CW-VP-Finance Job at Nexen

Nexen is an upstream oil and gas company responsibly developing energy resources in the UK North Sea, offshore West Africa, the United States and Western Canada.
As a CNOOC limited company, Nexen manages a diverse portfolio and has a strong team that can deliver value from these global assets. How We Work. What We Do. We create value by responsibly supplying the energy that fuels people’s lives. The world needs clean, secure and affordable energy. We meet this need by harnessing our exceptional talent, world-class assets and progressive technology to find and develop oil and gas resources around the world. It’s Nexen’s way of building a profitable and responsible business.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: CW-VP-Finance

Location: Lagos

Job Description
Nexen is responsibly developing energy resources in some of the world’s most significant basins including the UK North Sea, Western Canada, the United States and offshore West Africa. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, Nexen has three principal businesses: conventional oil and gas, oil sands, and shale gas.

At Nexen, our culture of accountability is key to delivering superior results. Underpinning this culture is a set of beliefs that drive company-wide behaviours around safety, collaboration, innovation and striving to exceed expectations every day. If you share these values, we want you to join our team.

With a robust portfolio of assets, we need high-performing employees who strive for continuous improvement and the chance to share in our future success. Your valued contributions are rewarded with a competitive compensation and benefits package including training that will open doors to your future.

Position Overview

• This is a rotational contract position with a 35 days on, 35 days off schedule, reporting to the Senior Manager, Corporate Reporting in Calgary, with a dotted line responsibility to the President and Managing Director of the Nexen Lagos office.
• This position is responsible for all financial and accounting functions as well as the administrative duties in the Lagos Office and Staff House. Of importance is active contribution to the security and safety of our Nigeria staff and assets.
• The candidate will also be responsible for presenting the legal entity financial statements to the relevant Board of Directors, and for representing the Company’s financial interests with Co-Venturers and Government bodies.
• The position also requires the performance of the Managing Director’s operational duties while he travels outside the country.
• The position requires the ability to work pro-actively in a very challenging environment with cultural sensitivity, and to be a self-starter who is able to work independently at a distance from, while working collaboratively with, Head Office.

• Must have or develop a detailed understanding of IFRS and Nigerian GAAP;
• Must understand FCPA rules and apply rigidly to adhere to our zero tolerance approach on corruption and bribery;
• Coordinate and prepare the Work Program & Budget (WP&B) for Nigeria. Play a key role in preparing and stewarding the Nigeria business budget and outlooks;
• Ensure that all statutory requirements of the Nigerian Government are followed including proper filing of entity documents on a yearly basis, and payment of all taxes and levies in accordance with legislation;
• Co-ordinate and oversee all government and statutory audits;
• Assist with Joint Venture Contract interpretation and negotiations;
• Be an active member of the Finance Committee for the non-operated JVs;
• Work with Calgary head office Risk Management team to ensure the business has proper insurance coverage in place at all times.
• Ensure that management accounts are complete, accurate and include all necessary accruals;
• Manage cash flow to ensure safe and efficient use/transfer of funds while honoring local foreign exchange constraints and avoiding any financial penalties;
• Responsible for the financial statements of several legal entities as well as monthly reporting to Nexen Energy ULC and the Managing Director in Lagos;
• Provide support for 11 accounting, HR, IT and Staff House staff;
• Ensure obligations regarding our production sharing contracts are fulfilled in a timely manner including payment of cash call requests;
• Present financial results to the Board of Directors of relevant legal entities at the quarterly board meetings;

• Ensure that the day to day operations of the Lagos office are performed in accordance with Nexen policies and procedures, and that all assets in the care of Nigeria management are safe and secure;
• Oversee the operation of the Company staff house;
• Lead the HR and IT functions in country. Ensure national staff issues are addressed appropriately and in a timely manner;
• Support the business needs of the Nigeria management team
• Participate in discussions regarding policies for the Lagos office with the Managing Director;
• Help oversee the security needs of the facilities in Nigeria as well as movement of staff arriving and departing the country;
• Finance role on the Nigeria Crisis Management Plan.

• Liaise with the government and partners as needed;
• Set the strategic direction of your department: includes annual goal and objectives setting and subsequent monitoring;
• Provide leadership, guidance and support to the national employees;
• Liaise with the various Finance client groups in Calgary and Uxbridge;
• Liaise with CNOOC Nigeria Lagos based finance representatives to share common business information.
• Must enjoy working with people to understand nationals’ perspectives and build the ability to anticipate and predict how they will respond to issues;

• Qualified Accountant (CA, CMA, CGA) or MBA;
• Min 12-15 years of experience in the Oil and Gas industry in a variety of roles including leadership;
• Must develop good relationships with national staff, joint venture partners and the Nigerian government;
• Knowledge and expertise in formulating competitive strategies and managing policies, practices, trends and information affecting Nexen as a whole;
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to act independently are required to lead in an often difficult environment;
• Good team player who is able to transition between roles as required with minimum support.
• Experience working in a foreign posting would be an asset and experience in West Africa would be an advantage;
• Experience with SAP an asset;
• Must take an active role and lead by example to demonstrate and promote our high performance cultural belief program. In particular must take an active role in pursuing Safety First;
• Due to location and time barriers with Calgary special effort is needed to develop and maintain personal contact. Communication style must also address the issues around the physical isolation of the office, rotational staff and working with nationals;