Finance Lead

In a nutshell:

IDEO Tokyo is looking for a Finance Lead to join our Tokyo Studio. In this role, you will be responsible for the full accounting cycle for Japan (e.g. account payables, account receivables, fixed assets, general ledger, reporting, taxes and auditing) and collaborate closely with the Tokyo Studio’s leadership and IDEO’s stakeholders in driving business initiatives and establishing new processes as needed.

Why is this role important for IDEO’s work?

IDEO Tokyo’s mission is to help enable change in Japan through design and creativity. Our purpose is to partner with organizations to help them build resilient and inclusive futures they can own - we do this through a deep focus on empathy, optimism, and a rigorous approach to making strategy tangible by using creativity as a complement to analytical reasoning.

The Finance Lead role is critical in ensuring IDEO Tokyo’s financial wellbeing and compliance. It is a hands-on role, where you will balance accounting and forecasting responsibilities working in partnership with Business Operations and the IDEO Tokyo Leadership team.

Relevant Experience & Mindset:

• Experience with the full accounting cycle: accounts receivable, accounts payable, general ledger, asset management, payment transactions, client invoicing, cash management and month-end closing.
• Business operations experience: project management, month-end analysis, reporting.
• Work with internal budget owners to develop, track and control operating expenses and project expenses in accordance to plan.
• Experience in facilitating monthly review of budgets for P&L, cash flow, balance sheet. Produce, review and sign off monthly management accounts.
• Experience in establishing accounting policies and procedures for new business units.
• Sound knowledge of inter-company accounting (e.g. AR/AP reconciliation and tax accrual).
• Experience with handling taxes (both domestic and international) and financial audits.
• Experience in working closely with a company’s technology team to adopt and develop new tools and systems.
• Comfortable driving the business cycle, reviewing historical financial trends and working with our Business Operations team to build the annual revenue forecast and budget.
• Be the main point of contact for our external financial partners including: banks, auditors, tax advisors and local tax bureau.
• Manage office lease, insurance and expense policy management with the Business Operations team.
• Experience in working in the creative and design industry with an empathy for designers is desirable.
• Desire and ability to have a positive and noticeable impact on the community and its culture.
• Self-directed and entrepreneurial, comfortable embracing ambiguity and using judgment and intuition to creatively problem solve and continuously find new ways to improve accounting and financial processes.

Requirements:

• Minimum of Bachelor's degree in Accounting or equivalent. Deep understanding of Japan GAAP required. Functional knowledge of US GAAP a plus.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in financial accounting, ideally in a multinational and project-based environment.
• Excellent discretion, demonstrating sound judgment in dealing with confidential dialogues and information.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with an ability to explain complex concepts to non-finance audiences in writing and verbally.
• Proven ability to think quickly on your feet, adapt to ambiguity, change scope and focus with ease.
• Strong English and Japanese verbal and written skills.
• Good understanding of Japanese tax law, plus knowledge of international tax (e.g. withholding and consumption tax on cross-border transactions).
• Strong attention to detail to effectively check analysis and documentation.
• Fluency with Google Workspace, Dropbox, Slack a plus.
• Extensive experience with enterprise resource planning tools. Working Knowledge of Workday, Power BI a plus.

What does IDEO Tokyo offer you?

Ask anyone at IDEO why they like working here, and they will say it’s our people and the diversity of challenges. It’s a place where you can solve complex challenges for people, organizations and society, alongside thoughtful, intelligent individuals who lead with curiosity, empathy, and optimism.

We encourage our community to bring their whole selves to work and respect the need for work-life balance. IDEO provides you support and development throughout your time here, while allowing for autonomy in your daily work and in your career.

Commitment to Diversity:

At IDEO, we are committed to the work of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within our organisation and in the world. Our purpose of having disproportionate, world-changing impact through design is directly connected to our ability to bring many different perspectives to the table. This applies to our candidates, the people we hire, the clients and customers we serve, and the communities we learn from in our research.

As a human-centered organisation, we are committed to working with and designing for people of every race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, physical ability or attribute, religion, national origin, or political belief. We recognize that this commitment requires ongoing work and sustained attention, as well as adaptation to new insights and best practices.

Read our most recently updated Commitments to further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion here.

Application Instructions:

Please apply online by uploading your resume and cover letter. In your cover letter, please explain why you would be a good fit for this role.