Accountant / Financial Controller

ICTS Group · Location: Ghent or Zeebrugge, Belgium

Employee (38 hours/week) or self-employed contractor (230 days per year)

Do you want to take responsibility for reliable financial information and the planning and analysis that help a business move forward? As Accountant / Financial Controller at ICTS, you will combine strong accounting knowledge with an understanding of business operations.

ICTS Group is an international family business specialising in trailer rental, maintenance and repair, with activities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom. With a fleet of almost 2,900 trailers, our own workshops and mobile service teams, we help transport and logistics companies keep their fleets safe and operational.

You report to the CFO of the ICTS companies.

You work closely with the accounting team and operational managers. Your colleagues handle day-to-day accounting transactions. You will safeguard quality, coordinate closing and translate results into action. Following a structured handover, you will independently take on agreed responsibilities, in consultation with the CFO and during their absence.

Financial control and closing

• Coordinate and take overall responsibility for month-end, quarter-end and year-end closing for the Belgian and Dutch workshop and rental companies, as well as various affiliated companies.

• Work with local accounting colleagues to deliver timely, accurate and comparable reporting to the directors and department heads.

• Prepare annual accounts for internal and external purposes and ensure accurate external financial reporting for the Belgian companies. Prepare consolidations and report the consolidated results.

• Oversee the complete accounting records in Belgium and the Netherlands, and review balance-sheet reconciliations, closing entries and intercompany balances. Investigate discrepancies and resolve complex accounting questions with local colleagues and external advisers.

• Oversee the preparation, review and timely submission of VAT returns and related reporting in Belgium and the Netherlands. Coordinate and monitor timely statistical reporting and ensure Belgian tax returns are completed and submitted.

• Coordinate audit-file preparation and responses to the statutory auditor in Belgium and external accountants in the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom. Act as the operational point of contact for these external firms.

Budgeting and forecasting

• Coordinate the annual budget cycle and prepare periodic forecasts with the relevant managers. Challenge assumptions against operational performance.

• Prepare monthly management reporting, explain variances against budget and forecast, and discuss improvement actions with the directors and relevant colleagues.

• Prepare cash-flow forecasts and monitor working capital. Promptly flag risks relating to liquidity, outstanding receivables and payment commitments to the directors.

• Take responsibility for executing outgoing payments in Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom, within agreed delegated authority.

• Analyse workshop and rental activities separately: workshop productivity and margins, and rental fleet utilisation, rental income and fleet costs. Support pricing and investment decisions.

Collaboration and continuity

• Provide technical guidance to accounting colleagues, review their work and help resolve issues.

• Improve internal controls, reporting and data quality, working with IT to automate processes and reduce manual work.

• Document key processes and, following handover, maintain continuity in consultation with the CFO and during their absence, within agreed delegated authority.

• At least five years of relevant experience in financial control, accounting or audit, including demonstrated independent responsibility for closing and financial reporting.

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in accounting and taxation, Finance or Economics, or equivalent knowledge gained through experience.

• Strong knowledge of Belgian accounting principles and VAT, plus experience of year-end closing and external audits. You can coordinate Dutch accounting and VAT matters with local colleagues and advisers.

• Practical experience of budgets, forecasts and variance analysis. You can turn financial information into clear conclusions and actions.

• Good Excel skills and experience with accounting or ERP systems. You can critically review and reconcile data.

• An accurate, organised approach. You take ownership, prioritise effectively and raise issues promptly.

• Clear spoken and written communication in Dutch and English. French is an advantage.

• The ability to guide colleagues on technical matters and work constructively with operational managers.

• Experienced accountants with demonstrated controlling skills are welcome. Accounting-firm experience is a strong advantage. Dutch accounting and VAT knowledge, multiple-entity experience, cash planning, Power BI or Power Query are an advantage. Sector experience is not required.

• A broad accounting and financial control role with direct involvement in ICTS’s financial and operational activities.

• Close collaboration with the CFO and the directors, and a structured handover so you can provide reliable support and take over agreed responsibilities.

• The opportunity to improve reporting, planning and finance processes, with training opportunities and the support you need.

• Above-market remuneration on a full-time basis, reflecting relevant experience and responsibilities.

• As an employee: benefits such as a company car or mobility arrangement, meal vouchers and insurance, plus 20 statutory annual-leave days with full entitlement in a full-time five-day working week (230 working days per year).

• Your primary workplace is Ghent or Zeebrugge, with regular visits to the Dutch sites.

• Flexibility and trust define ICTS. What counts is the result: the goals are clear, and how you reach them is your responsibility.