Accountant (Payroll - Petty Cash)

Job purpose. Prepare and process the monthly payroll end to end, and accurately record, accrue, and reconcile all employee-related costs and petty cash, ensuring that staff are paid correctly and on time, in compliance with local labour law, and that staff costs are correctly reported each month in accordance with IFRS. Key responsibilities: Employee-related costs Prepare the monthly payroll for Kuwait in the ERP and review the monthly payroll for other group entities in accordance with the agreed payroll calendar. Collect and validate inputs: attendance and timesheets, overtime, leave, joiners, leavers, increments, promotions, allowances and deductions, approved by HR and line managers. Calculate gross-to-net pay: basic salary, housing, transport and other allowances, overtime under labour law rules, unpaid leave, advances and other recoveries. Maintain payroll master data only on approved HR change forms, with an audit trail. Validate all new joiners in the ERP. Prepare the payroll variance report against the previous month and explain every movement in headcount and pay. Submit the payroll with supporting reports for review and approval by the Finance Manager and HR before release. Generate the WPS salary file, coordinate the bank transfer with Treasury and clear any rejected payments. Issue payslips and resolve employee pay queries within agreed timelines. Calculate final settlements for leavers: EOSB, leave encashment, notice pay, air tickets and recoveries. Calculate social security contributions and submit them on time. Keep payroll data strictly confidential and support periodic payroll audits. Employee-related cost - accounting Post payroll journals, reconcile payroll control, salary payable and deduction accounts monthly. Calculate and accrue end-of-service benefits (EOSB) under the applicable labour law. Account for social security contributions for GCC nationals and reconcile to authority statements. Record and allocate visa, labour card, Iqama, medical insurance and other staff-related government costs. Track employee advances, loans and recoveries and reconcile them to payroll deductions. Prepare monthly staff cost analysis: actual vs budget, headcount vs cost, cost per project or department. Petty cash Administer the petty cash system for head office and sites; maintain the custodian register and approved float limits. Review claims for supporting documents, approvals, policy compliance and correct coding before replenishment. Reconcile petty cash accounts monthly and carry out surprise cash counts; report shortages or exceptions promptly. Monitor staff and site cash advances and chase settlement within policy timelines. Month-end, audit and controls Complete employee-related cost and petty cash month-end close tasks in accordance with the closing calendar. Prepare balance sheet reconciliations for all accounts owned, with ageing and clear explanations. Prepare schedules and respond to queries from internal and external auditors. Recommend improvements to petty cash and payroll accounting controls and procedures. Qualifications and experience Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance. 5–7 years' accounting experience, with at least 3 years in payroll accounting in the GCC. Working knowledge of GCC labour law on EOSB, leave and notice. Experience in AEC, contracting, projects or a multi-site business is an advantage. Part-qualified CA, CMA, ACCA or CPA preferred. Skills and competencies ERP experience (Microsoft Dynamics / Oracle / SAP) and payroll system interfaces. Advanced Excel: pivot tables, LOOKUPs, reconciliations. High attention to detail and integrity in handling confidential salary data. Clear communicator with HR and site teams. Show more Show less