Senior Specialist - Accounting, Japan

In a short

Are you a highly structured, detail-oriented finance professional who thrives on mastering complexity and running processes end-to-end? We are looking for a Senior Specialist - Accounting to serve as our dedicated, on-the-ground finance expert in Tokyo, Japan.
In this role, you will focus on high-impact oversight, compliance, and cross-functional collaborations rather than daily transactional processing. Operating as a critical collaborator between our local business operations, our centralized operations team in Shanghai, and external partner groups, you will support local financial integrity, coordinate statutory reporting, and perform key control functions. If you are comfortable making decisions with input from others, working autonomously, and communicating impactfully across diverse teams, we want you in the ONiverse!

Your Team

We are the advanced navigators of On. You will be based in our Tokyo office (Shibuya), serving as our key accounting specialist in Japan while remaining an integral part of the highly collaborative, action-oriented APAC Finance team.
We partner closely with local commercial and retail business lines to support hyper-growth while constantly seeking ways to improve local financial processes, standardizing where possible, and maintaining a supportive, team-first environment.

Your Mission

Your mission is to work autonomously, manage key tasks end-to-end, and successfully coordinate with diverse internal and external stakeholders. You will not be responsible for daily operational data entry; instead, you will focus on quality-control reviews, independent ownership of critical close tasks, SOX controls, and local compliance coordination.
1. Quality Control & Centralized Operations Partnership
Voucher & Reconciliation Review: Serve as the primary reviewer for accounting vouchers and journal entries by our centralized operations team in Shanghai, ensuring regional compliance and reporting accuracy.
Process Efficiency: Partner with the Shanghai team to continuously streamline transactional workflows, resolve day-to-day accounting queries, and improve overall operational quality.
2. Independent Ownership & Month-End Close
Salary Posting: Independently manage and post confidential payroll/salary accounting vouchers and related accruals.
Reconciliation Preparation & Quality Checks: Prepare key monthly and quarterly balance sheet reconciliations. Use the preparation process as a strategic quality check to secondary-review posting correctness and flag balance-sheet anomalies.
Variance Analysis: Perform comprehensive quarterly variance analyses to provide regional and local stakeholders with clear, accurate, and actionable financial insights.
3. Local Statutory & Audit Coordination (J-GAAP & IFRS)
Audit Coordination & Review: Act as the primary coordinator with the external accounting firm for the annual local statutory reporting process. You will focus on facilitating the communicating process, providing necessary inputs, and reviewing their deliverables to ensure smooth, timely/accurate delivery and sign-off.
Technical Knowledge: Leverage your understanding of IFRS and J-GAAP to facilitate clear communication and ensure high-quality reviews of all deliverables.
4. SOX Control Performance
Control Execution: Act as a key SOX control performer (Finance related), ensuring that local processes comply with corporate governance structures.
Risk Mitigation: Execute control environments within your scope diligently, actively identifying, reporting, and resolving process variances.
5. Cross-Functional Partnering & Stakeholder Coordination
Internal Coordination: Act as the key accounting contact for local Japanese commercial, retail, and operational business teams—resolving day-to-day inquiries and helping them navigate financial processes clearly.
External Stakeholder Coordination: Manage and coordinate communications with local external partners, including banks, legal advisors, and relevant local authorities.

Your Story

• Experience: 8-10 years of progressive professional experience in accounting or finance, ideally within a multinational enterprise (retail, FMCG, or consumer goods sectors preferred).
• Technical Expertise: Strong technical foundation and understanding of both J-GAAP and IFRS. Experience collaborating with external audit firms (i.e. Big 4 firms) is a plus.
• Autonomy & Prioritization: A self-starter who excels at working autonomously. You are comfortable relying on your direct leader for general direction on new tasks while collaborating closely on prioritization.
• Impactful Communication: Native in Japanese and professional working proficiency in English (written and verbal). You can adapt your communication style seamlessly to coordinate with both local Japanese business units and regional finance teams.
• Problem-Solving: A proactive problem-solver who is comfortable with complexity. You ask the right questions to analyze situations, collect diverse inputs, and bring clarity to complex tasks.
• System Capabilities: Familiarity with modern ERPs (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics 365) and reconciliation/expense/AI tools is highly valued.

What We Offer

We offer a sportive, challenging, and highly collaborative working environment with an international and dynamic spirit. At On, you have the autonomy to make decisions, drive your growth journey, and shape our local financial operations.
If you are ready to master financial complexities and support On's presence in Japan, we look forward to receiving your application!