tax department and manage Tax risk related to production tasks (computation & payments) 
• Identify potential dysfunctions and report any events or occurrences likely to have a negative impact on the accounting processes, results or the Group’s reputation to the business units, COO and the Head of Territory.

Performance Steering 

• Provide the Entity / Territory Management with the means to make informed business decisions to effectively achieve their strategic goals
• Ensure that all key financial information used locally or shared with local regulators is fully in line with official Performance Management reports and follows the official Business Line organization of the CIB APAC Region.
• Act as main contact point for the Entity/Territory Management regarding all Finance-related topics in particular in order to facilitate interactions with the Regional Finance Platform and the analysis of the entity performance. 
• Support the forecast and budgeting exercise of local teams.

Participation in local Management Committees 

• Participate as necessary in different business committees like the ALCO, Audit Committee, Board, etc. Contribute to the preparation of financial information presented to these committees. 

System & Projects 

• Lead/contribute to transformation projects
• Ensure that decisions impacting the local accounting framework are done in liaison with the Regional Platform to fully adhere with accounting principles and the Finance roadmap 
• Contribute to the preparation of Finance comments to TAC-NAC so that local booking and reporting requirements are correctly captured  

Audit

• Coordinate the organization of the statutory audit process in liaison with the Regional Finance Platform  
• Ensure proper follow up of audit findings and recommendations issued to Finance.

Team & resources management 

• Manage the local Finance team through efficient planning and proper control of resources in order to optimize productivity and reduce costs, and more specifically:

        - Create an environment which guarantees security and efficiency of the accounting process

        - Ensuring the correct balance of the organizational structure as automation and outsourcing progress, maintaining at  all            times the expected levels of effective control

        - Provide an acceptable quality of service for external and internal users

        - Plan back up arrangements 

• Contribute to the preparation of the Finance budget which falls under the ultimate responsibility of the Regional CFO.
• In order to achieve the objectives set for her/him, the Japan CFO is required to motivate and lead the Finance Teams in Japan, ensuring the highest level of professional conduct and efficiencies and managing Team stability while promoting individual internal mobility.  Management of staff development (identifying skill needs and arranging training, coaching, etc ) and well-being is key.

Contributing Responsibilities

• Contribute to the Permanent Control framework
• Core Competencies required for the role (Technical / Behavioural)
• Technical Knowledge – Accounting Rules (JGAAP and IFRS), understanding of CIB Businesses and their markets, policies and procedures of the Group
• Ability to communicate effectively across all levels of management both locally and globally. Act as central representative of Japan Finance to the various Business Lines, Functions and Management at Japan, Regional and Central levels.
• Ability to make appropriate decisions after consultation and due deliberation, providing relevant guidance on Finance aspects in their implementation, including complex and technical topics 
• Ability to lead discussions with outside advisors, banks, consultants. 
• Fluent English and Japanese (both oral and written)

About BNP PARIBAS

As the leading European Union bank, and one of the world’s largest financial institutions with an uninterrupted presence in the region since 1860, BNP Paribas offers a wide range of financial services for corporate, institutional and private investors spanning corporate and institutional banking, wealth management, asset management and insurance. 

We passionately embrace diversity and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all employees are valued and encourage applicants of all backgrounds, including diversity of origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion applicants who may be living with a disability. We have a number of internal employee networks in place to empower our staff to act and challenge the status quo.

•    BNP Paribas PRIDE is highly active in favour of the LGBTQIA+ community

•    BNP Paribas MixCity which fosters better representation of women at all levels of the organization

•    Ability, the mutual aid network for employees with a disability or a disabling or chronic illness

•    BNP Paribas CulturAll which celebrates diverse backgrounds

BNP is committed to financing a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. The Group is a founding member of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance and has set up its own Low Carbon Transition Group to support its clients through their energy transitions.

https://careers.apac.bnpparibas/

More information 

Award Obtained

BNPP has won Top employer Europe award in a 10th consecutive year