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Job
overview
In the Group's different branches, Management
Accountants act as the permanent link between
the heads of operations and management teams.
They channel the inflow of information,
and provide decision-makers with the instruments
to steer and control operations. Possessing
a solid command of financial and accounting
concepts, they also have a sound understanding
of the mechanisms of each business activity
and possess good communication skills. They
set up management reports, analyze costs,
interpret trends, and draw up forecasts.
First steps
Junior Management Accountants are most often
assigned directly to an operational entity
as Assistant Controllers, in their home
country or sometimes abroad. In this context,
they participate in the different stages
of reporting and the budget of the profit
center or subsidiary. They analyze and write
reviews of financial performances, set up
indicators for monitoring, conduct studies
as well as management and control audits,
and contribute to the development and management
of accounting and financial information
systems. They may also start out in the
Group's Central Division, where they work
on consolidation and procedures or financial
results and budget follow-up.
Career options
Management Accountants have an ideal "observation
post" that offers the opportunity to
become familiar with the Group's business
activities and operational management as
well as the mechanisms of decision-making.
Once this experience has been acquired,
they may become Management Controllers themselves
at a profit center or subsidiary, or opt
for development in one of the Group's other
financial professions.
Our recruitment
criteria
. Higher degree from a business school or
MA in Finance or Management Accounting.
. Proficiency in financial and accounting
software.
. Aptitudes for analysis and synthesis,
precision, written and oral communication
skills, easy contact with people and a sense
of teamwork, autonomy, an open mind, adaptability.
. English, fluent French.
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Testimonial
Olivier B.
Management Accountant
DESS Finances Paris-Sorbonne.
What do you do as Management Accountant
?
Initially I took part in implementing a
customized software program for financial
accounting, then I joined the Budget &
Management Accounting Department in the
Group's Financial Division. What's our main
role ? To consolidate all the financial
information that comes in from the Group's
three business branches : Exploration &
Production, Refining & Marketing, and
Chemicals. These data are then reported
to the Chief Financial Officer, who presents
them to the Management Committee. As the
"last step of the pyramid", we're
involved in all the Group's activities.
For a young Management Accountant, this
is of course a great opportunity, it's a
job with a lot of variety where you learn
a lot.
In actual practice,
what does that involve ?
I spend most of my time collecting all kinds
of information, by phone, fax, e-mail, at
meetings, and so on. Rapidity and quality
are key in reporting, because apart from
the purely technical aspect of account consolidation,
there's the analytical aspect : Are performances
in line with the budget ? If there's a difference,
what's the reason for it ? Do the plans
for this or that element need to be reviewed
? The essential thing in this job is to
understand the whys and wherefores behind
the different information you get, so that
you can anticipate as accurately as possible
how things are going to evolve. You have
to be reactive - so it's imperative to be
in touch with the operational facts of the
business and the economic environment.
What qualities
do you need for this job ?
The basis of management accounting is the
collection and analysis of sets of figures,
so this job obviously requires a disciplined
mind and rigorous work methods. It also
demands true values and attributes that
ensure excellent interpersonal relations
: the successful synergy of all the Group's
management controllers relies on an atmosphere
of genuine mutual trust. But good contact
with people is important in every job -
and after all, isn't that the most exciting
dimension ?
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Testimonial
Emmanuel R.
Management Accountant
Graduated from ESSEC.
What do you do
in your job ?
I work in Management Accounting at the Marketing
France Division, where one of my main responsibilities
is to validate all the financial information
sent in by the different operational divisions.
This relatively sensitive and strategic
job is a mix of recurring tasks and periodic
analyses, which also demands a good dose
of creativity. To be credible in your contacts
with the different parties concerned, you
have to know their business very well. You
also have to know all the complexities of
the logistics and information systems for
marketing and distribution, and all that
rapidly gets you involved in the concrete
aspects of this business. For example, to
check if one aspect of stock management
was being handled efficiently or if this
could be improved, I spent three days at
a depot. That way I learned how deliveries
get organized. When I analyze those figures
now, I know what I'm talking about !
What qualities
do you need for this job ?
This is a real team job, you work with many
different departments - Management Accounting
for the different operational divisions,
our own Accounting, Financial and Human
Resources divisions, etc. So you need qualities
in terms of interpersonal relations and
communication, of course, and you also need
to realize that others may not always share
your views or priorities. In short, you
have to be open to others.
How do you see
your career developing in the future ?
My objective is to work on concrete business
aspects in a big industrial group, now and
in the long term, and I think that with
Total, I've made an excellent choice. For
development along the financial track, or
in other areas with wider focus, the Group
offers very many great options, especially
internationally. As for me, after two or
three years of experience in this job in
Paris, I picture myself very well in Asia
for a few years !
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