About the Role
Front End Limited Company is seeking a Financial Operations Specialist to join its team in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. This role is fundamental to rebuilding and expanding our financial functions, with a primary focus on managing day-to-day operations related to accounts payable, payments, and financial administrative workloads. The goal is to ensure vendors are processed and paid accurately and on time, in full compliance with Saudi regulatory requirements, to maintain continuous and disciplined financial operations, and to enable the Financial Controller to focus on accounting, controls, and reporting.
Key Tasks and Responsibilities
- Receive, verify, and classify vendor invoices, including general ledger accounts, cost centers, and project/work breakdown structures (WBS), and process them within Front End's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
- Perform three-way matching of invoices against purchase orders and goods received notes, investigating and resolving any discrepancies in pricing, quantities, or taxes.
- Verify that vendor tax invoices comply with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) e-invoicing requirements and VAT coordination, ensuring all necessary fields are present in Arabic, tax registration numbers, QR codes, and required invoice elements before posting.
- Manage the invoice approval workflow and maintain an up-to-date accounts payable inbox, aging reports, and accruals.
- Prepare local and international (multi-currency) payments for review and approval, including payments for imported marine and heavy equipment.
- Process payments through Saudi bank portals and provide support for Wage Protection System (WPS) payments via the Mudad/Bank platform as needed.
- Adhere to segregation of duties by preparing payments for approval and never self-approving, and implementing independent verification for any changes to vendor banking details.
- Maintain accurate vendor master data and onboard new vendors by collecting valid Commercial Registration (CR), VAT certificate, bank letter, and other required documentation.
- Reconcile vendor statements, professionally manage vendor inquiries, and support vendor onboarding on customer/agent procurement portals such as Aramco, SABIC, and the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
- Track import documentation and customs clearance papers for capital asset and heavy equipment purchases, coordinating closely with the logistics team and Financial Controller.
- Maintain complete and audit-ready records to support VAT returns, ZATCA filings, Withholding Tax (WHT) deductions on cross-border payments, and the annual Zakat/Corporate Income Tax return.
- Assist the Financial Controller in preparing data for submission and reconciliation with government portals including ZATCA, the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), and the Qiwa and Mudad platforms.
- Assist in ensuring invoices, contracts, and payments comply with internal controls and anti-bribery/corruption standards expected by Front End and its Tier 1 clients.
- Manage employee expense claims, petty cash, and maintain organized filing and document control in both Arabic and English.
- Support the accounts payable month-end close, prepare accrual schedules, and perform account reconciliations.
- Provide additional support to the Financial Controller and the broader finance function as needed.
Qualifications and Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
- 2 to 5 years of experience in accounts payable or financial operations, preferably within the engineering, energy, industrial, contracting, or heavy asset-intensive sectors in Saudi Arabia.
- Hands-on experience with Oracle NetSuite is highly preferred; experience with a similar ERP system will be considered.
- Practical and up-to-date knowledge of Saudi VAT requirements and ZATCA e-invoicing.
- Exposure to Zakat/WHT, GOSI, and WPS is a strong advantage.
- Proficiency in both Arabic and English is required, with Arabic being essential for ZATCA-compliant invoices and interactions with government portals.
- Progress towards a professional qualification such as SOCPA, ACCA, CMA, or equivalent is a positive addition and will be supported by the company.
- Familiarity with the Saudi regulatory framework, including current VAT rates, correct treatment of supplies, input and output VAT, ZATCA e-invoicing (Phase 1 & 2 integration), Zakat (* for Saudi/GCC ownership) and Corporate Income Tax (20% on foreign-owned share), WHT rates and exemptions, GOSI contributions, and labor/employment platforms like Qiwa, Mudad, and Saudization/Nitaqat obligations.
- Knowledge of corporate and banking requirements, including Commercial Registration (CR), Chamber of Commerce, Know Your Customer (KYC) documentation for vendors, and Saudi banking payment portals.
Required Skills
- High accuracy and strong attention to detail.
- Discipline in processes.
- Strong Excel skills.
- Comfortable with digital finance tools and government portals.
- Understanding of internal controls and segregation of duties.
- Knowledge of fraud prevention basics.
- Organizational skills.
- Initiative and a proactive approach.
- Reliability, especially under month-end pressure and deadlines.
- Professional communication skills with vendors, banks, and internal stakeholders.
- High integrity.
Additional Information
This is a full-time position based in Al Khobar, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.
