CoE Senior Accountant
- Recruiter
- Informa Group
- Location
- Colchester, Essex / hybrid
- Salary
- Very competitive + bonus + benefits
- Posted
- 28 Jun 2022
- Closes
- 28 Jul 2022
- Approved employers
- Approved employer
- Job role
- Accountant, Management accountant
- Sector
- Accounting - Public practice, Digital, Global business services and outsourcing, Media/Marketing
- Contract type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Experience level
- Newly qualified, Qualified accountant
Company Description
Informa is a leading international events, intelligence and scholarly research group.
We’re the specialist’s specialist. Through hundreds of powerful brands, we work with businesses and professionals in specialist markets, providing the connections, intelligence and opportunities that help customers grow, do business, make breakthroughs and take better informed decisions.
Informa is listed on London Stock Exchange and a member of FTSE 100, with over 11,000 colleagues working in more than 30 countries.
Informa’s divisions include:
Informa Connect, a specialist in content-driven events and digital communities that allow professionals to meet, connect, learn and share knowledge.
Informa Intelligence, providing digital intelligence and data-based products, consultancy and research services that help businesses in specialist markets make better informed decisions, spot opportunities and gain competitive edge.
Informa Markets, creating platforms for international markets to trade, innovate and grow. Through over 500 leading brands, our exhibitions, specialist digital content and data solutions allow customers operating in specialist markets to meet and trade, and for their businesses and markets to thrive.
Informa Tech, a division bringing specialism in technology. We aim to inspire the global technology community to design, build and run a better digital world through research, media, training and events that inform, educate and connect businesses and professionals working in technology.
Taylor & Francis, specialist in scholarly research and in helping academic and research communities make new breakthroughs. We commission, curate, produce and publish scholarly research and reference-led content in specialist subject areas, helping to advance research and enabling knowledge to be discovered and shared.
Global Support is Informa's sixth division, with major hubs in the United Kingdom, United States, Hong Kong and Singapore as well as several smaller locations. As the team behind the teams, Global Support colleagues provide shared, efficient business services and function-specific expertise to each of Informa's operating divisions, enabling our commercial teams to focus on their markets and customers.
Job Description
This role sits within the Finance Centre of Excellence, which is a global service provider to the wider finance shared services organization. The Finance CoE manages global, division-agnostic processes and outputs where the team aim to build and enhance quality, consistency and scalability.
Reporting into the CoE Finance Manager, this is a key operational role which is accountable for delivering an accurate, high value consistent accounting service for your specific division/s. You will lead a team within the CoE function providing leadership and guidance to ensure your team delivers excellent accounting service to the business driving balance sheet integrity. You will be a high performing individual that embraces and drives change management processes whilst showing effective collaboration with your team and business counterparties.
You must ensure that all company policies are adhered to. You must also ensure that duties are carried out within set time limits whilst providing an excellent level of service to all Informa customers and colleagues.
Informa takes the security and privacy of company, colleague and customer data seriously and you are responsible for working securely and supporting this within your duties.
Key Responsibilities
Management / General
· Ensure Balance Sheet reconciliations are completed in accordance with Balance Sheet Integrity guidelines and control frameworks
· Review the accuracy of all calculations, postings and processes within the team’s remit
· Ensure that issues are escalated as appropriate to your Finance Manager in a timely manner
· Offer support & guidance to colleagues on difficult issues as an expert & leader in the team
· Assist with any special projects within the department, including testing for new systems, developing new processes, and with the implementation of SSC wide projects introduced by Senior Managers or Global Process Owners, etc.
· Assist with the delivery of smooth integration/due diligence activity
· Supervise Intercompany process and liaise with other SSC employees as necessary
· Training and support of the Capgemini BPO team that support CoE activities
· Work effectively with internal and external auditors
· Assist in ensuring all statutory and regulatory deadlines for the team are met
· Flag any control risks and instances of fraud (both actual and attempted) to management as early as possible
· Ensure required approvals are completed in a timely manner
Process Change
· Assist with driving improvement across your R2R teams
· Play an active role in driving for change and continuous improvement in the business and within finance; highlight potential process or control improvement opportunities with a key focus on customer experience
· Ensure all process documents are up-to-date and readily available and that staff are aware of the key processes and how they function
Leadership
· Ensure that appropriate People Development tools are utilized throughout your team consistently and fairly to ensure optimum performance of all colleagues concentrating on both technical and soft skill development in conjunction with local HR colleagues
· Ensure that planning and prioritization of work within the team is enough to maintain and improve performance metrics
· Encourage an environment in which people value diversity either in recruitment, team formation and/or in developing plans and strategies
· Bring team members into discussions so that they can contribute their ideas, are involved in setting team objectives and feel engaged on issues that affect them
· Support, assist and cover team members where necessary
Qualifications
Qualifications & Experience
· Strong academic background, Accounting degree preferable
· A qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with experience of working in a large team with mixed levels of experience.
· Solid knowledge and understanding of SSC processes and how these fit into the wider environment
· Knowledge of working in global business environment with sound understanding of global process and transactional flows
· Excellent knowledge and understanding of all finance processes including best practice, people, processes and technology
· Confident in how to lead and guide a team through challenging periods
· Good working knowledge of dealing with mergers, acquisitions and disposals
· Good working knowledge of lean, Six Sigma or other continuous improvement methodologies preferred
· Strong people manager who actively engages and embraces talent management conversations
Skills & Abilities
· Good communication skills at all levels including a wide range of stakeholders within the business
· Continuously drives & improves processes & systems
· Excellent problem-solving skills
· Be pro-active and take initiative and encourage teams to do the same
· Knowledge and ability to use relevant internal systems
· Act with integrity, tact and diplomacy
· Highly organized, diligent with attention to detail and the ability to maintain these skills whilst working under pressure
· Advanced skills in Excel, Word and Outlook are essential
· Ability to be flexible within role
Additional information
Alongside a competitive salary, Informa also offers the following employee benefits:
- Season ticket loan & Cycle2work
- Money purchased pension scheme & life assurance
- Eye care and childcare vouchers
- 25 days annual holiday, increasing to 27 days after 2 years, plus an extra day off for your birthday and another for raising money for charity!
- Our Learning team supports year-round development, with face-to-face training, mentoring and access to LinkedIn Learning
- Informa's colleague Share Incentive Plan matches every share purchased with 2 free shares
- Informa offers a £250 Healthy Lifestyle subsidy to spend on fitness activities and classes
- You are given permission to take 4 days off per year to volunteer with an approved scheme
We know that sometimes the 'perfect candidate' doesn't exist, and that people can be put off applying for a job if they don't fit all the requirements. If you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, please go ahead and apply. You could be just what we need! We believe strongly in the value of diversity and creating supportive, inclusive environments where our colleagues can succeed. As such, Informa is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, ancestry, national origin, religion, or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, citizenship, or other protected characteristics under local law.