Audit & Compliance Manager, Europe

Role Purpose

AsAudit & Compliance Manager, Europe, you will be the primary owner of audit readiness and tax regulatory compliance across all Europe entities. You will set the standard, structure and cadence for how the region prepares for and manages statutory audits, global group audits, and tax authority engagement - working through the local reporting teams and external accountants who handle data preparation, review and submission, rather than performing that work yourself. Your role is to define how things get done, ensure consistent quality across every market, and be the region's face in front of auditors and tax authorities.

What Makes This Role Different:

• Build, don't just maintain. You're stepping into a newly created position with a mandate to design the region's audit and compliance approach from the ground up - not inherit a fixed process.

• Full regional ownership. This role spans the entire Europe region.

• High visibility, real stakes. You'll be the direct point of contact with external auditors and tax authorities on some of the company's most sensitive matters, with senior leadership relying on your judgment.

• A technology-forward environment. The business is actively investing in automation, AI and dashboarding to modernize reporting - you'll be expected to bring ideas here, not just adopt what's handed to you.

• Cross-functional reach. You'll work closely with the Tax, Transfer Pricing and Legal teams, and directly with hub-entity finance teams, on issues spanning VAT, customer transactions and company-wide reviews.

What You'll Do:

1. Statutory & Global Audit Leadership

• Audit Lifecycle Ownership: Lead the end-to-end process for local statutory audits and global group audits across all 23 countries - planning, coordinating PBC (Provided by Client) lists, and driving on-time sign-off.

• External Auditor Relationship: Act as the primary regional point of contact for audit firms, owning timelines and resolution of open items.

• Consolidation Alignment: Ensure local statutory filings align with Global/Group reporting timelines (IFRS/US GAAP/local GAAP) for a seamless audit process.

• Pre-Audit Structuring: Work with local teams ahead of each audit cycle to define what needs to be prepared and how - so the region walks into every audit with a consistent, proactive structure rather than reacting to auditor requests.

2. Tax Governance & Regulatory Compliance

• Filing Oversight: Ensure accurate, on-time submission across VAT, Withholding Tax (WHT), Corporate Income Tax, and country-specific statistical and national bank reporting - delivered through local reporting teams and external accountants, with you owning quality and timeliness.

• Tax Team Liaison: Standardize and oversee submission of supporting data to the central Tax team; ensure schedules provided for assessments are reconciled and audit-ready.

• Notice & Assessment Management: Proactively manage tax notices and audits, coordinating evidence-gathering and working with the Tax team to ensure timely, well-supported responses.

• Corporate Secretarial Support: Oversee annual filings and coordinate with Legal on board meeting minutes (financial aspects) and other local regulatory requirements.

3. Process Improvement & Digital Transformation

• Root Cause Analysis: Identify recurring audit adjustments or tax queries and implement structural fixes to eliminate them at the source.

• Internal Controls: Strengthen the control environment across the region to minimize audit findings.

• Technology & Automation: Identify and champion tools - including AI and dashboarding - to reduce manual work and increase consistency across the region's reporting.

What We're Looking For:

Mindset & Soft Skills (critical to this role)

• A challenger, not a process-follower - someone who questions how things are done today and proposes a better way, rather than simply executing an existing playbook.

• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, high-volume, occasionally chaotic environment, and energized rather than fatigued by it.

• Strong communicator and team player who can build trust quickly across Tax, Legal, Transfer Pricing and local finance teams.

• Strategic mindset with the ability to zoom out across markets while staying close enough to the detail to be credible with auditors and tax authorities.

Experience & Technical Skills

• Currently operating at Manager level (or equivalent) within an audit firm or a multinational's in-house compliance/audit function - this is not a developmental hire.

• 10-12+ years of post-qualification experience, with hands-on exposure to multi-country compliance in Europe.

• Chartered Accountant (CA), CPA, or ACCA qualification.

• Solid working knowledge of IFRS, European tax regulations, and Transfer Pricing fundamentals.

• Advanced proficiency with Tier-1 ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, or NetSuite).

• Fluent English, written and spoken - required given daily interaction with regional and global stakeholders.

• Strong project management and negotiation skills, with the ability to work confidently across time zones and cultures.